Bengals Staying In Downtown Cincinnati Hotel During Training Camp

When training camp opens up this year the Bengals won't be making the usual journey down I-75 to Georgetown College, which had been their home for training camp since 1997, to prepare for the regular season. Instead the Bengals decided on Jan. 20 that training camp will be held right here in Cincinnati at Paul Brown Stadium.

This move didn't come as a surprise considering the Bengals contract with Georgetown ended this past season. But if training camp is at Paul Brown Stadium then where are the players going to stay?

Well as of now, Marvin Lewis intends to have both rookies and veterans stay in a to-be-determined hotel in downtown Cincinnati. This is all still under planning mode, but if it does happen it will be a good move for the Bengals on several levels.

By staying in a hotel it allows veterans to help mentor and bond with rookies while keeping a close eye on them to make sure they stay out of trouble from the crazy night life of Cincinnati. The younger players will need some guidance and by staying in a hotel this will allow the team to form a better relationship with each other.

"The reason you stay in a hotel is to protect your players from other people. People that keep them up, or get them sick, or (they) get sick in the middle of the night," Lewis said.

By having everyone from the team in the same facility it will help facilitate Game Day experiences. During the regular season the training and medical staff is on hand to tend to any injuries, illnesses, and other assorted ailments. And this is something that needs to be practiced during training camp as well.

As for the practice schedule, Lewis doesn't intend to have morning sessions and night practices will probably be moved up earlier in the evening. There will be plenty of practices going on during the afternoon, so it appears as if there will be an ample amount of time in the evening for players to be on their own. This is when veterans and coaches need to make sure that rookies and younger players stay out of trouble because everything that they do, no matter how altruistic or horrendous it is, is judged by the public and goes through a massive amount of scrutiny. It will be interesting to see if the hotel stay pays off in the end.