Offense gets the better of defense

GEORGETOWN, Ky. -- Some players and coaches are approached with the idea that they might not want to answer a few of your questions. Other sources are almost sure-fire talkers. One of them with the Bengals is defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan. He's a talkative, enthusiastic and a generally nice man.

On Wednesday night, after practice ended at 9, I approached him on the field and wanted to ask a few questions for a defensive player profile. I was surprised when he didn't break stride and said, "Find me later." The immediate thought is, "What did I write that upset him?" In the stream of words and images relayed from training camp, a reporter -- in trying to tell the truth -- can't help but anger some people and irritate others.

Then, after reporters gathered around coach Marvin Lewis for a post-practice interview, the reason for Bresnahan's briskness was obvious. He had had a bad night at the office. In third-and-goal drills, featuring live tackling, the offense had its way with the defense. "The defensive players need to make a comeback," Lewis said. "You're executing what's being called. There's always a little give and take when you're tackling your guys and you're not used to it. The second group (defense) comes in there and didn't know what, they don't know it was supposed to be live. You don't get to do it that often, but when you do, we want them to do it right and understand it."

The defense was without one of its starters, tackle John Thornton, whom Lewis said is receiving treatment for a hip injury and could miss a few days. ... Lewis also said rookie first-round cornerback Johnathan Joseph did not practice as well as he had been. ... As reported in the Enquirer this morning, tailback Rudi Johnson got the night off (it was the second practice of the day), and quarterback Carson Palmer was inside doing a weight workout. ... Practice today is from 3-5 p.m.