``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````Cincinnati Bengals center Ted Karras didn't take on the entire state of Tennessee like he did a couple of years ago, but Wednesday provided a good window into the state of mind of the Bengals after 11 practices.
In what was the chippiest training camp practice so far Wednesday, Karras mixed it up with the defense and then saluted the crowd with a bellowing, "Yes," after a particularly busy post-play activity. Practice finally looked as intense and hot as camp has felt.
"Let me make this clear," Karras said after practice. "Fights don't give a training camp an edge."
While that may be true, they do show the passion and the calendar.
"I think this one of the most intense camps," said tone-setting linebacker Germaine Pratt, now in his sixth August. "Everyone is talking. Guys on offense have been in the system a long time. Guys on defense have been in the system a long time. We're ready to hit somebody else."
Some believe this has been the edgiest camp of quarterback Joe Burrow's five seasons.
"It's a lot different," said left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. of his second Bengals camp. "It's a different focus, a different meaning, different want."
It's been hot before (another day in the 90s on the Kettering Health Practice Fields), and there have been skirmishes before. Los Angeles Rams defensive end Aaron Donald ignited a practice-ending brawl just two camps ago.
When mild-mannered Logan Wilson went after Karras after a run play Wednesday, though, this felt different. The intensity kept going at various spurts, complete with pre-snap pointing and trash-talking.
"I thought it was a really good practice, a competitive practice. It obviously got heated on both sides,' said offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher after the huddle broke. "We just have to protect ourselves and make sure we're not putting our teammates in jeopardy.
"We have a lot of prideful guys that put a lot into this job and care a lot about what they do, and they respond in an intense way. As long as we're doing it the right way it's good for our football team."
Or, as Karras said, "A positive net for the Bengals."
Right guard Alex Cappa got his helmet pulled off by defensive tackle B.J. Hill when he went to protect Karras.
"Have you ever seen Logan involved in a scrum since you've been here?" asked Pratt. "Nah. He's physical. When they hit (No.) 55 (Wilson), I went to another place."
When Burrow overthrew wide receiver Shedrick Jackson, Pratt and Karras had to be separated. Karras then came screaming downhill looking for Pratt after the linebacker hit wide receiver Andri Iosivas airborne over the middle.
"That's ridiculous," Karras screamed.
All's fair in love, war and getting ready for an NFL season.
"I don't think anyone is bringing it inside. It will be intense until the field goal meeting" Karras said. "Some people took exception to a couple of things today. I thought it was good work. I harp on this. Nobody did anything stupid, which we can't afford at all."
Karras' offense celebrated a crisp day against a mix of the No. 1 and No. 2 defenses, as they went on three straight touchdown drives full of contested plays and Burow scrambles during move-the-ball periods. Pratt's defense kept the intensity from Monday’s practice when the No. 1 defense dominated the No. 1 offense in the backed-up drill.
"I don't know what's a fine line in football. It's physical, it's football. What are we doing? You want to protect your teammates, obviously, but this is a physical game," Pratt said.
"We finished (26th) in run defense last year. We have to step up and be in the top five. We have to do a lot. We have to improve. We have to be physical and compete for a championship."
Karras can feel the urgency on his side, too.
"It was a hard pill to swallow last year," Karras said. "We were in the AFC championship game two years in a row and then we didn't make the playoffs. That hurts everybody. That affected a lot of people personally. It affected me personally. You look at this team, from top to bottom, and guys are ready. We're a little dinged up in some spots, but overall we're working hard. I'm excited about this team."
Pratt has played in seven playoff games plus 79 in the regular season, yet he is excited about playing in a preseason opener because he can't remember the last time he did.
"I'm looking forward to that. You get into a flow," Pratt said. "You get used to playing as one. Communication, making adjustments, and going into the season playing with confidence."
Karras said head coach Zac Taylor takes good care of the team, but fights happen when you're exhausted.
"To me, fighting doesn't equal edge," Karras said. "To me, edge is you're executing at a high level and showing up focused every day and being available and working your ass off trying to get better. Today, they were all appropriate fights. To me, seven fights in a practice is inappropriate."
Boys will be boys. Wilson has one of Karras' Cincy Hats in his locker.
"I'm not going to be weird about it, but, hey, it was intense for a moment," Karras said, smiling. "But I'm not going to hold it against him. I hope he doesn't hold it against me. He's probably mad at me."
PLAYER OF THE DAY: WR Tee Higgins
There are those around the Bengals who believe the fastest player on the field when the game is in motion is Higgins. It sure looked that way Wednesday when he and Burrow had their way against a secondary stitched together with a mix of ones and twos. The 6-4, 219-pound Higgins alternated between ballet and bully ball with a smorgasbord of moves.
With Burrow dead on, Higgins pocketed an over route to the left sideline and then laid out for a ball over the middle and came up with grass stains. Then, he won a contested ball with cornerback DJ Turner over the middle, keeping it high above his head.
Higgins also split Turner, the fastest man from the 2023 NFL scouting combine with a sub-4.3, and safety Jordan Battle on a lovely 40-yard bullet from Burrow.
"He caught everything we threw his way," Pitcher said. "He had contested catches; created separation; really the guy we know he is and expect him to be every time he's out here on the field. I thought he had a great day."
Fellow wide receiver Kendric Pryor tries to observe and absorb all the talent around him in the receiver room.
"I'm in a room with some great guys and I just watch the way they perfect their craft," Pryor said. "The thing with Tee is his arms are so long, he keeps the ball extended out because he knows if goes to tuck it, the DB is trying to pull the ball out. That's how strong his hands are."
PLAY OF THE DAY: TD Pass from QB Joe Burrow to WR Kendric Pryor
No. 1 cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt was furious, but there's not much he could have done. On third down, Burrow lofted a fade down the left sideline to the back corner where only Pryor or the stands were going to catch it. The former Wisconsin Badger came down with the 13-yard touchdown, capping off his successful afternoon.
Pryor made a great catch, muscling over Taylor-Britt with a beautifully timed leap.
"It's kind of hard when you have a great quarterback who is going to get it to only his receiver and nobody else," Pryor said in defense of Taylor-Britt. "I've seen Cam do some crazy things to the top dogs in this league."
Pryor said he watched Iosivas do a couple of releases and filed them away.
"Not being too quick at the line. Not being too fast where you don't sell anything," Pryor said. "I read the defense, press man, and I slowed some things down and made sure I had my hands where I could get him off me at the top of the route and then at the end."
With Burrow steering the ship, the offense got another move-the-ball touchdown from running back Zack Moss. As he did all day, Burow negotiated the pocket nicely and flipped a two-yard touchdown to Moss on third down.
"We like these periods as an offense because so often it's scripted, and the ball starts at the same yard line every time," Pitcher said. "There's a sense of momentum and juice you get as an offense when you get to move the ball down the field. I think you saw that on our first couple of drives. It builds confidence and Joe made a ton of plays on those drives.
"It was a fun practice for all of us. When things get super competitive like that you hear the banter back and forth. Once you step back from what just happened, it's a fun day. It's a fun day for Joe. It's a fun day for all us."
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Bengals offensive line coach Frank Pollack, who made his NFL debut in the 1990 preseason opener as the starting right guard for the San Francisco 49ers and has been in the league in four decades, on where Amarius Mims fits on the list of rookie tackles he's seen:
"He's right up there as far as size and movement skills. Top of the list. I've never a guy that big who can bend, sync, and move as quickly and as fluid as he can."
SLANTS AND SCREENS: Moss has been catching Pitcher's eye.
"Zack's been the consummate pro. I mean, he's where he needs to be every single play, regardless of what we ask him to do," Pitcher said. "He's caught every ball we've thrown to him like a lot of contested, hard catches off his body." …
Pro Bowl edge rusher Trey Hendrickson returned to practice for the first time in 10 days and did individual drills …
