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Shipley Progressing As Bengals Return To PBS


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The Bengals returned to Paul Brown Stadium for off-season conditioning on Monday, but two key players got a head start last week in Texas.

“I went up to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and threw the ball around with Andy (Dalton) a couple of times,” said wide receiver Jordan Shipley. “It felt really good and I went back-to-back days which was big for me. I wanted to see if I could do it two days in a row.”

Since Andre Caldwell signed with Denver as a free agent and Jerome Simpson remains unsigned (there is no name plate above his locker, but it hasn’t been given away yet), the Bengals are missing two of their leading receivers from last season. The team is obviously hoping that Shipley can make a speedy recovery from the torn ACL and MCL that he suffered in week two last year against the Broncos.

“He’s done well,” said quarterback Andy Dalton. “Unfortunately, he had the ACL and all of that stuff, but he’s put in the work and you can see it. He’s running around really well, so I’m excited for him to get back out there working with us.”

“I’m planning on doing all of the workouts with the guys,” said Shipley. “I’m excited about the opportunity to get back. I think – if anything – I come back from those injuries stronger than I was before. I’m just looking forward to getting out there and playing around a little bit.”

Shipley also tore an ACL in his knee as a freshman at Texas and missed the 2004 and 2005 seasons, before setting the school’s all-time record for career receptions. Jordan says he expects to be 100% for the start of training camp.

“This time has been a little bit tougher because I had a little more going on,” said Shipley. “Trying to balance a little more scar tissue and trying to get it loosened up, but I think it’s doing fine.”

While a healthy return by Shipley would give the Bengals a skilled slot receiver, they do not have an obvious outside threat to pair with A.J. Green. Marvin Lewis says there are candidates to fill the spot on the current roster including Brandon Tate and Armon Binns, but it is a position the Bengals appear likely to address in the draft.

“I think we have a lot of guys here that were pushing for playing time last year,” said Dalton. “But I think if we can get another one that would be great. We feel like we have a lot of weapons now, but if we can add another skill guy that would really help us out.”

Regardless of how the Bengals address the opening at wide receiver, the offense should benefit from having a normal off-season that is not interrupted by a lockout.

“It’s going to be big,” said Dalton. “We’re going to start over – back to square one – and make sure we have all the ins-and-outs. It comes down to our comfort level. Now I’m not learning a new offense in my second year, so I feel really comfortable and excited to get out there.”

“Obviously, we kind of know the offense already, but we’ll be so much farther ahead this year I think,” said Shipley. “Last year, we had a new quarterback and with the season that he had, I think we’re going to have a lot more confidence.”

And while Shipley hopes to play a major role, he’s been cautioned to take things slowly.

“I was informed today that I’m still in the rehab process, so it just depends on what they want me to do,” said Shipley. “I expected them to say that, but I think they just wanted me to understand that I don’t need to do too much.”


**********
One of the most interesting experiences of Andy Dalton’s off-season was representing the Bengals when the NFL unveiled its new Nike uniforms at a gala celebration in New York.
If you look closely at the group photo of all 32 uniforms, you’ll see Dalton in the upper right-hand corner.

[url="http://nflbengals.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/new-nfl-uniforms.jpg"][img]http://nflbengals.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/new-nfl-uniforms.jpg[/img][/url]


“I was standing on a little ledge and (the photographer) was like, ‘Step more to the left,’ and I said, ‘I’m going to fall off this thing if I go any more to the left.’” said Dalton. “It was just an honor. There were guys that have been in the league for a long time and have played very well and gone to a bunch of Pro Bowl, so it was just an honor to be there with all of them.
“It was pretty cool. Nike was all for it and said it was one of the biggest openings for a company. It was a cool experience and I’m glad I got to be a part of it.”

I’d love to hear from you at [email="Dan.Hoard@Bengals.nfl.net"]Dan.Hoard@Bengals.nfl.net[/email]

If you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at [url="http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard"]http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard[/url]

And I’m on Facebook. Just search for Dan Hoard and look for the photo of me with the handsome lad.



http://blogs.bengals.com/2012/04/16/shipley-progessing-as-bengals-return-to-pbs/
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[size=6][b]Shipley hopeful about possible return during OTAs[/b][/size]

04/16/12 at 11:45am
• Written by jreedy

On the first day of Bengals offseason workouts, wide receiver Jordan Shipley said the team’s medical staff has informed him that he is still in the rehabilitation stage, but is hopeful about being on the field when OTAs begin on May 22.

“I’m planning on doing some stuff but it depends on what they want me to do,” Shipley said. “If it was up to me I would be out there.”

Shipley tore in the ACL in his left knee during the third quarter of the Sept. 18 game at Denver. It is the second time he has suffered an ACL injury, suffering a tear to the right knee as a true freshman at Texas in 2004.

When asked if he would be ready for training camp, Shipley did not hesitate in saying that he would.

“I’m planning on doing all the workouts with the guys. Some days I feel really good and other days I feel close,” he said. “At this point in the process it is based on how you feel that day. Some days I am 100 percent.”


Shipley did do some position-specific drills last week when we visited Andy Dalton in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and ran routes. Shipley said the knee held up well after the two-day session.

When asked to compare this rehab process to the last time, Shipley said this one has been a little bit tougher because there is more scar tissue and that it takes a little bit longer for the knee to loosen up but did note that at the seven-month mark, things are still going well.

Said Dalton on how Shipley looked: “He was running around really well. So I’m excited for him to get back out there and work with him.”


(Click the link for the entire article)



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[size=6][b]Shipley on mend, but Bengals still need receivers[/b][/size]
Posted: 04/16/2012
Last Updated: 15 hours and 22 minutes ago

•By JOE KAY AP Sports Writer



CINCINNATI - Jordan Shipley got together with quarterback Andy Dalton last week in Texas and ran a few pass routes, an encouraging developing for the Cincinnati Bengals offense.

Their slot receiver is recovering nicely from knee surgery that wiped out most of his 2011 season. He was still limited as the Bengals started their voluntary offseason workouts on Monday at Paul Brown Stadium, but expected to be fully recovered by training camp.

"Some days I feel really good," Shipley said. "Some days I feel close. At this point in the process, it's how you feel that day. I want to go out and do everything, and they tell me you have to wait, heal up. As of today, I'm still in the rehab process."

Shipley's uneventful recovery is an important offseason development for the Bengals, whose next big challenge is finding more receivers to complement him and A.J. Green.

The Bengals went to the playoffs as a wild card last season with Dalton and Green emerging as rookies. One offseason priority is to expand a group of receivers that isn't even big enough to fill a depth chart. Jerome Simpson is an unrestricted free agent serving a jail sentence -- his locker was empty on Monday except for a wooden stool and a dozen plastic shirt hangers. The nameplate was gone.

Andre Caldwell signed with Denver last month, leaving Cincinnati without two of its top three receivers from 2011. Simpson was second on the team in catches by a receiver with 50, while Caldwell was third with 37.

The Bengals have extra draft picks next week, including two in the first round, which gives them a chance to fill a lot of their holes. They also could use an offensive guard and a cornerback. Somehow, they need a No. 2 receiver to take the coverage away from Green.

"I feel like we've got guys here that last year were pushing for playing time," Dalton said. "Obviously, if we can get another weapon, that would be great. I'm all for it. But we'll see what happens. The draft's crazy. Everybody knows that."

The Bengals used last year's draft as a turning point. They took Green in the first round and Dalton in the second, giving themselves a pair of playmakers who made the playoffs and the Pro Bowl in their rookie seasons. They didn't have enough to get a long-awaited breakthrough -- the franchise's first playoff win since 1990.

The Bengals lost to Houston 31-10 in the playoffs, leaving them 0-3 in the postseason during coach Marvin Lewis' nine years in Cincinnati.

They've tweaked the offense slightly in the offseason. Cincinnati allowed running back Cedric Benson to leave as a free agent, replacing him with BenJarvus Green-Ellis. They also allowed Caldwell and Simpson to become unrestricted free agents. Caldwell is gone. The Bengals haven't ruled out signing Simpson, who is serving a 15-day jail sentence in northern Kentucky on a drug-related charge. Simpson also faces a four-game suspension from the NFL for violating its substance abuse policy.

Getting Shipley back will be a big step. He quickly developed into a dependable slot receiver as a rookie in 2010, catching 52 passes and three touchdowns. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the second game last season.

Shipley met with Dalton -- another Texan -- for light workouts a few days last week to see how his knee responded. He ran pass patterns and didn't have a problem.

"It felt real good," Shipley said. "I went back-to-back days, which was big for me."

Notes: The Bengals agreed to new contracts with long snapper Clark Harris -- a restricted free agent -- and safety Jeromy Miles, who led their special teams in tackles last season. ... Dalton worked on his long passing over the winter, trying to get more loft on his throws. Dalton frequently missed on long passes last season.

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To hear what BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Travelle Wharton, Derrick Harvey and Jamaal Anderson said, click on the videos above.

The team has also finished installing the new field turf at the stadium.


Read more: [url="http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/sports/football/bengals/shipley-on-mend-but-bengals-still-need-receivers#ixzz1sIXkH5ws"]http://www.wcpo.com/...s#ixzz1sIXkH5ws[/url]
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