I was able to visit the Bengals for Training Camp again this weekend. Much like Saturday's report, I was able to upload some photos for everyone to enjoy. Of course, I have some notes to share as well.
I might as well get this out of the way now: The Oklahoma drill didn't happen today. Marvis Lewis opted to focus on the survival of an established team loaded with talent, with his sights set Baltimore for September 7th. It's hard to criticize the decision when the health of the team is behind it. That said, the Oklahoma drill is a fan favorite, and it's one of the few times in July that players can get completely physical before both fans and their teammates.
My frustrations with the lack of the Oklahoma drill was mostly due to the fact that I spent a lot of the afternoon resisting the urge to film practice. I wanted to save battery power as much as possible, and nearly every available megabyte of storage on my phone was reserved for the Oklahoma drill. As a result, I wasn't able to post as many videos as I usually do on Twitter.
However, I have a few videos I'd like to share with everyone from a blitz pickup drill. I'll conclude with some brief takeaways from Sunday's practice as well.
Rex Burkhead and Emmanuel Lamur went head to head, and Burkhead held his own well. Burkhead was one of my camp favorites in 2013, and his scrappy, physical play continues to demand my attention.
Cedric Peerman attempted to block Vontaze Burfict:
- Jeremy Hill played extremely well. It's difficult to truly evaluate a player at camp sometimes, especially running backs. On Saturday, for instance, a play was dead when a defensive hand firmly tapped the ball carrier. On Sunday, it was much more physical. Once Hill accelerates, he's an absolute force. He excelled between the tackles in practice. It will be interesting to see how easily he'll be brought down during the regular season.
- Giovani Bernard had some trouble taking the ball up the middle. As usual, he was sharp in open space.
- Adam Jones continues to impress. He broke up several plays, and he seemed to be everywhere on Sunday. He's been one of the brightest spots of camp this season.
- Mohamed Sanu has been heavily targeted by Andy Dalton in camp. Of course, Marvin Jones isn't practicing at the moment, but it's great to see Sanu getting the work. He looked good on Sunday.
- Darqueze Dennard continues to play well. He has his occasional growing pains. He couldn't keep up with A.J. Green on one play in particular. Green ran across the middle for the catch, and Dennard wasn't even within reach. Regardless, he's consistently proving his eye for the ball, and he's great at sticking with his man more often than not.
- Vontaze Burfict was rough on Giovani Bernard all afternoon. Much like Bernard's rookie season, Burfict was tossing Bernard left and right even when a play was dead. Bernard seemed to take it in stride. Burfict was out to get running backs in general. Burfict crushed Cedric Peerman on one play in particular.
- Margus Hunt showed some great awareness today. There were a few plays he was quick to extend his ridiculous wingspan into the path of running backs.
- Brandon Tate continues to impress at camp, but I say this every offseason. He's making defenders miss and extending plays.
Thanks to all that continue engaging with us here at Cincy Jungle as we try to attend and report camp.