Updated: 10:25 p.m.
GEORGETOWN, Ky. - Tight end Daniel Coats didn't get a chance to rest on his laurels after what position coach Jon Hayes called his most aggressive performance to date as an NFL blocker Friday night in the preseason opener in New Orleans.
Coats sat out Monday afternoon's practice in order to rest his gimpy ankle. In fact, so did every tight end in camp but rookie Darius Hill. Rookie Chase Coffman is believed to be resting the foot he broke last year and Matt Sherry may have anything from a shoulder injury to a leg injury to sore muscles.
None may play Thursday night in New England, so the Bengals signed two off the street Monday and probably will force feed them to the Patriots on Thursday.
J.P. Foschi, who has played in 18 games (the last seven with the Chiefs last year) signed on. All six of his NFL catches came in 2005 in Oakland, when he made his five NFL starts and played some fullback. The Raiders cut him a few days ago.
Also in the fold is Kolo Kapanui, who has not played in a game since the Browns signed him as a free agent out of West Texas A&M in '08. He's been cut by Cleveland and New Orleans. According to Pro Football Weekly, Kapanui was cut by the Saints back in May after he was charged with obscenity, disturbing the peace and lewd conduct.
Coats, a third-year player returning to tight end after a one-year hiatus at fullback, impressed people by just suiting up and playing on an ankle he hurt about a week before the game. Then he went beyond that in what amounted to his first NFL start as a lead tight end.
"Dan sucked it up and he really went after people blocking. It's the most aggressive I've seen him," Hayes said.
Coats admitted that Hayes has told him that he doesn't think he's aggressive enough because he's too nice. He knows that the guy he's replacing, Reggie Kelly, is known as one of the nicest guys around. He's also known as one of the nastiest and meanest blockers.
"He says I don't want to hurt anybody," Coats said of Hayes. "He told me that's the one thing I'm lacking and so I'm trying to emphasize it. I think it's a state of mind and I just have to go out and do it. (Kelly) knows how to do his job."
Kelly also knows how to reach Coats. After Kelly's season-ending Achilles injury and before the Saints game, Coats says they would send each other "goofy texts." He has yet to hear from Kelly after the game, but he suspects they'll talk in the next day or two.
"He tries to make sure I don't get down on myself," Coats said. "I get caught up in thinking and he sends me words of inspiration."
Oddly, Coats thinks it was the injury to his mentor that has spurred a certain urgency.
"I was kind of ready to sit behind Reggie again," Coats said. "I'd probably get in on a few plays but I was getting ready to watch Reggie do his thing. Then when he went down it was 'OK, it's my turn to get into the show.' ''
Head coach Marvin Lewis believes that Coats can supply some of that nasty blocking that Kelly provided. So does Coats.
"I'm not there yet," he said. "But I'm progressing."
SLANTS AND SCREENS
» Lewis also said three players that missed the opener with hamstring and/or groin issues, linebackers Rey Maualuga and Brandon Johnson, and guard Evan Mathis, will play. They worked Monday.
» Shayne Graham came back to work Monday resolved to get back into his groove after having what he called his worst game since he was a junior in high school. He pulled a 30-yard field goal try to the left Friday during a summer he has been more accurate from long range.
"I did concentrate on long field goals over the offseason because my percentage is a little bit lower," Graham said. "But that's no excuse."
» After Monday night's rookie show, the Bengals have a closed practice here Tuesday morning before they break camp. They then travel to New England on Wednesday.
» Dhani Jones, an 11-year vet, on the rookie show: "Best I've ever seen. That's all I'm saying."
» In his news conference Lewis also addressed the most controversial film clip in Cincinnati since Larry Flynt hit the airwaves. There has been a huge reaction to the scene in last week's first episode of Hard Knocks in which Bengals president Mike Brown is sitting in front of a room leading a personnel meeting of coaches and scouts.
The clip has fueled more criticism painting Brown as a dictatorial general manager. Lewis, however, said Monday that Brown does ask for the coaches' input. Asked by Rufus Millennor of Fox 19 on Monday if too much has been made of the clip, Lewis said, "Probably. From what I've heard, too much is being made out of that."
Lewis said it is not unlike his first two stops in the NFL, when Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome led the meetings in Baltimore and director of football operations Tom Donahoe led them in Pittsburgh.
"It's a personnel meeting. Mike serves as the general manager. It's his meeting," Lewis said. "But there's nothing we do that Mike and I haven't already discussed in the morning or that afternoon, or right prior to. And that I haven't already discussed already with the coaches."
Lewis noted the meeting attended by the Brown family is a tradition that dates back to club founder Paul Brown.
"We do it far less than they did under Paul," Lewis said. "We do it a couple of times, particularly the first weekend. We meet once a week with everybody as most teams do personnel-wise and go through it. Somebody's got to run the meeting. That's his meeting, not my meeting, and we've already talked about everything that's going on."
During the offseason, Lewis and Brown usually informally meet first thing every morning to discuss possible moves, and Lewis also gets frequent salary cap briefings from executive vice president Katie Blackburn.
"It's a positive thing," Lewis said of Brown's role in discussions. "Because he wants to hear an opportunity to see how the players are doing. He can't judge the mental part of it. He tries to watch the tape and judge that way, but he can't judge the mental part and wants to hear if you rate the guys one through five, how are they doing? It gives us an opportunity for the coaches to express themselves."
» How badly did the Bengals receivers work over veteran cornerback Jason David on Friday night? Bad enough that the Saints cut him Monday. Of course, the Bengals backup corners struggled a bit Friday, so might they inquire about David for themselves?
Update: Probably not. He's a little too small for what they're seeking.
» Quarterback Jordan Palmer had his moments in practice. Safety Roy Williams stepped in front of one of his passes in the middle for an interception, but Palmer also hit The Ocho in stride as he ran past rookie cornerback Rico Murray on a bomb. And Palmer led rookie running back Bernard Scott out of the backfield beautifully as he eased it over the shoulders of both Scott and linebacker Jim Maxwell.
» In fact, as impressive as Scott looked running the ball Friday night, he looked pretty good catching it Monday on some similar plays out of the backfield.
