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Bengals
training camp preview
BENGALS TRAINING CAMP GOALS
1. Find a second receiver. We all know what A.J. Green can do after his
outstanding rookie season, but if the Bengals are going to take that
next step as an offense, they need someone opposite him to emerge. Most
have third-round pick Mohamed Sanu as the favorite because he is a
physical receiver that the Bengals are lacking and can open up the
short- to medium-passing game that was missing last season. Former
University of Cincinnati standout Armon Binns continues to impress the
coaching staff with his work ethic plus his ability to go up and make
the difficult catches. The dark horse though is Brandon Tate, who
averaged over 18 yards per catch with New England two years ago. Tate
was mainly used as a returner last year.
2. Sorting out the secondary. When Leon Hall tore his Achilles in last
year’s Week 10 loss to Pittsburgh, many thought that he wouldn’t be
back until this midseason. But Hall’s rehab has gone so well that he
expects to be on the field for the first practice on July 27. Hall and
Nate Clements are expected to be the starters at corner but the bigger
problem is at safety where no one has stepped up to fill the void left
after the release of Chris Crocker. Taylor Mays is the favorite to
eventually win the spot, but he remains inconsistent in coverage. If
Mays falters, either Clements or Jason Allen could move to safety which
would open the way for first-round pick Dre Kirkpatrick to start at
corner.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who signed with the Bengals after
four years in New England. The Bengals want to go with a backfield by
committee approach and that is best suited for Green-Ellis and Bernard
Scott. Green-Ellis does not have the breakaway speed you would like in
a back, but he does get the tough yards and excels in the red zone,
which is two areas of the run game where the Bengals have struggled
mightily over the past two seasons. Green-Ellis wasn’t asked to catch
the ball much out of the backfield with the Patriots, but he did a lot
of it during offseason workouts with the Bengals. Green-Ellis is also
more suited to a committee approach, which wasn’t the case last year
with Cedric Benson. He also never fumbled during his four seasons in
New England.
ON THE HOT SEAT
Linebacker Rey Maualuga, who is going into the fourth and final year of
his contract. Maualuga moved back to his original position of middle
linebacker last season and struggled. He was good in calling the plays
and getting the defense ready, but there were many cases where he
over-pursued a guy or was in the wrong spot. If Maualuga is going to
show that he can be a leader in this defense and a consistent player,
it has to come this year. Another thing that worries the Bengals if
they were to make a long-term commitment to Maualuga is that he has
been involved in off-field incidents two of the last three offseasons.
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