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Bengals working on sharpening Jeremy Hill's focus


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Bengals working on sharpening Jeremy Hill's focus
December, 22, 2014
Dec 22
9:30
AM ET
By Coley Harvey | ESPN.com

 

CINCINNATI -- These have been humbling days for Jeremy Hill.

Not only has the Cincinnati Bengals rookie running back spent them trying to deflect any praise his strong play has garnered of late, but he also has been trying to tone down his seemingly brash, perhaps misunderstood, off-field persona.
 

Conversations between Hill and coaches going into last week's game at Cleveland focused on how he needed to focus. With the Bengals off to face a Browns team, Hill trash-talked about the Browns, who had beaten the Bengals in Cincinnati 24-3 the month before. Those around him wanted to make sure he didn't say anything else he would regret. They also wanted to make sure his concentration was singular: to run harder and better than he had all season.

So, interviews were off limits. He politely declined multiple requests during the week. Social media took a similar hit. The regular tweeter limited his posting, later saying it was to make sure his thoughts were more fully on the game plan.

Normally loquacious and gregarious, the rusher was mum. Maybe it worked.

After his 148-yard, two-touchdown performance in the 30-0 win at Cleveland, he was ready to talk again, emphasizing how important he felt it was that he take that step out of the off-field limelight in order to sharpen his focus.

Ahead of another important game -- Monday night's contest against Denver on ESPN -- Hill did speak with reporters this week. He did so quite candidly, but a little more cautiously, too.

"A lot of times there's stuff that's better left unsaid," the more reflective rusher said, referring to the incident linked above. "You live and you learn, and obviously it was a rookie mistake, but I'll just continue to learn from it and move forward from there."

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis doesn't want to muzzle his young back, but he said it was important Hill better watch what he says.

"We try to limit what he says to you guys as much as we can," Lewis said during a news conference Thursday. "He's constantly under that microscope because he is a good kid. He's a very earthly guy. He just wants to talk. He wants to give you what you're asking. But sometimes I tell him, 'It's not to our best benefit for you to think out loud.'"

Hill's bad-mouthing of the Browns didn't sit well with some around the team. Offensive coordinator Hue Jackson also took exception when Hill tried to explain to a reporter the schematics that went into why the Bengals didn't run well at Tampa Bay. Jackson's response: the rookie needed to focus on his own blocking behavior and needed to run through tackle attempts.

All the messages, it appears, have been received.

Not only has Hill run so well of late that he earned last week's AFC's Offensive Player of the Week award, but he's been more reserved when talking to media.

The Bengals don't want to fully clamp down on Hill's self-expression, because they know how important it is to his style of play. His fun-seeking nature explains why he wasn't scared to try to jump into the arms of Bengals fans at the Browns' "Dawg Pound," or to do the "Ickey Shuffle" or "Shmoney" dance to celebrate touchdowns.

"That's a key goal of mine: to let Jeremy celebrate in the end zone as much as possible," Lewis said. "Just make it quick, and then let's get back and figure out how to get the next one.

"You want to have guys like that. He's been good for the team, because [his teammates] respect his maturity and how he's handled things. ... He's learning how to grow in the NFL as a young guy."

 

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I hope Hue is sharpening his skills by having him run the same play with the pulling

linemen and Hewitt to the right once in awhile rather than always to the left side of the

O line.

Maybe even run it with Gio a time or two.

 

And work with Andy on different snap counts or cadence.

Some of the same crap Manning does.

And perfecting/improving the play action pass moves.

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I hope Hue is sharpening his skills by having him run the same play with the pulling

linemen and Hewitt to the right once in awhile rather than always to the left side of the

O line.

Maybe even run it with Gio a time or two.

 

And work with Andy on different snap counts or cadence.

Some of the same crap Manning does.

And perfecting/improving the play action pass moves.

 

It will be pretty Sad if hue honestly believes he can run the same play he had success with vs the browns...obviously it better be changed up...he needs to be fired if he doesn't.

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