Bengals Mini-Camp Wraps: Signings Continue

The Bengals mini-camp is now complete and the optimism surrounding the team appears to have carried through the weekend. Some will say the rejuvenated passing attack was the story of the weekend, but personally, surviving the workouts without a major incident or injury is the best news of the weekend. After all, you can talk up a breakout player or how the team appears to be executing well but at this early stage it is hard to get a good read on those items. Mini-camp is about acclimating, evaluating and learning. By all accounts the workouts were productive and nearly injury free (Dan Santucci had a minor injury but then again he is always hurt). Other Mini-Camp Bites: - After year's of waiting until the last minute to signing its rookies the Bengals finally seem to believe in the benefit of signing some of its rookies prior to training camp. There is no reason to wait to sign the late round picks who basically sign slotted deals and the team had some early success this year. Already in the fold are sixth rounders Bernard Scott and Morgan Trent and seventh rounders Clinton McDonald and Freddie Brown. - On the negative front, the early word is OT Andre Smith has "holdout" written all over him. Hearing this is esp. frustrating considering QB Mark Sanchez selected just one pick earlier is already signed. Of course, Sanchez's QB contract could be exactly the reason why Andre is a potential holdout. - Rookie DE/OLB Michael Johnson has gotten rave reviews but will still have the "prove it" tag come training camp. He is a physical marvel but the rigors of training camp is more likely to show his "toughness" issues than a drill oriented mini-camp. Workout warriors excel in drills. One thing i found interesting was the how much attention Johnson received from special team's coaches during field goal drills during the "open practice" on Saturday. - Chad Ocho Cinco looked silly in his orange pants on a 90 degree day but looked to be working harder than at any time during the 2008 training camp (of course that is not saying much). - Carson Palmer's elbow appears to have survived the camp without any problems. - Why does a team cut its 4th quarterback (camp arm) if its starting quarterback is coming back from an elbow injury and possibly limiting his throws? - The most surprising development of the camp was talk of Jordan Palmer possibly beating out JT O'Sullivan for the backup quarterback job. O'Sullivan may not be perfect but is a better player than last year's backup Ryan Fitzpatrick (esp. in the arm strength category). Jordan on the other hand did not even get to play meaningful snaps in a pre-season game a year ago. I am not saying it can't happen but Jordan is going to need to shine in pre-season game action before that discussion even starts. - When Geoff Hobson is giving less than glowing reviews of 2008 2nd round pick Jerome Simpson it is time to get worried. Personally, Simpson is a great athlete who needs time and reps to shine and he is not going to get that in a crowded receiving corp. - Speaking of the wide receivers the team's veteran trio of Cinco, Coles and Henry could make it hard for Andre Caldwell to see meaningful playing time as well. - I will close with my Father's Day Bengals story: On Saturday, I headed down to the Pro Shop with my 18 month old , Rudy, to get a gift for my dad. I had totally disregarded the select a seat event because i already have seats but was pleasantly surprised to see the stadium was open and the team was on the field for its final Mini-Camp practice. As a result, Rudy and I watched the team practice from my seats (at least until he said they were "hot!"). We then moved a little closer and watched the team for twenty minutes or so (he actually sat still on my lap). Of course, being an 18 month old he mostly enjoyed touring the stadium, climbing steps and drinking from every drinking fountain he could find. Even if I did not get to watch as much practice as I would have like the joy of showing off the Jungle to Rudy for the first time was a special Father's Day treat. I hope all the dad's out enjoyed a similar pleasant experience this weekend.