Bengals Getting Creative In Offseason Training

In the wake of the Cincinnati Bengals’ horrendous season last year that cranked up the volume on NFL gossip about whether coach Marvin Lewis is on the proverbial hot seat, the AFC North team is apparently willing to try anything in the quest for self-improvement. At their mandatory minicamp, the Bengals engaged in a diverse Olympics style competition won by quarterback Carson Palmer and safety Chris Crocker’s team over middle linebacker Dhani Jones and offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth’s squad, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. After going 4-11-1 last season, why not try something new? “This is the best shape we’ve been in,” Whitworth said. “They did a good job adding a lot of intensity to the program. That’s the key to any strength program. And with that comes competition with all the guys trying to reach new levels.” The Bengals conducted a bench press competition, and strongman center Kyle Cook won by pumping out 39 repetitions of 225 pounds. Plus, the Bengals held punt-catching and football accuracy contests and even a 3-point shooting competitiion. Whether the mini-Olympics/Superstars competition will translate into more wins is debatable. However, it’s hard to find fault with trying new methods for training/building team camaraderie when the old ways obviously didn’t work out so well.