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The 'Nati Swag District | A Cincinnati Bengals Franchise
Georgetown, KY - Just over a week into training camp, the Cincinnati Bengals have reached a deal with their 1st round pick, tight end Jermaine Gresham out of Oklahoma. The details of the deal have not been disclosed, but the deal was rumored to be a 5 year one. Coming into camp, coach Marvin Lewis had named Jermaine the No. 1 TE on the depth chart, but since he was not in attendance for the first week of camp, was slipped to the bottom. When asked if Gresham would retake his claim on the No. 1 spot immediately, coach Lewis responded with a quick "Yes.".
The Bengals have not had a reliable tight end in years, and fans are fed up with it. During last years playoff lost to the Jets, both Daniel Coats and Reggie Kelly were booed off the field after dropping numerous passes. Throughout the season last year the tight end spot was just plain awful for the Bengals. They had hoped to address this need in last year's draft with Chase Coffman, but injuries kept him out of the lineup most of the season. Along with the addition of Terrell Owens and Antonio Bryant, Gresham adds another dynamic aspect to this high octane Bengals offense.
Canton, OH - Chad Ochocinco and Terrelle Owens can't wait to get on the field together for the first time. Bengals fans can't wait either. "Who is going to be able to defend our passing threat this year?" Owens said to reporters after training camp today. Cincinnati and Dallas kick off the NFL Pre-Season on Sunday with the Hall of Fame Game in Canton. Owens is matched up against his former team, but isn't thinking much of it as the Bengals focus is on a much bigger prize. "To be honest it hasn't crossed my mind at all. I am focused on a bigger goal and that is winning a Super Bowl. No need to get worked up over the 1st meaningless preseason game," Owens said when asked if the game meant anything more since it was against Dallas.
The first team is expected to see about a quarter and a half of reps for the opener. Coaches and fans are excited to see the debut of 1st round draft pick Jermaine Gresham. He is bringing something to the Bengals offense that hasn't been on the table in previous seasons. Tight end has been a glaring weak spot for a decade in Cincy, but Gresham is bringing some hope. Another rookie set to make his NFL debut is Jordan Shipey, receiver out of Texas. Before the Owens signing, it was looking like Shipley had a legit chance to snag the slot position on the team, but with that signing Shipley is now battling Andre Caldwell for the 4th WR spot on the depth chart. "Going into the first game its neck and neck between me and Andre. We both look forward to battling each other for the spot and each doing our own part to help this team succeed.
The Bengals return all their starters from a defensive unit that was much improved last year. They were hit hard by the injury bug throughout the year, and fans are hoping everyone can stay healthy this year. The only position battle going on on the defensive side is the one for starting SS. Veteran Roy Williams vs. young stud Chinedum Ndukwe. Ndukwe bursted onto the scene last year, really making an impact for this defense. He has earned a reputation as a hard hitter and a sure tackler. Williams is getting old and has lost a step, and many around Bengals camp expect Ndukwe to earn the starting job by Week 1.
With few starting jobs up for grabs this pre-season, expect the Bengals to fine tune their machine and make another run at the AFC North this year!
I'm thinking All-Pro 9 Min quarters with 15 second run off...maybe some sliders if they are needed once the game drops. What do all my loyal followers think?
I thought All-Pro was easy at times when I was playing the demo, so I think sliders would be good. I like the 9 minute quarters, as that give sufficient time to run a realistic amount of plays.
Coming into this season, the Bengals had high expectations coming off an AFC North championship last season. After one game, the team is left searching for answers. Getting beat 35-21 by the Patriots, and losing starting RT Andre Smith for half the season due to a broken collar bone, things can only go up from here.
The scoring started early and often for the Patriots, as they capitalized on downright atrocious tackling from the Bengals defense. The score was 28-7 at half, and the Patriots tacked on another touchdown in the 3rd. Cincinnati was able to find some bright spots late in the game as they got a couple of scores to make the score closer than it really was. Plain and simple, the tackling and pass blocking HAS to get better. If it doesn't this team could be very much so in the running for the Mark Ingram sweepstakes.
Once the offensive line got their shit together, Carson Palmer found some success in the passing game. He found rookie TE Jermaine Gresham twice for touchdowns, and had over 250 yards passing. Cedric Benson tore it up, gashing the New England defense for over 100 yards and a TD. “If we weren’t getting our ass beat, I could have ran the ball more and piled up even more yards and hopefully a couple touch downs,” Benson said after the game. The Ravens come to down next, and the Bengals must win this game to feel confident.
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