Training Camp Videos

Editor's Note: This post is from one of our readers, Throw the ball, who went to Georgetown to watch the Bengals practice on August 2. He was nice enough to make two videos for us to watch, put them in a fan post and tell us who was impressive and who wasn't. Enjoy.

Hey guys,

As promised I took some video from last night's training camp session.  I got around 35 minutes of footage but cut it down to ~ 20 minutes.  I forgot my tripod so you'll have to deal with some blair witch type shakiness which I apologize for.

I concentrated almost exclusively on the offense for this video.  There is almost always multiple drills going on when at camp and it's the easiest one to follow.

I recommend watching in HD 

Video #1

Video #2

I came to camp with some general expectations for certain players. 

Personal Impressions after the jump

Impressed By:

AJ Green more than lived up to his #4 overall pick.  He was the most impressive receiver out on the field yesterday.  He didn't make any circus catches but he just caught everything.  After dealing with "Alligator Arms Owens" last season it's a breath of fresh air.

Andre Smith was in pretty good shape.  He didn't have the giant belly anymore and actually looked a good deal smaller than big Bobbie Williams. Worked with Whit on the sidelines which was great to see.

Jerome Simpson continues to impress.  Despite not having the hands of Green he is a better athlete. Two of the three really impressive catches at camp belonged to Jerome.

Andre Caldwell quietly had a good day.  Despite having some issues with bump and run coverage, when able to use his speed he was very effective, and burned Reggie Nelson bad on a slant.

Ryan Whalen was the surprise of camp for me.  This kid NEEDS to be on the team if for nothing other than insurance if Jordan Shipley goes down.  He made some great grabs, and his route running is extremely impressive.  He actually outshined Jordan all day.

Jermaine Gresham looked very good.  Most importantly he looked strong.  Broke out of several arm tackles for extra yardage.  I'm expecting big things from Gresham this year.

Chase Coffman looked A LOT bigger.  I think he's dedicated himself to putting on some muscle.  Better route runner and catcher than Gresham.  Don't think he dropped a catchable ball once.  Hope to see him on the field in 2 TE sets.

Not Impressed:

Andy Dalton struggled most of the day.  If I had to pick a rookie from recent years to compare him to it would be... Brady Quinn.  Dalton took few chances and held on to the ball for far too long.  He was picked off a couple of times and made some very poor throws.  Most of his completions were check downs.  Ball tends to sail on him on anything further than 25 yards.

The Fever.... Where to start.  Dan is not an NFL QB IMO.  His arm is a good deal stronger than Dalton's and his deep balls looked better but his decision making is very poor.  Also didn't look all that mobile for setting those records in college.

Jamere Holland struggled to catch the ball most of the day.  Doubt he makes it past the first couple cuts.

Andrew Hawkins looked slow and tended to round off his routes.  Caught the ball rather well but I think he lacks the polish or explosiveness to be a difference maker.

Leon Hall got burned by AJ Green for most of camp.  I'm not sure if this is a sign that he didn't take the offseason seriously or if Green is already that good.  Lets pray it's the latter.

Jordan Shipley looked rusty.  I'll give him the benefit of the doubt since he was good last year, but Whalen out performed him for most of the day.

I'm planning on going back down later this week.  If you guys enjoy this I'll make another one and this time remember a tripod :D