A downpour limited the Cincinnati Bengals to a 30-minute practice Tuesday afternoon.
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The Minnesota Vikings broke their 2016 training camp in Mankato on August 9 and now head to Cincinnati for two joint practices and their first preseason games.
Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer watches action at mini camp.
“We started (with) some of the principles we had when I was in Dallas”, Zimmer said. There were a lot of great people in the administration. He really is a good athlete. There are a lot of the players here that I coached. “It’ll be fun to come back and try to compete with them”. The Bengals had produced just one top-10 ranking in the previous 18 seasons prior to Zimmer’s arrival. As Bridgewater continues to progress, there are some value options for fantasy football among the Vikings wide receivers who had some pleasant surprises a year ago in a growing offense.
Paul Guenther, who succeeded Zimmer as the defensive coordinator, made it clear there were boundaries that shouldn’t be crossed during practice.
For Zimmer, though, the connection to Cincinnati remains especially strong. I like the chemistry we’re building.
Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis danced with the weather all day. He also served as an assistant or coordinator with the Cowboys (1994-2006) and Falcons (2007). “I’m still learning. Year three, third training camp, everyday something new. There are a lot of memories and things like that, but I’m not really a nostalgic guy”. Lewis gladly welcomed Zimmer to his staff with the Bengals.
Of the Cincinnati players remaining from Zimmer’s tenure, many seemingly have reverence for him. Joe Berger, who was looking good for center, moved to right guard to replace (temporarily) Brandon Fusco, who was out with an undisclosed injury. “He changed the culture around here”. Zimmer said that he needed to see “consistency of movement and power” from Sullivan in order to slot him in the starting spot, but you get the feeling that nothing is set in stone. “… So, (it’s) not just the Xs and Os things, but also the mentality of a coach, how you treat the players”.
“We’re out there making each other better and trying to improve each other”, Sherels said. One of the better defenses in the league. However, the fourth-year Vikings punter is on the roster bubble thanks to the Vikings bringing in outside competition after Locke struggled last season. In the past two seasons, though, Smith missed nine games with injuries, and, after using their first two picks in the 2015 NFL Draft on tackles, the Bengals did not re-sign him when Smith became a free agent after the 2015 season.
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“He gave me a lot of responsibility as far as the game plan goes”, Guenther said.
