A huge thanks to St. Aloysius orphanage for letting us share in the holiday spirit.

This annual event champions education, health and wellness initiatives for local youth. To learn more about this great cause, check out the Ndukwe Foundation website >

View additional photos from the event in our gallery>

Artrell Hawkins (AH):  Every athlete has that “ah-ha” moment, when they realize their talents are above average.  Talk about that moment for you.

• Adam “Pacman” Jones (Pacman):  Probably around 9 years old.  I had something like 34 touchdowns in 10 games as a running back.  My team won the national championship that year…and that’s when i knew if I worked hard, I could be pretty special.

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(AH):  Who was your favorite player growing up?

• (Pacman):  Deion Sanders.  I was always a 2 or 3 sport player and my goal was to play basketball and football…I had scholarships for both of them.  But Deion was the best of my time.  There were other cornerbacks out there who were good, but as far as being flamboyant, his punt returns, kick returns–that’s why I was out there.  And Emmitt Smith….I wore #22 as a running back.

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(AH):  What were your impressions of Rod Woodson when he was here helping as a coach last week?

• (Pacman):  He’s a great person, very smart.  I learned a lot from him while he was here.  You can tell the guy worked hard when he was playing.  He knows what’s coming, when it’s coming…..and he’s a great person to be around also.

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(AH):  Through your career, your athleticism goes without saying.  But at cornerback, they talk about your lack of technique.  Do you see your technique getting better by working with Kevin Coyle (Bengals defensive backs coach)?

• (Pacman):  I would say it’s getting better every day.  He makes sure my technique is always right.  Like today, I slipped up and had my eyes in the backfield too long, and in a game I probably could’ve went and got that ball.  But it’s the little things that make you so much better.  So he’s done a great job with me…both him and Zim (Mike Zimmer).  They stay on me every day….and i want to get better, so I like the coaching.

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(AH):  Who’s the fastest defensive back on the team?

• (Pacman):  Me, hands down.

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(AH):  As far as another teammate, who’s been the biggest influence since you’ve been here?

• (Pacman):  Chris Crocker.  He’s been the most positive and professional, as far as helping me on the field and off the field.  I think Crock’s a good person, and even though he hasn’t been through what I have, he’s an older guy and has a lot of respect for others.

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(AH):  Compared to other locker rooms that you’ve been in, how does the Cincinnati Bengals locker room compare?

• (Pacman): It’s more like my Tennessee locker room here…we all get along.  In Dallas, there was more division and the guys really didn’t hang together.  But here, we all get along pretty good.

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(AH):  A year ago, you were out of football and unsure of your future.  This is your first game back…in front of a national crowd…against your former team. How does it feel to be back?

• (Pacman):  It’s a blessing.  I won’t take it for granted this time.  My God is a good God, and I respect and have learned from everything I’ve been through.  That’s the reason I’m here getting another chance.  I’ve bettered myself as a person also.  But i’m gonna let the game come to me on Sunday…work on my technique and do my job, and I think everything will play out well.

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(AH):  What do you want people to know about Adam “Pacman” Jones?

• (Pacman):  I’m not the guy who they think I am.  They consider me a monster.  I’m nothing like that. I had a coach come to me today and say a few words about what one of the referees was saying about me, and I almost went in my locker and cried.  That’s not me. The past is the past, and all I can do is show them what I learned and where I’m going now.  I just want people to not judge a book by it’s cover, and give me a shot.

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(AH):  What are your goals for this year?

• (Pacman):  Staying out of trouble, first of all, and being a good teammate.  Everything else will come.  On the field, there’s not much for me to worry about out there as long as I’m doing my technique.  I’m gonna do my job and make my share of plays.

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(AH):  How do you prepare yourself for game day?

• (Pacman):  Film, film, film!

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(AH):  Any pre-game rituals?

• (Pacman):  I hate for my feet to get wet before a game.

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(AH):  Let’s have some fun and do a few “quick hits” as we like to call them on www.artrellhawkins.com…..

• T.I. or Jay-Z? (Pacman): Jay-Z
• Favorite Jay-Z song?  (Pacman):  The old Jay-Z songs
• Kobe or Lebron? (Pacman):  Lebron
• Facebook or Twitter?  (Pacman):  Neither
• 16 or 18 game NFL season? (Pacman):  18 games but no pre-season
• Brett Favre:  In or out this season? (Pacman):  Out
• T.O. Show or Ocho’s Ultimate Catch?  (Pacman):  The T.O. Show…I love the family factor and how he’s trying to evolve.

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(AH):  Where do you see Pacman in 5 years?

• (Pacman):  Hopefully still here.  Probably on the last year of my deal….maybe about to re-up on another contract….if not, on a boat somewhere fishing.

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(AH):  If you had to pick 3 words to describe your future, what would they be?

• (Pacman):  The sky…promising…and redemption.

With the first pre-season contest out of the way, the Bengals go back to work today in Georgetown….and WORK…is what they must do.

Don’t talk about it, be about it! Expectations for this season are as high as they’ve ever been in Cincinnati. That’s a good thing. However, the pressure that these lofty expectations are real and potentially hazordous to any team ill-equipped to handle them. Its not unusual for fans and media to voice their opinions regarding post-season standings, eventual division-champions, etc… but for coaches or players to do so is dangerous.  There are to many unforeseeable variables, both good and bad, in an NFL season to accurately predict anything. Players and coaches know that.  Plus, it’s understood that every player and every coach’s ultimate goal is to win the Super Bowl.  So why talk about it publicly in August?  It serves no good purpose and it distracts from concentrating on what’s most  important: WORK!  I won’t mention names, but I’ve heard and read about several members of the team talking post-season play. I think that’s a mistake and makes it  more difficult to deal with any setbacks that are sure to arise, at some point, during the season.  August isn’t the time to make predictions. It’s a time to tirelessly work on the details (blocking, tackling, chemistry, etc.) that will allow you to reach your goals.

If I had an oppurtunity to address the Bengals today, my message would be:

1) Properly manage expectations

2) Put the team first

3) Ignore the noise

4) Don’t believe the hype!

All of these directives turn the focus toward work ethic, team, and diligence…which is the key to any group of folks trying to accomplish greatness!

A couple quick thoughts about last nights Bengals vs Cowboys game…

First thing first–penalties are still a major problem. Last night, the Bengals had 12 penalties for 90 yards. That’s not winning football. It shows a lack of discipline and concentration, especially when they’re pre-snap penalties like off-sides and illegal-motion. Penalties kill momentum and lose games.

On the D’s first series, an off-sides penalty on Jonathan Fananae negated a fumble caused by SS Roy Williams on the goal-line that would have kept the Cowboys from scoring on the drive.  On the offense’s first drive, Cedric Benson ran for a 6 yard gain to start the drive, then T.O. caught a quick out on 2nd and 4, giving the Bengals a fresh set of downs. On the third play of the drive, Carson again connected with T.O. on a 5yrd in-route. That should have set up 2nd down and 5, but an illegal motion penalty on Ochocinco wiped that gain out and put the Bengals in a 1st and 15 situation. They never recovered, and three plays later were forced to punt.

My point is, both of those early pre-snap penalties greatly affected the flow and eventual outcome of the game. The negative tempo established early by the first units, persisted throughout the rest of the game. Who knows what would happen offensively if their rhythym isn’t interrupted by an avoidable illegal-motion penalty? Who knows what would happen if the fumble recovered by the Bengals in the end zone counted?  The game could have turned out completely different. It’s harder to win games when you shoot yourself in the foot.  The first rule of survival is:  “Never eliminate yourself”.

I get that penalties are apart of the game and happen.  But when they happen at this rate, over and over again, it is unacceptable.  Marvin Lewis has to say enough is enough and take a hard-line, zero-tolerence  type approach if he wants this problem to improve. Maybe start taking  playing time away if your a habitual offenders. Whatever he decides, it has to be soon–the season is right around the corner!

***BEST MATCH-UP***: Ray Maualuga vs Fui Vakapuna–From where I was standing, it looked as though this was a split decesion. The first round I gave to Malaluga, who was more aggressive and in the end made the tackle on the running back. However, the second went to Fui–who got his pads low, drove ray backwards, and finished the block with attitude. I’d watch this battle all day.

***WORST MATCH-UP***: Dezmond Briscoe vs Brandon Ghee–Not to take anything away from Ghee here, because he was solid, but this matchup was probably one of the most lopsided of the day. At the snap, Ghee put his chin down, ran full speed at Briscoe, and lit him up. I mean LIT HIM UP! Looked like Briscoe left his feet trying to absorb the hit. Without a doubt, this rep got the biggest reaction from the players and coaches.

***BEST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE***: Chase Coffman– Although Chase is not known for his blocking prowess, he held his own today. He went against LB Dan Skuta and had a nice block.  Then, later in the drill Marvin called him out with the 4th round draft pick from Texas, LB Roddrick Muckelroy. Muckelroy was the more aggressive of the two, getting down hill in a hurry. But Chase did enough, not allowing Muckelroy to get his hands on the RB. Not pretty, but it got the job done. So for that I gave the W to Chase.

***WORST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE***: Jordan Shipley–Ok, not a big surprise here I know…but someone had to win it. Some WRs just can’t block. Jordan looks like that type. As impressive as he’s been catching the rock, he was equally as unimpressive stock-blocking today. It got so bad that at one point Adam Jones shouted out, “Come on man! This ain’t no hugging match!”  (Dezmond briscoe could have also won this category with ease).

***THE HIGHLIGHT***: Ocho vs Maualuga: As you would expect, Ray ran at Ocho as fast as he could and initially knocked him back. However, Ocho’s no fool. So, instead of trying to match strength for strength with the stronger Maualuga, Ocho withstood the force of  initial contact, wisely used Ray’s momentum against him, grabbed his shoulder pads, and hip-tossed him to the ground landing on top (like something you’d see watching the WWE).  When I asked Ocho about it, he jokingly asked me, “Did u see me sting him?”. Naw, I didn’t see all that (lol), but I did see a competitor figuring out a way to win an undesirable match-up. Something he has done pretty successfully over the course of his career.

***HONORABLE MENTIONS***: Clinton McDonald–McDonald handled Nate Livings on one rep and made the tackle pretty comfortably…MLB Dhani Jones–Smacked FB Joe Tronzo and made the tackle on Cordera Eason.

That about wraps it up for this morning’s practice.  Very exciting….and a great sign of things to come. Don’t you worry….I will keep you posted from the inside as we move forward through this momentous training camp, as long as you stay right here at www.artrellhawkins.com

With the T.O. hoopla finally behind us (thank goodness!!),  I’ve decided to blog about the Bengals most important Player-#9.

Despite all the fan-fare and media attention that the signing of T.O. has garnered the last couple days, ultimately Carson Palmer is the the guy that really counts. If  he dosen’t play well, none of this other crap matters. So the question that needs answered isn’t “Can Carson handle the “Tocho” (T.O.+Ocho) tandem?”, it’s “Can Carson get back to his pro-bowl form?”. I think he can, and here’s why..

Carson’s sceptics say that in’09, the lack of a Bengals passing game was due in large part to the subpar play of the teams $100million dollar man (Carson). They say the injuries he’s suffered over his career have affected his over all play, namely his accuracy and confidence.   In my opinion, injuries may have played a small part, but the biggest problem for the ’09 slump was a lack of consistency and ability among his pass catchers. Lavernius Coles, Dan Coates, Andre Caldwell, Quan Cosby….not a very intimidating group. Confidence? Put yourself in Carson’s shoes and tell me how confident you are.  Are you confident throwing to L.Coles, who struggled catching the ball from game 1? Does D.Coates one-on-one, versus any linebacker, sound like a good match-up to you? Short answer-NO!  Even with this, he still threw for nearly 3,100 yards.  That’s pretty impressive, considering.

Now, consider this year’s group:  T.O., Ocho, Gresham, Bryant. Are you feeling confident yet? You should. This is a group that inspires just that. They can beat you deep (T.O had a 98-yd TD in ’09)….they can beat you short (Ocho)….and they can move the chains between the numbers (Gresham & Bryant). Not only that, they’ll flat out make more plays at the point of attack because they’re all supremely gifted athletes. I’ll go on record here and now and say that if Carson stays healthy with this group, he’ll be back in the 4,000 yard passing club this season. No problemo!!

Yesterday I spoke briefly with Carson after the morning practice. And like any QB and leader of a NFL franchise is suppose to do, he didn’t make excuses or point the finger about what went on last year. Instead, he talked about how he dedicated this past off-season to improving his mechanics: Play action fakes–Make run plays look the same as pass plays–Eyes, to suck defenders up giving them less time to jump certain routes–Drops, so that his hips and feet are pointed toward his target when he sets to throw the football, which will improve timing and accuracy.

If all that doesn’t make you believe that Carson is feeling more confident in 2010, the challenge he issued to SI.com’s Peter King should…….

Ok, so here’s how it happened. Yesterday, i’m standing in the tunnel at Tiger Stadium chatting it up with Peter King, who is waiting to interview Carson. After speaking, for what seemed to be just a couple minutes (more like 15-20–Peter is a very interesting guy), Carson walks out of the locker room stage right, respectfully reaches out his hand, introduces himself (as if Peter didn’t know who he was) and says, “I got a challenge for you. You do that training camp tour, right? If you can find three other QB out there with a stronger arm then me, I’ll buy you dinner. Deal? ”

That’s a pretty confident guy, who is excited about the future!  Call me a “homer” if you want but I think he’ll be worlds improved this season.

If you don’t believe it, then leave me a comment and I’ll tear your theory to shreds.

Pictured above:  THE “TOCHO” (T.O. + OCHO) meaning “mountain American lion”, according to mybaby.net

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HATE IT OR LOVE IT, THE T.O. SHOW IS COMING TO CINCINNATI.

The Bengals and the oft-controversial WR came to terms on a one-year deal less than 24-hours before the team is scheduled to arrive at training camp in Georgetown, KY. The move comes as a suprise to many given Owens’ reputation as a locker room cancer and habitual disturber of the peace. But is it really that shocking?  Back in March, when the Bengals courted both Owens and Antonio Bryant as unrestricted free agents the answer to that question would be yes for multiple reasons: age, character, long-term productivity just to name a few. Fast forward to present day, and the deal to acquire Owens was a no brainer.

When news of T.O. possibly landing in Cincy started to dominate the headlines a few days ago, I began inquiring about it with friends close to the situation in an effort to see what was real and what was not. What I learned swayed me in favor of the T.O. deal.

First and foremost, Antonio Bryant’s health is an issue.  My source, who will remain nameless, told me that during  OTA’s (organized team activities) Bryant’s knee bothered him so much that he was unable to stop and plant on a basic comeback route. They also talked about the lack of muscle on his lower quad, which is necessary for strength and stabilazation. Having had similar knee issues, I know how difficult it is to project a full return to action. That’s a cause for concern.

Also, consider the fact that for weeks now, Carson Palmer has been lobbying to get T.O.–something I can’t see him doing  if  Bryant were healthy. With that said, if I’m Marvin Lewis–reigning NFL Coach of The Year–heading into the last year of my deal, with one of the hardest schedules in the league… T.O is on speed dial.  Think Brad Childress and Brett Farve. Like Childress last year, Marv’s contract situation is still yet to be determined. It’s important for him to A) start fast and B) win playoffs games. So, do you try your luck with Tavaris Jackson or go get Brett Farve?  Favre right? Similarly, Marv isn’t going to settle for second best if  there’s a Brett Favre-like guy out there that can come in and have an immediate impact. Assuming Bryant’s out for opening day and you don’t sign T.O., then you’re stuck with Andre Caldwell at the #2 WR spot in Foxboro. That’s not a knock against Caldwell–he’s still young and has some developing to do.  But, the Ocho-T.O. tandum presents problems no defensive cordinator wants.

The second reason the T.O signing was not a surprise to me is simple….the Bengals are “In It To Win It”!  In Marv’s seven seasons at the helm, the Bengals have made two playoff appeareances and have lost both, at home. It’s time to win when it counts! When you think about it, home field advantage is what every player and every team bust their tail for all season long. It’s supposed to give you the advantage. It hasn’t. The real advantage comes when you play solid defense and put points up! Sounds easy, but it’s not.

Last season, the Bengals were superb defensively, finishing 4th overall. Returning all 11 starters intact and adding good young talent via the draft, 2010 should be no different. The second part to that equation: putting up points was a struggle a year ago, especially in the playoff  loss. In that game, the Bengals scored a measly 14 points.  That’s just not enough to win in this league. Don’t believe me?  Take a gander at last year’s NFL playoffs one-and-done teams- Bengals, Patriots, Eagles, Chargers, and Packers. What do four out of these five teams have in common?   All scored 14 points in their playoff games, and all were watching the playoffs from the comfort of their own homes the following week. In contrast, the eventual Super Bowl winning Saints scored a staggering 107 points in three games, for a 35.7 per game average.  Need more evidence?  Consider the New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens. Like the Bengals, the NYJ and the Ravens went to the playoffs and both were very strong defensively in ’09 finishing #1 and #2 respectively. The Jets, in three playoff games, averaged 19.3 per/game and the Ravens averaged 18.0 per/game. Better than Bengals true, but still not good enough to earn a trip to Miami. That’s exactly why this past off-season offense was the primary focus for both clubs. Points!Points! Points!   Understanding this, coupled with the fact that merely reaching the playoffs is no longer considered a moral victory for Marv and his squad, the acquisition of  T.O makes even more sense.

Finally, can T.O, Ocho and company all live a peacful existance?  Who knows? I believe they can, but so many different variables will factor in. While I don’t have the time or patience (to be honest LOL) to blog about them all, one is worth mentioning. Is the team winning football games?  This question above all others will ultimately dictate how all parties involved view this merger come football seasons–not who has more catches. If the team is successful and puts together a campaign that produces its first back-to-back divisional championship since 1982, and win some playoff games, then you’ll see the ”Kumbaya Cats” week in and week out, hugging one another and singing each others praises. A “winning cures all” type of deal. On the flip side, if the Bengals are dropping more L’s than W’s on Sunday, that’s when the finger pointing and discontent will surface. Whether it goes public or not, it will happen. That’s just how it goes.  No matter what, if the latter of the two happens, T.O can’t be the guy leading the “I’m pissed off and all I want to do is win no matter what, or how, or how many people I gotta hurt so long as I make it to the top ” (Zoolander voice)charge.  Which, for the record, I can’t see him doing.

If T.O has learned anything this off season, it’s that his value–like the economy–is down.  Humbling experience i’m sure. To recoup some T.O value for future ventures, be it football or must see reality tv show, he must get back to being the elite, NFL pass catching phenom he once was.  Behaving and producting is the only way that any of that is possible for him now.

Thank you to everyone who came out to Shaker Run Golf Course on Monday for the St. Aloysius “Companies 4 Kids” Golf Classic, especially the UC Bearcats, Bengals, and Olympic Gold Medalist and former Bearcart, Mary Wineberg. All proceeds from the day will benefit the children and families served by St. Aloysius.  For more information on how you can support this non-profit organization, visit http://www.staloysiuscincinnati.org.

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