CJ rehabbing

[Sled21]

Amazing how this year CJ has gone from a player most posters wanted replaced, to being loved as he is now.

[grampahol]

(02-08-2022, 09:33 AM)Sled21 Wrote: Amazing how this year CJ has gone from a player most posters wanted replaced, to being loved as he is now.

I was never among that crowd.. 

[Sled21]

(02-08-2022, 09:36 AM)grampahol Wrote: I was never among that crowd.. 

Nor was I, but many were. 

[Rubekahn29]

I never wanted CJ gone. I just knew we could upgrade at the TE position. However, his leadership, charisma, and connectedness to this team are qualities that can’t be measured in statistics.

[*pally*]

(02-08-2022, 09:01 AM)jeremydc Wrote: Dude clearly has a limp. Could be the most badass or most idiotic thing he's done

He was limping badly in that shot because his knee wasn't bending due to the stabilizer (which he isn't actually wearing anymore).  You can see in this video that while there is still obvious stiffness in the knee the limp isn't as pronounced.  

Bengals TE C.J. Uzomah making a lap giving high fives to fans in the lower bowl at the end of tonight. pic.twitter.com/gBgkV85khp

— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) February 8, 2022

 

[Sled21]

So I wonder if he is flying out today with the team and will continue rehab out there, or if he will stay here and rehab then fly out Friday. I guess we have access to the Chargers' rehab facility as well as their locker room?

[*pally*]

(02-08-2022, 11:04 AM)Sled21 Wrote: So I wonder if he is flying out today with the team and will continue rehab out there, or if he will stay here and rehab then fly out Friday. I guess we have access to the Chargers' rehab facility as well as their locker room?

He is flying with the team.  They will be practicing at the UCLA facilities and have access to everything they need

[*ochocincos*]

(02-08-2022, 09:33 AM)Sled21 Wrote: Amazing how this year CJ has gone from a player most posters wanted replaced, to being loved as he is now.

I was someone who was fine with him being replaced. He's a solid TE but the Bengals could possibly find someone better.
What I didn't know until this year was how much of a vocal leader he was on the team.
That has made me more fine with keeping him.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(02-07-2022, 10:17 PM)Bengalholic Wrote: F'n chills!

8 days after hurting his knee in the AFC Championship game — @cj_uzomah ripped-off his knee brace & threw it, in front of 30,000 #Bengals fans. pic.twitter.com/Lq14NNLkZE

— Caleb Noe (@CalebNoeTV) February 8, 2022

That was freaking awesome!!!!! On a side note, I hadn't noticed until seeing this video, how about the Bengals having Bengal Jim up there on that stage!? It's so cool to see them not only building a winning culture in the locker room, but also reaching out and involving the fans as much as reasonably possible. They're building a culture in the city as well. I'm absolutely LOVING this team and entire staff.

[*pally*]

.@CJ_uzomah understood the assignment. ? https://t.co/MqrkfGCacN

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) February 8, 2022

[*rfaulk34*]

(02-08-2022, 11:42 AM)Wyche Wrote: That was freaking awesome!!!!! On a side note, I hadn't noticed until seeing this video, how about the Bengals having Bengal Jim up there on that stage!? It's so cool to see them not only building a winning culture in the locker room, but also reaching out and involving the fans as much as reasonably possible. They're building a culture in the city as well. I'm absolutely LOVING this team and entire staff.

Jim and local comedian Gary Owen were the emcees of the pep rally. 

[*PhilHos*]

(02-07-2022, 11:34 PM)Destro Wrote: Yeah, they going to pee test him....

CJ pees into a cup

Tester: Yep, he can pee. Test passed.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(02-08-2022, 12:01 PM)rfaulk34 Wrote: Jim and local comedian Gary Owen were the emcees of the pep rally. 

Just read that a little while ago, even cooler.

[MileHighGrowler]

I don't recall having super strong feelings about CJ one way or the other this past offseason. I would have been okay with him being replaced, or being number 2 behind someone else, I'm sure. But he's taken his leadership this year to another level. Not sure if there was there before and not noticed, or part of his growth from this past offseason and the way the guys spent more time together. Either way, he's a motivator and leader with the team, and he's been awesome on the PR front for the org as well, with his personality and great interviews. Definitely the kind of guy you want with the team right now during this final push.

After seeing him go down in the last game and worrying he was done, I love seeing him take off the brace and travel with the team this week.

[Tomkat]

CJ has always been an "under-the-radar" favorite of mine. He's no longer "under-the-radar."
He has stepped up his game and leadership, big-time, this season!
All the "cool kids" are buying Burrow, Chase, even McPherson jerseys, but my next jersey will be a Uzomah jersey, for sure.

[BFritz21]

All the people that wanted him replaced, he wasn't flashy, but I just think we didn't use him properly.

CJ is perfect up the seams, on curls, over the middle, and other routs like that because he might not be flashy, but he's a solid target and a mismatch for any defender.

We have great receivers, so the safeties always have to account for them, and he's a mismatch for linebackers that can't cover his athleticism.

CJ's PERFECT for our offense and I PRAY that he's 100% on Sunday and that we use him correctly!

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(02-08-2022, 09:33 AM)Sled21 Wrote: Amazing how this year CJ has gone from a player most posters wanted replaced, to being loved as he is now.

I was one that didn't really care if we moved on as long as we got an upgrade. I was wrong clearly.

He is a leader and has made lots of plays for us this season and in the Playoffs. 

I hope he gets an extension and sticks around. 

Uzo is really light hearted and is a funny guy so that helps everyone to have fun out there. Keep this. 

Winning comes along with having fun playing the game. 

It takes away the pressure to always play perfect and thinking too much.

[*bengalfan74*]

(02-08-2022, 09:33 AM)Sled21 Wrote: Amazing how this year CJ has gone from a player most posters wanted replaced, to being loved as he is now.

I'm not sure I've ever wanted a player to be able to play in a game as bad as I want CJ to make it.

And I sure hope they resign him.

[Tony]

(02-08-2022, 09:36 AM)grampahol Wrote: I was never among that crowd.. 

I was and I'm a ***** idiot for doing it.. This guy is the heart and sole of our team. Seeing him rip that knee brace off at the rally was amazing.. He pumps everyone up. He's just a natural leader..

[Forever Spinning Vinyl]

Sled may have slightly exaggerated when he said "most", but going into this season, there were definitely a lot of people already using his salary cap slot to target other players.

When they extended Boyd, drafted Higgins and Chase, they pretty much said that they didn't need a Kelce, they just need a veteran that can block and catch. He reminds me of Reggie Kelly in a few ways. Unselfish/team first mentality, good blocker and almost nobody knew what kind of team mate he was until his contract year. Reggie Kelly's true value to the fans came just before hitting the field on Reggie Kelly's last game of his contract and Carson Palmer said that Reggie Kelly was the best team mate he's ever had. THEN everyone was OK with his re-signing and began paying more attention to his contributions other than receptions.

Another similarity is that they both are/were often a two yard to three yard dump off after staying in initially to block. CJ has one hell of a stop and cut back move that Reggie never had, though so that helps him a lot with his yards per catch. Going into a game knowing you're the 4th or 5th option on 90-95% of the pass plays and always ready when that time comes says a lot about both's dependability.

All that said, I totally hope that I'm wrong, but I'm not expecting CJ to play. I think this is all gamesmanship and CJ will do anything he can to help this team win and if this is his role, he'll go all in and accept it as the leader that he is. If this makes the Rams spend 20 minutes game planning on if he plays, that's his victory with playing the act. Again, I hope that I'm wrong, but the look on his face heading into the locker room told me that this is more than a sprain and he knows it. He'd be blocking Floyd and Miller . . . it would be a great story if he plays and contributes to a win, but I think these two weeks leading up to the game are his gameday.