Bengals must prove their first day of training camp tenacity is the standard, not a flash in the pan
The Cincinnati Bengals started training camp with a bang. The question now becomes can their intensity be sustained for the long haul?
The Cincinnati Bengals started training camp with a bang. Usually the first skirmish of camp occurs several practices closer to the regular season. Ja’Marr Chase, DJ Turner II, and Jalen Davis decided the first hour will suffice.
Chase was taken to the ground by Turner. Tight end Mike Gesicki had the same happened to him via Davis. Those instances are high-risk, high-reward in the case of injury, and simply setting the tone. It can also help spark skirmishes that, according to quarterback Joe Burrow, ideally only last 20 seconds or less.
“Brothers fight,” Turner said after practice. “Just competitive. Everybody is trying to win, that’s all there is to it.”
Clearly, the competitive juices were flowing from the jump. That’s exciting. That’s inspiring, even. A long summer break has only intensified players of all statures on this roster, and as day two of camp is set to begin, every single member of that locker room knows what the tone is going forward.
The question now becomes can it be sustained?
Bengals need to keep up the intensity
Training camp is long and grueling. There are still two full weeks until the Bengals’ first preseason game. Pads aren’t even on yet as that comes early next week.
There is a fire that has been lit, and now those flames need to be stoked for the next month and beyond.
When the days get longer, and the fatigue of camp is wearing on players who may be locks for the roster, and those fighting for the few roster spots up for grabs, will the same tenacity carry them all the way to the regular season?
That of course is what this is all of that about, or at least what it should be. Fortunately it sounds like Zac Taylor is sending the right message from the jump to keep that fire rising.
Zac Taylor uses two numbers to get his players going
Despite the Bengals not making the playoffs over the last three years, they’ve only had one losing season during that stretch. It happened last year when the team finished with just six wins.
Taylor didn’t want that to be lost on his players upon returning for camp. Starting right guard Dalton Risner revealed Taylor wrote the team’s 6-11 record on the board during their pre-practice team meeting.
Just two numbers to remind everyone of what can’t be repeated.
“We were 6-11, third in the division, that’s what stands out to me,” Taylor said Monday. “You picture that division ranking, third in the division. Every year is a new year, we got new players, all that kind of stuff, but that’s what sticks with me. Not that you need motivation, but does piss you off to an extent. That’s what we did, and that’s how people should see us until we prove them otherwise.”
Whether or not the message manifested a feisty first practice is for the players to know and for us to speculate. It’s clear there’s an edge to this team. The expectation now becomes for the edge to stay alive for the long haul.
Day 1 was an exciting start. Let’s see what the next days have in store.