As Bengals center and captain Ted Karras observed after Monday's briefer than usual practice, "training camp starts tomorrow with pads," and head coach Zac Taylor scaled back work to get ready for Tuesday's first day of pops.
With Karras, left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., and right guard Alex Cappa sitting out, Taylor barely threw quarterback Joe Burrow in a run-heavy practice before icing him for the last period all-together.
"He feels outstanding. It's just being proactive with a long training camp, understanding that he didn't get any practices in August last year," said Taylor of the only positive feedback he's getting from Burrow. "Trying to do right by our team and protect him a little bit from himself from feeling good and pushing it too much."
Other starters who didn't go Monday were slot cornerback Mike Hilton and linebacker Logan Wilson as Taylor eyes getting everyone who is healthy on the field for Tuesday.
"Everything is really ramping up to tomorrow. Tomorrow, the expectation is the guys who are healthy will go," Taylor said. "But these last two days, yesterday and today, there's been a plan in place (to rest veterans) for all those guys."
Karras, the oldest player on the roster at a gray-beard 31, objected so strenuously to getting a rest day that his gag is Taylor had to threaten to fine him for conduct detrimental to the team before Trey Hill centered Monday for Burrow in the team periods. All in good fun and Karras understands the concept.
"Zac is the ultimate scheduler, ultimate player friendly, but the guy has found a way to balance that with high performance winning football, and I appreciate that because I'm the oldest guy on the team.
"I did communicate I don't need it. But I think we've incorporated a lot of science and the season isn't getting any shorter. The goal is to play to February and I appreciate that as a veteran player."
Burrow has never had this many practices in July and as August looms, Taylor has a plan. Last week with three straight days of practice he gave him the third day off. But he just backed him off in the middle of the three-day stretch Monday so that he can go Tuesday before Wednesday's off day.
"The second three days, let's be proactive with how we structure practice to where he's still able to get in there and do some things but we're not really throwing downfield," Taylor said of the heavy-run Monday. He feels great. There's nothing he's communicating that's otherwise."
PLAYER OF THE DAY: K Evan McPherson
The greatest kicker in Bengals postseason history looked to be in January form on a steamy Monday in July when Evan McPherson piped six field goals down the middle to end practice, the last one a 54-yard mortar.
"That one had 15, 20 yards to spare," mused punter Brad Robbins, who held for all six. "I think he's done a good job with the carousel of punters and holders coming through. He's doing a good job adjusting. I don't think anything fazes him. I've embodied that. That's how I'm trying to be."
Nothing changes this guy. Not the arrival of new baby Merritt at almost every practice with mother Gracie. Not the speculation of an impending contract. Nothing.
Robbins knows exactly how good McPherson has been in those end-of-practice drills since camp started last week. He's got him 22 of 24 and the two misses, he says, have come from about 55.
McPherson says it doesn't matter, but the misses were also held by different people, college free agent punters Austin McNamara and Ryan Rehkow. Rehkow first held Monday and one of his three holds was a 51-yard miss.
"Three holders can be challenging, but our three guys are pretty consistent with what they do and that helps me," McPherson said.
McPherson says he came into camp with the goal of improving "the dispersion," of his kicks. He's trying to stay as tightly to the center as he can and avoid a spate of misses wide left or wide right.
"I'm trying to make it all feel the same and today was by far the best dispersion I've had in camp," McPherson said.
PLAY OF THE DAY: LE Cam Sample
The offense got sloppy with the ball Monday and Sample was one of the guys that took advantage. When they ran the jet sweep to wide receiver Charlie Jones, Jones lost the handle as he hit the edge and Sample bolted off his block to get his hand on the ball and pick it up.
"I was just playing the block and I saw they gave Charlie the jet, so I was just keeping my leverage," Sample said. "When I saw him bobble it, I just hit up in there to attack and got the ball. Turnovers win."
This is what Sample has been doing for four seasons now under the radar. He's a guy that can not only go inside to pass rush on third down, but he's stout on the edge against the run.
"Solid as they come," said Sam Hubbard, the starter at left end. "Reliable. He's played a lot of good football here. Four years of good football."
Tuesday is when guys like Sample show up.
"I look forward to it. Especially a guy in my position," Sample said. "I pride myself on being a physical guy and sometimes you can't get the reps you want in a jersey or (shells). It gets you back into real movements. There are some things you can't replicate without the pads."
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Head coach Zac Taylor on pulling for the rain Monday, which didn't happen:
"You're not going to get a lot of opportunities during the season. So you take advantage of it. It would be great in my mind if it rains today hard. Because you never know. Week one last year at Cleveland was as much rain as I've ever dealt with in my career. And you don't get a chance to really practice (in it). … This might be the only time all year and we might be playing in a playoff game. That's the next time we play in rain or sleet or anything like that."
SLANTS AND SCREENS: Hubbard was breathing easier after Sunday night's MRI on his knee, but he's still uncertain what exactly the doctors are going to tell him. All he knows is he escaped serious injury.
"Obviously, it wasn't anything significant so he will just be limited or out for a couple days this week, not yet sure," Taylor said.
After watching practice Monday, Hubbard was thankful in a camp he has looked so good coming off reconstructive ankle surgery.
"I avoided the serious stuff," said Hubbard, who believes he hyperextended it on a freak play he tried to avoid the quarterback after he got hit in the back. "Nothing structural. Just some strains and bruises. Obviously my leg is strong." …
Taylor says Pro Bowl sacker Trey Hendrickson, out the last four days, has a physical ailment he won't disclose…
No. 1 cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt, off a tonsillectomy, plans to be out there full go in pads Tuesday even though he hasn't been in any team or seven-on-seven and has participated in just minimal individuals.
"It's my life … it's football," said Taylor-Britt, one of the NFL's more physical cornerbacks, of the return to pads …
Although rookie tight end Erick All Jr. (ACL) has been cleared to practice, he won't be in team drills just yet and may be on a timetable that puts him on the physically unable to perform list (PUP) for the first six weeks of the season. Given the tight end depth, they don't have to rush him.
"There are still some things from a medical standpoint he can continue to do to strengthen it. So part of the plan is clearing him so that now he's able to take walk-through reps and the above-the-neck stuff instead of standing back there by James," said Taylor of tight ends coach James Casey. "So he can actually get in there on some of the walk-through and jog-through stuff and as part of his rehab, get in on the routes on air. But we'll be very slow to put him in any contact situation. Who knows? I'm not going to put any timeline on that." …
Taylor says he's sticking to the plan for wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase. Which is he's not practicing. But he is helping young receivers such as Jermaine Burton.
"It's one thing for the coaches to be telling you something and it's another thing when it's veteran players, which at this point, Ja'Marr, Tee (Higgins), those guys are veteran players and so, they've taken on that role," Taylor said.
