Over the past couple of years, the Bengals have slowly made an effort to rebuild their public relations with their loyal fan base. Bridges have been burned between the front office and fans over the years, but new events and other outreach programs have really brought the coaches and players out in the community. Whether it's with their fan-centered Training Camp kickoff event, or traveling to a local high school to practice and interact with a prep high school team, the Bengals are making strides in the right direction.
The latter event happened on Monday when the team traveled to Springboro High School to practice and meet the local footballers from the school. Part of the day was a speech given by head coach Marvin Lewis to the Springboro players. Per FOX 45 of Dayton, the Springboro players really enjoyed the day.
"Football, like no other sport, is 11 guys working together each and everyday, each and every play", said Marvin Lewis, Bengals Head Coach. ''You almost want to do it one play at a time because that's what it takes to win.''
For Springboro senior, Joe Kylin, the day was a highlight for his high school football career. "Exciting" was Kylin's word of choice to describe the day, and he couldn't contain his delight with the Bengals stepping foot on a field he has called home for the past few years.
''It's really exciting, because you see a guy who has progressed throughout his whole career come back and play on our field that we've been practicing on, we've been living on", Joe Kylin, a Springboro Senior told us. ''It's just really exciting because they're (the Bengals) hitting where we hit. You know we get that feeling of we've hit there, we live there and now they're coming to enjoy what we enjoy.''
The practice was open to fans and the media and was a neat change of scenery for the club. They also made a bunch of high schoolers' day in the process and had a solid day of practice.