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Cobi Hamilton Says He’s On The Right Track


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It’s not unusual for NFL players to work out at their former colleges in the offseason, but in Cobi Hamilton’s case, there’s a bit of a twist. When the wide receiver returned to Arkansas after his first year with the Bengals, he worked out with the Razorbacks’ track team, not the football team.

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“With the new football coaches at Arkansas, I guess I’m more comfortable with the track coaches because I ran track for two years and those coaches are still there,” said Hamilton. “I drop in on the football coaches every now and then, but there are a lot of new faces so it’s kind of weird. So I work out and lift weights with the track team because there’s a comfort level.

“Some of the same guys that I ran with my freshman and sophomore years are seniors now, or may be going into the pros. Two or three of those guys are really fast, so I work out with them and it benefits me a lot. It’s not the same as football conditioning, but it keeps your legs in shape.”

Hamilton was listed at 6’2”, 205 pounds last year and says that he’s probably dropped some weight as a result of the track workouts.

“I stay in contact with the fellas during the offseason, so I knew what his plan was,” said wide receivers coach James Urban. “We talked about how important this offseason was going to be for him.

“He had to get himself in a little better shape which he’s done. He looks great now and really embraced it in the offseason.”

The Bengals drafted Hamilton in the sixth round last year after a prolific senior season at Arkansas in which Cobi finished with 90 catches for 1,335 yards. After making seven receptions in the preseason last year including a 4-yard TD catch against Dallas (watch it here), Hamilton spent the regular season on Cincinnati’s practice squad

“Cobi made as big of strides from the beginning of training camp to the end of the season as anyone I’ve ever been around,” said Urban. “It was learning the system…learning how to practice…learning how to compete daily…just learning how to be a pro. There are some guys that come ready-made for it and some guys that take a little while. We’re excited about him.”

“It took a lot of reps, but things started coming a little bit easier for me towards the end of the season and I started to make more plays,” said Hamilton.

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With the loss of Andrew Hawkins to Cleveland in free agency, Hamilton will be looking to break into the wide receiver rotation this season under new offensive coordinator Hue Jackson.

“Hue pulled me aside last year when he was the running backs coach and encouraged me to get better,” said Hamilton. “He was always whispering in my ear, ‘Do you know how good you can be?’”

Cobi received similar encouragement from his position coach.

“He just wasn’t quite making the plays that I saw him make at Arkansas during training camp and the early part of the year,” said Urban. “So I kept saying, ‘What do we have to do to get you to make the plays that I know you can make. I know you can make them.’”

Now the former 200-meter runner at Arkansas says that he’s on the right track to contribute at wide receiver in Cincinnati.

“Now I know what it takes to be an NFL player,” Cobi told me. “I’m excited for this season and I’m ready to get going.”

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http://blogs.bengals.com/2014/04/22/cobi-hamilton-says-hes-on-the-right-track/

 

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still can't believe he lasted until the 6th round.  He put up 90 receptions his senior year in the SEC and plays all 3 receiver spots.  

 

If you can't believe that, then you have to be even more shocked that he spent the year on the practice squad, where any team in the league could have claimed him and paid him peanuts to just be on the active roster.

 

I truly hope he ends up being a contributor, but I have my doubts.

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I want to believe.  So bad.  But Armon Binns haunts me..

 

Me too.. All I heard that off season is how high they were on Binns, and how they really expected him to have a break-out season.. I even came on here to share that knowledge before it was being widely reported.

 

It has left a sour taste in my mouth.

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Me too.. All I heard that off season is how high they were on Binns, and how they really expected him to have a break-out season.. I even came on here to share that knowledge before it was being widely reported.

 

It has left a sour taste in my mouth.

 

While true, Hamilton will be fighting for the 4th spot and a few snaps a game, where as we were banking on Binns to be a starter.  I'm looking forward to our camp battles at WR.  I think Hue will play to players' strengths more so than Gruden did, seems more of a pragmatist.  I couldn't shake the feeling Gruden was looking for style points some times.

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Me too.. All I heard that off season is how high they were on Binns, and how they really expected him to have a break-out season.. I even came on here to share that knowledge before it was being widely reported.

 

It has left a sour taste in my mouth.

 

 

I think that's a fair concern, but I think the differences, for me at least, is that Hamilton is a good deal faster and can play all 3 spots whereas Binns biggest drawback was he didn't have speed and I think he only played outside.

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Me too.. All I heard that off season is how high they were on Binns, and how they really expected him to have a break-out season.. I even came on here to share that knowledge before it was being widely reported.

 

It has left a sour taste in my mouth.

 

And Binns started the year playing well and then fell off completely.

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We have three locks in AJ, Marvin Jones and Sanu.

Then Hamilton, Sanzenbacher, Tate, Whalen and probably a draft pick competing for the last 3 spots. Could be 4 potentially since we have kept 7 some seasons, but my bet would be just 6 total.

Hamilton is going to have to prove his worth as both a WR and special teamer probably if he is going to make the team. Those 4th-6th guys will probably make as many plays on ST as they will on offense.
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We have three locks in AJ, Marvin Jones and Sanu.

Then Hamilton, Sanzenbacher, Tate, Whalen and probably a draft pick competing for the last 3 spots. Could be 4 potentially since we have kept 7 some seasons, but my bet would be just 6 total.

Hamilton is going to have to prove his worth as both a WR and special teamer probably if he is going to make the team. Those 4th-6th guys will probably make as many plays on ST as they will on offense.

 

 

yea I imagine it will just be 6 this year with the prospects of keeping a 3rd QB.

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