Players spent the first five days of training camp focused on technique and scheme, and there were still a few injuries. Joe Burrow’s calf was the big one, and that was something that happened on a scramble with no one around him. On Day 1 in pads, two players were carted off -- running back Trayveon Williams hurt his right ankle in a ball security drill and undrafted free agent defensive tackle Devonnsha Maxwell suffered a leg injury in an offensive line vs. defensive line drill.
“No. 1, discipline with the actual concepts we are doing and the scheme part of things, that just because you have pads on doesn’t mean you handle that differently,” Taylor said when asked what he looks for when pads come on. “No. 2, that we learn to practice the right way, and while it’s still physical, we are still taking care of each other and not taking cheap shots on guys, but our guys have done well with that the last couple years.”
Taylor said the biggest mistake players make when pads come on is thinking “it’s all about the physical and the hitting” and they abandon their technique and their assignment.
Offensive tackle Jackson Carman said there’s an added level of excitement when the pads come on, so it’s difficult sometimes to harness that energy, but that’s something he has learned to better handle in his fourth training camp.
“Adrenaline gets going, the contact is real, so that’s what makes a player great though is being able to calm down, stay in control and be able to slow everything down and concentrate that energy into a fine, lazer-like focused tool,” Carman said. “I love the contact and energy when the pads come on, though. Can’t wait for the next day.”
The Bengals coaches show examples of what they are looking for in 1-on-1s and how to use those reps to really work on something players want to focus on that particular day. The practice Tuesday had an emphasis on special teams and team tackling, but those principles of tackling really began earlier this week, Taylor said.
With pads on now, they can move to “thud” tackling, so there is contact initiated but no takedown to the ground.
“The defense has really been focused on the tackling and takeaway circuit the last couple days even without the pads on,” Taylor said. “Today was our first team tackling drill where we do it in space against the offensive players and with the defense. (Assistant linebackers coach) Jordan Kovacs will give a great presentation (Wednesday) on why we do the drills, great examples from last season, where these drills came up and our guys handling it the right way, so there’s an element today when you put the pads on and you can focus more on the team tackling portion of things, and our guys take it really seriously and they utilize it as a way to improve their technique.”
Cincinnati doesn’t have a regular practice scheduled for Wednesday but will hold a walkthrough and meetings, which Taylor said is a good break following the first day in pads and then things pick up again with another padded practice Thursday.
These practices especially are helpful in better assessing players on the offensive and defensive lines, the linebackers and the running backs in pass protection, Taylor said.
“The physical portion of things for us is really going to come up front with the O-line, the D-line, the linebackers, the backs in pass protection,” Taylor said. “When you say the pads are coming on, there’s an element to that for the receivers and for the safeties but when you’re not tackling it gives a better chance to see the guys up front, the offensive linemen, the defensive linemen, the backers and the backs in the protection because even when you see a back burst through the hole, carrying the ball in a tight-zone run, you really can’t evaluate whether that was a great run from a physical standpoint for them because they aren’t going to take them to the ground. They are going to try to punch the ball out, rake it and do all that and the back’s got to finish the runs, but that stuff comes up more in the games.”
That means the right tackle and third-down running back competitions will really start to take shape as the physicality picks up in practices, which could be a big blow for Trayveon Williams if the ankle keeps him out any significant period of time. Taylor had no update on him immediately after practice.
So far, Jackson Carman has been getting the best opportunities to compete at right tackle while Jonah Williams has been managed a little bit with an extra day off Friday, but Taylor said those two will continue to rotate, like the backup quarterbacks are in the first-team offense.
“Both guys are giving us things we like,” Taylor said. “… There’s a mental side of things right now and techniques out of things. It’s been good to see but obviously when you get the full pads on it’s a whole different ballgame.”
Other news and notes
Burrow walked through the locker room Monday with no noticeable limp, but Taylor said there is no update on his status or the timetable for his return, outside of the initial “several weeks” he was expected to miss. Burrow hasn’t been outside with the team watching practices because he uses that time to focus on treatment, but Taylor said he’s not missing anything. He watches the film and gets what he needs from that. He also is still able to lift weights, so he’s continuing work in the gym to keep up his strength.
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