PLAYER OF THE DAY: QB Joe Burrow
Bengals rookie cornerback Josh Newton is always going to remember his first day running with the ones, thanks to the NFL's version of "Rocket Man."
Swashbuckling through the Bengals' third-down practice Friday, Burrow launched the kind of back-to-back deep completions that had the Bengals smiling at each other.
If there is such a thing as an unofficial end of rehab, these two satellites may have been it.
"He's Joe Burrow," said running back Chase Brown. "What else do you expect? "
No matter that wide receiver Charlie Jones may have been out of bounds on the first one, a 40ish-yard Go ball. Or that Burrow may have been sacked on the second, the very definition of a bomb to wide receiver Shed Jackson.
Didn't matter. As usual, captain Mike Hilton said it best.
"As a defender, we don't want that on our end," Hilton said. "But it's great to see him make that type of throw. He definitely put it where it needs to be. We missed those explosives last year."
Those explosives weren't happening this year, either. Or at least few and far between.
During the spring, Burrow was still easing his wrist through the rehab of surgery. Early in camp, there had been a sporadic few and on Thursday Burrow had even mused about the deep ball, "Not where I want it to be yet, but I would say that about a lot of parts of our team right now. But that's training camp. We're improving every single day."
"Rocket Man," can say that again after Friday's explosives. Burrow, by the way, needs another nickname like he needs another social media rumor. But try "Rocket Man," on for size. He's as cool as an astronaut, he won't mind getting into a debate about what's in outer space, and he's got a ballistic missile hanging off his right shoulder.
"A cannon," Newton said.
Some reward for a promotion. Newton, the fifth-rounder from Texas Christian, has had enough production in camp that the coaches felt he had earned a shot with the first group and they gave him a run to get a peek. DJ Turner and Dax Hill are still the men to beat, but the energetic kid with the impressive football IQ has left a calling card.
It is unfair to call him "the victim," of the orbital balls. He had good coverage on a Jones Go ball and Jones turned in a heck of a catch on a ball only he was going to get.
And the next one, well, it was a scramble and Chase Brown says that's why the offense actually walks through scrambles and talks about them in meetings because anything can happen and everyone has to get open. You don't expect a guy to stop his scramble and launch it maybe 50, 60 yards perfectly down the field.
"I just have to stay deep because I'm playing Joe Burrow," Newton said. "Let him check the ball down. Because he can make any throw. When he scrambles, he's trying to find the deepest part. I have to go deep."
Vet safety Vonn Bell, another sagacious captain so highly regarded that head coach Zac Taylor watches a drill just to hear Bell call out the routes before they happen, wasted no time talking to Newton in the locker room after Friday's practice.
"Just know Joe's one of the best quarterbacks in this league, he knows a lot," Newton said of the conversation with Bell. "Don't sacrifice a disguise for your responsibility."
Newton says it's nice to get the call, but he also knows he has to keep going and the lessons are already piling up. All in all, he thought he held up OK Friday.
"You have to defend that ball in this league," Newton said. "If you can tackle and defend the deep ball, you're going to be solid.
"Being able to play a top quarterback, it makes you better."
PLAY OF THE DAY: WR Shed Jackson
This is how deep the Bengals receiver room is.
When Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins don't practice like they didn't Friday, Burrow can still manufacture big plays with guys like Charlie Jones, who had seven catches last year as a rookie, and Jackson, the second-year undrafted player out of Auburn who played in five games last year and is still looking for his first NFL catch.
Also not working was third-round pick Jermaine Burton (ankle) and yet the plays still came.
The 6-1, 195-pound Jackson is intriguing as only the great nephew of the great Bo Jackson can be. Burrow never hesitates calling his name in press conferences or number in practices, and Shed Jackson himself reminds you he runs a 4.2 40-yard dash and not 4.3.
On Friday, Jackson said he needed all of that speed to chase down Burrow's moon ball in the middle of the field. Burrow appeared to get sacked, but he played out the third-down concept as he motioned his receivers to open the scramble drill. Knowing he had Jackson deep, Burrow barely set his feet, leaned back, and just uncorked it. Maybe 50, maybe 60.
"Joe did a good job getting out of the pocket. I saw him coming my way, so I went deep," Jackson said. "He saw me down there and he launched it and I had to go get it. I had to catch up to it. I had to turn it on a little bit when I saw how far he threw it."
Jackson knows his room is deep, but he's also taken advantage of every sliver of opportunity when he gets those cherished snaps.
"It was big, huge deal coming in last year undrafted and getting an opportunity to make the team. It was a blessing," Jackson said.
You can't make this stuff up. Jackson is getting his shot with the NFL team that played against Pro Bowl running back Bo Jackson in his last NFL game. It turned out the hip injury he suffered in the Bengals' AFC Divisional against the Raiders was career-ending.
Shed said they talked a few weeks ago.
"We always stay in touch. We talk about regular stuff, football, just being an uncle," said Shed, recounting any advice. "Just go out there, be who you are. Know you're the best every time you touch the field. You have to go out there and show it."
Such as Friday's masterpiece of a play.
"It was really beautiful," Jackson said of the throw. "As a receiver, when you get those deep balls, you feel like it's overthrown, you've got to go get it. That's when it's perfect because you can really lay out if you need to and go get it. We're trying to be explosive this year, just building on things we've done in the past. He has the arm strength and the accuracy for it."
QUOTE OF THE DAY
CB Josh Newton on Friday's snaps with the starters:
"I didn't come here to sit and take a back seat."
SLANTS AND SCREENS: Charlie Jones is having a nice week to join the impressive play of Jackson and Andrei Iosivas. There have been plenty of snaps to be had with Chase and Higgins being managed and Burton sitting out with an ankle tweak.
On Thursday, Zac Taylor said he showed the offense the tape of a Jones play from earlier in the week where he read the safeties to convert a big play down the middle against Cover 2.
On Friday, Jones tracked down that Burrow Go Ball despite tight coverage by Newton and appeared to hold on despite both rolling on the grass after the play. Newton wasn't so sure he held on and, as Hilton said, "If he did, that's a heck of a catch." …
A few glances at the one-on-one pass-rush drill saw a nice vet-rookie matchup with vet right guard Alex Cappa going against third-rounder Mckinnley Jackson. Cappa got him on the first set and Jackson came back to rock him under the chin and move him back …Left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., used his hands to fend off Joseph Ossai and rookie right tackle Amarius Mims, back after sitting out Thursday's practice, bodied up Myles Murphy as their talented first-round battles continue …
Country music star Luke Combs stopped by Bengals practice Thursday before his sold-out shows Friday and Saturday at Paycor Stadium and got a picture with sack ace Trey Hendrickson snapped by Bengals radio voice Dan Hoard. We'll see if that means Combs dons a No. 91 Bengals jersey at some point this weekend …
