Bengals to Update Indoor Practice Field

During a recent tour of Paul Brown Stadium, I learned that the Bengals will resurface their indoor practice field on July 14th.

By the way, did you know the Bengals HAVE an indoor practice field? It is not a completely separate full sized football field. Also, they still have to bus ten minutes up the road to the University of Cincinnati a couple times a year when the weather requires it.  Still, it is a basketball court sized field that was converted to turf during the 2015 renovations. You can view the renovation details and photos linked here.

Cincinnati has long held the dubious distinction of being the northern-most NFL team without an indoor practice facility. This insinuates that the Bengals are less willing to invest in winning and are not providing proper facilities for their players.  Thus, it was interesting to realize during the recent stadium tour that this insinuation is false.

Not only did the 2015 renovations put the Bengals in the top ten of NFL weight training facilities as ranked by stack.com, but this year’s update to the indoor field shows their commitment to maintaining the quality of these facilities. Additionally, last year’s top ten was Bucs, Browns, Eagles, Broncos, Bears, Panthers, Bengals, Cardinals, Jets, and Jags.  An argument could be made that having the best training facilities and consistent winning are not related.

A sign displayed during the tour shows that on July 14th the indoor field will be covered by PLAE Sports Flooring.  According to their website PLAE’s turf is “meticulously engineered to promote safety and world-class performance”. Updating the turf could represent a measure taken by the team to prevent some of the injuries that derailed last season.

In addition to the updated turf, the tour featured many of the other aesthetic improvements that accompanied rookie head coach Zac Taylor on his quest to instill a renewed pride in what it means to be a Bengal.

Over looking the indoor field is a HUGE image with Taylor’s message to his new team “It’s about us”. Lining nearly every hallway is a picture of Bengals history accompanied by inspiring quotes.

“Build for your team a feeling of oneness of dependence on one another and of strength to be Derived by unity.” -Vince Lombardi

“Winning makes believers of us all.” -Paul Brown

Being able to tour the field, locker rooms, and training facilities was an eye opener. The investments this team makes in its players are quickly forgotten or simply overlooked. However, It doesn’t appear to be overlooked by players like Tyler Boyd and A.J. Green, who continue to express their desire to stay in Cincinnati long term.