SLANTS AND SCREENS
Brown has broken some big runs the last couple of days, and even though the defense took Monday’s energy as they snapped, crackled, and popped on the first day of pads, Brown hit some big-time holes. One of them was off the right side and right up the middle untouched from what looked to be about the 12-yard line.
The Bengals had just moved into the IEL Indoor Facility to flee thunderstorms, and Brown supplied the finishing touch when he threw the ball against the wall.
It looked to be a prime example of the tweaked running game that’s going to feature a lot of inside zone runs, fewer outside zones and a healthy diet of double teams. This was a power run, Brown said, which again plays into the 2025 philosophy of more downhill runs in an effort to wipe out negative plays.
“Getting us up to the safety. As a running back with my game, let’s do that ten times a game. Then we’ll be off to a really good start,” Brown said. “I feel like I can make any safety miss in this league. Get me up to the safety and I’ll do the rest from there.”
If Brown sounds and looks more confident, it’s because he is. He returned this offseason to wide receiver specialist Drew Lieberman’s Atlanta camp with a different regimen.
“I did a lot of receiver stuff last year, but this year I did a lot of one-on-one and running back stuff. More things that I would do in my game,” said Brown, who didn’t run as many streaks and posts of last year.
“A lot of what I do is in the box. Tight space. One-on-one. Working a lot of choice angles.”
With more confidence comes more decisiveness and Brown loves that.
“I felt like some of my best runs (last year) were, pre-snap, I knew pretty much where I was going to put the ball. I made educated guesses. I feel this year I’m smarter, way more experienced.” …
The first day of pads didn’t seem all that different than the first four days of camp. That may change when the one-on-one pass rushes get started …
The pass rushers had their best day Monday, making Burrow move out of the pocket more than he had all camp. The biggest oohs and ahs came when defensive tackle Kris Jenkins Jr. penetrated and as Burrow scrambled into the open field, linebacker Logan Wilson came roaring in unabated. Burrow stumbled to the ground as he tried to avoid him …
The defense had an energetic day, fueled by another rotation of cornerbacks. With Cam Taylor-Britt back in the lineup and Dax Hill taking the wraps off to start with the ones in the slot, they moved Josh Newton out of the slot and put him outside. DJ Turner II and DJ Ivey, who were outside with the ones Sunday, were with the twos Monday as they do what they said they were going to do and try all sorts of combos …
Hill got beat on a couple of plays, but he was getting his feet wet. When they return to the field Wednesday, they could back him off and unveil another look ….
Wide receiver Charlie Jones had a good day for the twos. The defense claimed he stepped out of bounds, but he made a nice catch of a Browning deep ball going to the ground before he shook loose down the seam for another big one. Jones, who has battled a sports hernia and had two offseason surgeries, has been telling people it’s the best he’s felt in his three years here …
Director of operations Jeff Brickner and equipment manager Adam Knollman pulled off a seamless outdoor-to-indoor transition when thunderstorms rolled in after about an hour and forced them to make the three-minute walk to the Indoor for the last hour. Five minutes after practice was halted, it began where it left off …
Ironically, though, Evan McPherson suffered his first miss of camp when they went inside. It was on a 40-yarder. But it didn’t stop his big camp. He upped his percentage to 22-for-23 on his longest stroke of a camp, a 54-yarder …