Closer. We're getting that much closer for our first viewing of what was expected to be a summer box office hit. After spending training camp on the sidelines and much of the preseason on the verge of making his NFL debut before hitting the preverbal wall, Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick participated in his first full practice on Thursday. The difference between limited and full is that limited is basically position drills while full includes 11-on-11 sessions.
Kirkpatrick told Bengals.com that despite feeling a little sore because he hasn't done much, he's knee is feeling good and that "mentally I'm good."
Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said weeks ago that we shouldn't expect Kirkpatrick on the field until after the October 28 bye week and that time frame appears to on schedule. Cincinnati's first draft pick during the 2012 NFL draft is bidding his time.
"I don't want to say something and have the fans think I'm going to be something I'm not," he said. "That builds a dark cloud over you. Now you're not fighting to just get on the field, you're fighting all those other things. I just want to keep myself plain and try not to say too much."
The positive news for Kirkpatrick parallels the Bengals overall health at cornerback with Jason Allen participating in both practices this week and Terence Newman returning Thursday after sitting on Wednesday with a groin.