Quarterback John Skelton unleashes a pass during Thursday's minicamp session.
Observations from Thursday's third and final Bengals practice of mandatory minicamp:
Head coach Marvin Lewis set up the 1:30 drill, needing a field goal at the end of the half or game.
» Quarterback Andy Dalton's series: 3-for-5, INT. Two completions to wide receiver A.J. Green, one to wide receiver Marvin Jones. Incompletion to running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Interception over the middle, off the hands of reaching wide receiver Mohamed Sanu, deflected up in the air and picked off by safety Taylor Mays.
» Backup quarterback Josh Johnson's series: 2-for-5. Wide receiver Brandon Tate, off a big day Wednesday, had another nice toe-tapper on the sideline to start it off, then followed with another catch on the next play. Then an incompletion to wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher, WILL linebacker Emmanuel Lamur batted down a pass, a Johnson scramble, and a drop by Sanzenbacher over the middle.
» Backup quarterback John Skelton's series: 2-for-4. First play was a swing pass to running back Daniel Herron. Next was a nice completion deep right to wide receiver Cobi Hamilton well into field-goal range. Running back Giovani Bernard got stopped on the next play for a loss, then consecutive drops by wide receivers Tyrone Goard and Roy Roundtree, although linebacker J.K. Schaffer had nice coverage on the latter.
RED ZONE DRILLS
» Bernard got in with all three QBs and made a nice catch to about the one-yard line with Skelton as the QB.
» Incomplete pass in the end zone from Johnson to Hamilton. Cornerback Adam Jones had good coverage, and the ball sailed just a little high.
OTHER LOOKS
» Dalton had a nice completion to about the one-yard line to tight end Alex Smith and maybe a 20-yard pass for a touchdown to tight end Jermaine Gresham in the back of the end zone, where he had beaten safety Tony Dye.
» Dalton had a nice completion early in practice of probably 25-30 yards, to tight end Tyler Eifert over the middle.
