The Cincinnati Bengals announced Monday night they'll break training camp a day early and hold two practices with the New Orleans Saints on Aug. 16 at Paul Brown Stadium. The practices are closed to the public.  The Bengals host the Saints in a preseason game on Aug. 18.  The final practice at Georgetown College will be 9 to 11 a.m. on Aug. 15. It was originally scheduled from 3-5 p.m.  "We're happy for the chance to add these practices," Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said. "This is not a contact scrimmage, since we play the Saints two days later, but we're looking forward to some good, full-speed competitive work."

Fresh legs: Rookie tailback Curtis Brown, who signed a contract Monday morning, showed off his fresh legs with several impressive runs. The college free agent from BYU was released by Oakland on July 13.  "I'm honored that the coaching staff has faith to bring me in," Brown said. "I'm going to be in the playbook non-stop. I don't do one thing great. I just do a lot of things well and try to be an all-around player."  To make room for Brown, the club waived rookie tailback Dan Burks, who suffered an elbow injury in the scrimmage. Burks will revert to the Bengals' Injured Reserve list if he clears waivers.

Cornerback Leon Hall is scheduled to be the 'nickel' for Cincinnati. 

 The Cincinnati Bengals' trio of cornerback Leon Hall and safeties Marvin White and Chinedum Ndukwe arrived at the beginning, middle and end of the 2007 NFL draft.  As first-, fourth- and seventh-round picks, they represent the future of the Bengals' secondary, but don't tell them that.  The young and restless rookies want to make an impact right away. If not in the base defense, then on special teams.  "They brought us all in here for a purpose," Ndukwe said. "We're all physical guys. That's something the defense needed last year. I can only hope to contribute to that this year.  "I'm trying to be physical and finish every play. That's what I pride myself on. I'm going to keep on doing it until they tell me to slow down."

The same goes for Hall and White.

Reggie McNeal, right, has found making the transition from quarterback to receiver isn't a snap.

Sometimes, a man has to look after his own interests. So with a PlayStation controller in his hands and Madden NFL '08 in front of him, Reggie McNeal the old quarterback passes the ball to Reggie McNeal the new receiver.  "Of course I throw it to myself," said McNeal, the second-year player who made the transition from college quarterback to NFL receiver when the Bengals drafted him in the sixth round in 2006.McNeal can only hope that real quarterbacks throw his way this season. Of course, that can happen only if McNeal is on the field -- no certainty at this point, but better odds than last season, when he played in just seven games, without a reception.

Making the adjustment from college to the pros is difficult enough without the added burden of changing positions. Last season, that change proved too much for McNeal. A multidimensional QB at Texas A&M, where he passed for a school-record 6,992 yards and ran for 1,889 yards and 15 touchdowns, McNeal knew the Bengals were moving him to receiver. Their design was to turn him into a slash-style weapon, similar to Antwaan Randle El, the Washington Redskins' multifaceted threat who also made the move from college quarterback to NFL receiver.  It hasn't quite worked out that way, however, as McNeal muddled through his rookie year.  But opportunity is knocking this preseason as injuries to Tab Perry and Antonio Chatman, combined with Chris Henry's eight-game suspension, have enabled McNeal to move into the third receiver spot behind Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Whether he remains there -- competition is stiff among McNeal, Skyler Green and Glenn Holt, who is injured -- depends on whether he can continue to become more of a receiver and less of a quarterback.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Reggie McNeal bounced back with a strong Monday morning practice after dropping three passes in Saturday's Black-Orange Mock Game at Georgetown College's Toyota Stadium.

"I know I had a bad day Saturday, but that's all in learning," McNeal said. "I'm going to continue to get better every day. and try not to drop anything."  McNeal caught about 10 passes in the workout from 9-11 a.m. Many were tough catches over the middle and near the sidelines."That's a good thing about a quality player," wide receivers coach Mike Sheppard said. "He'll take something like that and turn it around into a motivation to do better the next time."

'(Fans) get a real chance to see what type of people we are up close and personal, and I think they really appreciate that' 

Something magical happens every summer during Cincinnati Bengals' training camp at Georgetown College.  It's a love affair between sweat-soaked players and autograph-hungry fans.  Other NFL clubs, such as the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles, conduct lotteries in which a limited number of lucky fans win the right to obtain a handful of player autographs.

Not the Bengals.

Nearly all the players — from the biggest stars to the lowliest rookie free agents — sign every day.

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