CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Tyler Eifert lined up here, there and just about everywhere
during his first practice with the Cincinnati Bengals.
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Shop . Felt like old times. The Bengals got started on their new
tight end-heavy passing game Friday at the start of a weekend rookie minicamp. A
lot of the focus was on Eifert, chosen in the first round to give quarterback
Andy Dalton another target. Eifert lined up in a lot of different spots at Notre
Dame. Judging by the first day of practice in Cincinnati, hes going to be doing
the same thing in the NFL. "A lot of the things Im learning are a lot of the
same plays we had in with two tight ends -- move me around in different
positions," Eifert said. "Today I was out in the slot quite a bit. I think Im
picking it up pretty fast." With Dalton watching from the sideline, Eifert made
a nice one-hand catch during the morning workout, a preview of what he can bring
to an offence thats been overly dependent upon receiver A.J. Green. The Bengals
havent added another proven receiver in the off-season. Rather, they took Eifert
with the 21st overall pick, figuring his ability to catch the ball in a crowd --
he set a Notre Dame recover for catches by a tight end -- will give them some
versatility and force defences to worry about someone other than Green. Eifert
lined up as a tight end on either side and also as a slot receiver during
practice. The biggest challenge was learning the Bengals language for each play
and the pass protections. "I think I picked it up better than I thought I would
at first," Eifert said. "Its not a whole lot, but its definitely something new
for me. Im catching on pretty quickly and moving around quite a bit." The
Bengals would like to use him along with tight end Jermaine Gresham, their first
overall pick in 2010. The New England Patriots have shown that a two-tight end
approach can keep defences off balance, provided that both can catch the ball.
New Englands Tom Brady set career highs in yards passing and touchdowns in 2011,
using his tight ends generously. Defences had trouble handling both Rob
Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez in the two-tight end approach. Gronkowski had 90
catches for 1,327 yards that season. Hernandez had 79 for 910. "You look at that
year, and a lot of people dont realize that Tom had his best statistical season
ever in history," said running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who was with New
England then. "We threw the ball numerous times. We ran the ball three to five
times a game. "Of course, thats not what you want to do when youre a running
back. But we were winning games. It was a shock to the league that year. It can
actually be a great thing when you have two guys who can catch the ball. It
takes a lot of pressure off what you can do because you had to prepare for all
those guys." Dalton thinks that having two tight ends who can catch the ball
will make defences vulnerable somewhere. Dalton wasnt allowed to work out with
the rookies during minicamp. He left the field as the morning workout was
wrapping up. "You get the matchup of the tight ends on the linebackers and
safeties," Dalton said recently. "So I think hes going to be a great addition.
Hes going to make Jermaine a better player. Im excited to get him in here and
get working with him." ------ NOTES: The Bengals signed seventh-round picks OT
Reid Fragel from Ohio State and centre T.J. Johnson from South Carolina, the
first of their draft picks to agree to contracts. ... LB J.K. Schaffer, who was
signed to the practice squad last season, participated in the workouts. "I was
on the practice squad last year and I just never got that many quality reps with
the actual calls and making adjustments," Schaffer said. "I think its a real
good opportunity for me to get back myself rolling and get back into some
football."
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According to a report from the Winnipeg Free Press, the Bombers will name Acting
GM Kyle Walters to the post full time. CHICAGO -- Theyre not just winning the
World Series. Theyre not just puncturing dreams all over Chicago. The Cleveland
Indians are winning this World Series behind an ace who feels as if he just
dropped into this postseason out of a time machine.Hes Corey Kluber. And at this
point, were not sure which October legend we should be comparing him to. To
Christy Mathewson? To Jack Morris? To Orel Hershiser?What Kluber is doing, no
one does anymore. Not in the 21st century. Give him the ball in Game 1. Give him
the ball in Game 4. Give him the ball in Game 7 if you have to.His team realized
weeks ago it had no choice but to try to win this way. So you know what the ace
said when the Indians asked him if that would be OK?I said, Thats what Im
planning on, Kluber said Saturday night, after his latest October masterpiece
lifted his team to within a game of winning its first World Series in nearly
seven decades.He stood on the grass of Wrigley Field an hour after pitching the
Indians to a 7-2 Game 4 win over the Cubs. The giant video board over his
shoulder flashed, 2016 WORLD SERIES. And the Indians now lead that World Series,
3 games to 1.But the ballpark around him was as quiet. And frankly, that was
mostly his fault.It was almost like a party, Kluber said, to have 40,000 people
yelling your name.But by yelling his name, that wasnt to be confused with
cheering his name. Because the single biggest reason the Cubs are in the mess
theyre in right now can be summed up in two words: Corey Kluber. So he would not
be the most popular human in Chicago these days, no matter how loud they were
yelling his name Saturday evening.The ace has started Games 1 and 4, and won
Games 1 and 4 -- by giving up a total of one run in 12 innings. Its no big deal
to him. But who does this in the modern world of pitch counts, innings
thresholds and third-time-through-the-order phobias? Nobody does this. That
would be your answer. Hes the first starting pitcher to win Games 1 and 4 of any
World Series since Jose Rijo -- in 1990.You dont see that stuff happening
anymore, his pitching coach Mickey Callaway said.Correct. And because the ace
keeps taking the ball on short rest, everybody in this rotation takes the ball
on short rest. So the Indians have set themselves up, according to the Elias
Sports Bureau, to become just the second team in the past 22 years to win a
World Series while using only three starting pitchers.The only other team to do
it, if youre curious, was the 2009 Yankees. But those 2009 Yankees at least had
three viable starters, in CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte and A.J. Burnett. The
Indians went into this postseason with, basically, an ace and a prayer.So when
they mapped out their postseason pitching plans, they werent formulating those
plans out of some sense of futuristic innovation. They were formulating their
plans out of sheer desperation. Because someone has to pitch. Every night. The
rules say so. So it didnt take a whole lot of deep sabermetric thinking for the
Indians to come to the conclusion that the more the ace pitched, the better off
theyd be.The injuries made us do it, Callaway said with a laugh. I dont think
this was the plan at all. But when you lose two of your starting pitchers, then
you have to adjust.Kluber has started five times since then. His ERA, after
those five trips to the mound, is a spectacular 0.89. Only one pitcher in the
history of baseball ever rolled up a better ERA in his first five postseason
starts. That would be Mathewson at 0.38.So its true that unlike Kluber,
Mathewson made all of those sstarts in the World Series.
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different time and place.Meanwhile back in Cleveland, the ace also has started
twice in this postseason on three days rest. Thats something hed never done
before this October and something only three other pitchers in the last decade
(Sabathia, Chris Carpenter and Clayton Kershaw) have done in a single
postseason.Now the Cubs would have to rise up and win Games 5 and 6 to force
Kluber to pitch again in this World Series. But the ace is prepared to come back
on short rest one more time in Game 7 if he has to. And if he does, that would
make him and Curt Schilling the only pitchers to start Games 1, 4 and 7 of any
World Series in the last quarter-century.It wasnt like this was some deal where
we had to adjust on the fly, Callaway said, where we just said yesterday, Hey,
youve got to pitch tomorrow. He knew two or three weeks ago, when the postseason
started, that he was going to have to do this. So thats even more pressure on
him. When we lost those two starters (Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar), he
knew right away, like, Ohhhh crap, Im going to have to throw a lot more innings.
He has now thrown 30? of those innings in this postseason, which is two more
than all other Cleveland starters combined. And hes up to 245? innings since
Opening Day. Thats the most he has ever pitched in his life. But when asked
Saturday night if he was feeling the weight of all those innings, Kluber spoke
like a man who had decided to will himself not to feel anything until all this
is over.When its all said and done, I might feel it, he said. But right now,
youre running in these games on so much adrenaline that once you get out there,
it all goes out the window.Four weeks ago, he might have been the most
top-secret Cy Young winner on earth. But October is a time when secrets like
that are revealed. Kluber has shown this month, and especially in this World
Series, that he can not only shut down the best lineups in baseball, but he can
also do it with four different pitches.He dazzled the Cubs with his darting
two-seam fastball last Tuesday. Then four days later, he overmatched them with
the curveball that is really his signature out pitch and one of the best pitches
in baseball.He probably hasnt even thrown a changeup to these guys yet, Callaway
said. So if he has to face them again, you might see some really good
changeups.Two years ago, you might recall a fellow named Madison Bumgarner
turning himself into a one-man rotation because thats what it took for the
Giants to win themselves a World Series. Well, outside of the fact that Kluber
hasnt made any emergency five-inning relief outings yet, isnt this practically
the same thing?Thats what it seems like, left fielder Rajai Davis?said. To hold
em for so long, thats what you need in the postseason. You need a pitcher like
that to be able to lean on.Hes our rock. Hes our foundation. ... Hes been our
everything. If we can, we might have to put him on our shoulders in the
celebration and march around the field.His team is now one win away from
unfurling that celebration. So if you see Kluber riding on all those shoulders
as the fireworks pop and the champagne flows, youll know why.This guy hasnt
gotten his due. Hes won a Cy Young, and he still hasnt been a household name,
Jason Kipnis said. But after this, I dont think hes going to have to worry about
that anymore. ' ' '