Updated: 3:20 p.m.
Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said that injured wide receiver Antonio Bryant "had a good day yesterday," but he wouldn't say at his Wednesday news conference if he's close to practicing. That was answered about an hour later when Bryant (knee) was not in uniform. He was in the rehab area, but appeared to be doing exercises and not running.
» Lewis said he didn't expect the first team to go out on the field in the second half of Saturday 6:30 p.m. preseason game in Buffalo (Cincinnati's Channel 12).
» Left tackle Andrew Whitworth (thumb) wouldn't elaborate on his status for the game but the speculation is he'll play, especially after he suited up Wednesday.
» Also returning Wednesday after being out were right end Antwan Odom (knee), linebacker Abdul Hodge (toe), wide receiver Matt Jones (unknown) and running back Bernard Scott (shoulder), while wide receiver Andre Caldwell (unknown) was halfway. He was dressed in the uniform of the day with helmets, shoulder pads and shorts, but after early drills went into rehab.
Still out were defensive linemen Robert Geathers (foot) and Tank Johnson (unknown) and Frostee Rucker was an addition with an unknown ailment.
In the secondary, backup cornerback Morgan Trent (ankle), backup safety Chinedum Ndukwe (unknown) and safety Roy Williams (unknown) remained out and rookie backup cornerback Johnny Sears was new with an unknown problem. Backup wide receiver Maurice Purify (knee), backup tackle Anthony Collins (foot), running back Brian Leonard (foot) and fullback Fui Vakapuna (shouder) were also out.
Still rehabbing on the phyiscally unable to peform list (PUP) were linebacker Rashad Jeanty (leg) and safety Tom Nelson (knee), but both looked good Tuesday, according to Lewis.
» With the NFL owners talking about a longer regular-season schedule, three veterans expressed reservations about an 18-game sked, including quarterback Carson Palmer and Whitworth, the club's rep to the NFL Players Association. Safety Chris Crocker also wonders about the extra wear and tear. Palmer said he doesn't like an extended season because it means each game has less significance. Whitworth said he thinks the players will go for more games if the spring voluntary practices and training camp are cut back.
» Wide receiver Terrell Owens had this reaction to his locker mate's fine for Twittering during unauthorized times while the Bengals were beating the Eagles Friday night: "I just wish my pockets were as deep as his."
» Chad Ochocinco logged the most expensive Tweet in the brief history of Twitter when the NFL nailed him for $25,000.
» Owens is loving being teamed with a guy that gets almost attention as he does. And he's talking about defenses. He believes The Ocho is his best running mate since Hall of Famer Jerry Rice.
"You put our résumés side-by-side, and there's nobody out there that can really compare until you put Jerry Rice," Owens said. "This receiving duo is as good as advertised. There's no qualms about it. Anybody who wants to have negative things to say about it can just sit back and watch, and that's not being arrogant or cocky. That's just being confident in our ability and Carson."
» Offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski has become a big fan of Owens. He says he's been the ultimate professional. "Exactly what a coach would want," he says, and Tuesday turned out to be a prime example why.
Owens couldn't practice Tuesday for an undisclosed reason (he worked Wednesday) and the coaches were surprised and impressed when Owens actually brought out his playbook to follow along with the practice. In his 19th NFL season, Bratkowski is pretty certain Owens is the first guy he's ever seen do that.
