The one thing that the Cincinnati Bengals wanted to avoid in their second NFL pre-season game against the Atlanta Falcons was injuries. Last Friday, in their pre-season opener against the New York Jets, four key Bengals, Rey Maualuga, Carlos Dunlap, Travelle Wharton, and Taylor Mays all went down with injuries within the first two quarters. This time around the injury bug has managed to hit the Bengals starting tight end, Jermaine Gresham.
Late in the first quarter, Gresham and Andy Dalton connected on a 25-yard pass that saw Gresham do a pretty good spin move before being taken down. Gresham seemed to be fine but could be seen limping on the sidelines. Still, though, it did not seem that the injury was all that serious, as Gresham was playing it off as if he was fine.
But, like any team playing it safe in the pre-season, the Bengals immediately announced that Gresham would not be sent back into the game, and the injury was deemed as simply a right knee injury. Although the extent of the injury is not known yet, it does not bode well for the Bengals that one of the key cogs on the offense may have to miss some time. At this point it seems that A.J Green and Andy Dalton are clicking on all cylinders, so getting some extra time with Gresham may be very key for a Bengals aerial attack that is poised to do some major damage this season.
Gresham, a first-round pick in the 2010 draft, is coming off a pretty productive season in which he had 56 receptions for 596 yards and six touchdown receptions. Hopefully, for Cincinnati Bengals fans, Gresham can manage to stay healthy throughout the rest of the season. At this point, though, you have to begin wondering if Gresham can manage to stay healthy for an entire season as he is coming off a season in which he missed two games due to a hamstring injury.
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