The Bengals finished off their rookie minicamp in Sunday's one-hour workout but they'll be back at Paul Brown Stadium Monday morning to mix with the veterans in their workouts for the first time.
That's when Connecticut middle linebacker Junior Joseph, an undrafted rookie, is hoping to meet another undrafted linebacker. The 6-0, 229-pound Joseph, a top 15 tackler in Huskies history, hopes to glean some tips from Vontaze Burfict.
"I watched him last year. I watched him a lot last year. I'd watch (the Bengals) on prime time and he stood out," Joseph said this weekend. "He's aggressive, physical. That's the type of linebacker I am. Aggressive, physical down-hill player. Burfict and NaVorro Bowman are the two guys in the NFL that I'm a fan of."
Joseph comes out of pro-style program headed by UConn coach Randy Edsall, a Tom Coughlin disciple. So you know he comes with a hard nose.
"You have to be aggressive to play this game," Joseph said. "If I have the opportunity I hope to learn a lot from (Burfict). Hopefully come Monday I'll get a chance to talk to him. I was thinking coming in here that it's kind of cool being on his team. And being able to ask him about certain things on the field and how it can help my game."
_Home is where the heart is. Undrafted rookie wide receiver Devonte Boyd is one of the greatest receivers in the history of UNLV after going to high school in nearby Henderson, Nev. But he asked the Bengals to change his hometown on the roster from Henderson to New Orleans.
He was ten years old living on the West Bank of the Crescent City when Hurricane Katrina hit and his family was forced to live in Houston for a year. When they returned a year later, Boyd decided a few years after that to live with his uncle in Henderson.
But New Orleans is home.
"That's where I grew up," Boyd said. "I still consider that home. My whole family is still there."
