In today's edition of Around the AFC North, we take a look at the high turnout at the Cincinnati Bengals non-coached minicamp session, the Ravens set to use iPad's for playbooks in the future, and a tribute to Steelers running back John Henry.
Cincinnati Bengals: 47 Bengals Show Up for Team Practices
I thought it was good to see a couple of the players on the Cleveland Browns getting together for some offensive minicamps to handle the West Coast Offense. Is it at all surprising to see the number of players, 47 to be specific, who showed up at the Cincinnati Bengals' most recent team practice?
According to The Cincinnati Enquirer's Joe Reedy, 47 Bengals made the trip to Cincinnati for team workouts. The offense, which worked out in Mason, had 22 players participating in the first day of workouts while 25 players participated in the defensive workouts at University of Cincinnati.
I believe Scott Fujita indicated in the past that the defensive players will eventually get together, so maybe it is only a matter of time before the Browns organize something on that side of the ball too.
Baltimore Ravens: Playbooks to be on iPad's
For those interested in technology, this might be of interest to you. Several NFL teams, including the Ravens, are using iPad's for their playbooks. Bruce comments over at the Beatdown:
The Baltimore Ravens are staying ahead of the technological curve by being one of the first teams in the NFL to present their players with their playbooks loaded onto iPads instead of thick looseleaf binders as in the past. With the smaller iPads, they are easier to keep and carry, and the team can do anything from add to it or delete it whenever they want.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Tribute to RB John Henry
John Henry Johnson died over the weekend in California at the age of 81. Johnson, along with Big Daddy Lipscomb, was my first Steelers hero, and for many good reasons. Johnson was a fullback in a halfback's body. He was 6-2, 210 pounds and one of the most complete backs in NFL history. He would run through you, around you, had great moves in the open field, had soft hands as an excellent receiver and no one, and I mean no one, ever blocked better as a running back. Bobby Layne loved having John Henry in the backfield on passing plays. Respected by everyone, Johnson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of fame in 1987.