Ask Jim Owczarski

[jowczarski]

1. How is D Dennard's injury / progress? Is he practicing? I was impressed by his and D Kirk's performances last year and am looking forward to seeing them on the field together this year.
2. What's the deal with V Burfict? Is he still just on the rehab field.
I went to practice a couple of weeks ago and I could have sworn that he was fielding punts (just for fun).

Interestingly, Dennard was in uniform last night. Saw No. 21 out there. So, I would imagine he’ll be good to go by Oakland. He’s going to be a gunner on punts, and he’ll be in coverage when Leon Hall slides back to safety with George Iloka. Unfortunately he got hurt so we haven’t been able to see any of those packages in game situations.

I don’t understand why everyone thought Burfict would be back by now (well, I do) but it just wasn’t really likely. I can’t imagine him not starting on PUP and be ready to go by Week 6. One thing I’ve learned about Marvin Lewis in my short time here is that you have to practice to play, and Burfict hasn’t come close to the practice fields yet. Tomorrow we can see the beginning of the session, but by starting him and Cedric Ogbuehi on PUP, they can keep two guys who can help them in Week 1 and in the immediate future.

As for the punts – I got that on a Vine, actually. A rare light moment!


I've always been curious to know just how often other teams call the Bengals with trade offers? I'm sure the majority of them are declined. Are the Bengals actively trying to pull a trade or have they offered any of late? Thanks.

Honestly this is impossible to know. I’m sure there are trades bandied about over phone calls, during games, in texts, on a regular basis. The Bengals aren’t averse to making deals, but a lot of factors are at play. What I’ve come to learn covering pro sports is that there are, technically, “offers” made all the time. But there are a few big leaps from those initial discussions to framing one out, especially with salary caps and offensive/defensive systems to manage.

Nice piece on Kumerow, Jim. Love reading about his work ethic. He's a Marvin Lewis kind of guy in that regard. I think he'll find a team. With our 3 TEs, however, I'm not sure what he adds to our corps of receivers. If he can be a steady possession guy to spell our "Big 3," I think he has a shot.

Thanks! I think the Bengals would love to keep him on the practice squad. That means he’s open to be plucked by any other team, at any point, but usually undrafted guys can slide through.

I have a technical question I would like you to explore Jim.

We see game film live or taped based on TV cameras.

Do the Bengals and other NFL teams have additional camera set ups at games or practices to hone in on specific position groups like the OL or individual close up shots of players?

I know as fans we like to think we can evaluate players or units, but do the coaching staffs have a lot more detailed camera work to review?

RoyleRedlegs gave the proper answer on that one. If you’re really into that stuff, it’s out there now for a price!

As for links … I’ll try to toss some more in here … I try to be respectful of the discussion board and not say, “hey guys, look at this thing I wrote today!” –

But I’ll do it now – a look at the goal line offense from Sat. night and Jeremy Hill saying that the Andy Dalton injury was on him for not getting it in on any of the previous three tries.



Thanks all!