Quick Hits: Ted Karras Likes The Ambience In The Bid For Fast Start; NFL’s Biggest Bookends On Same Page; Sam Hubbard Is Bengals Dean Finally Healthy
The “Provost of Paycor” is now “The Cincinnati Kid.”
Before next month’s offseason sessions, defensive captain Sam Hubbard was the Bengal with the longest tenure as the initial wave of free agency swept through the roster.
However, Hubbard has already entered the premises and has been exercising here since the season permitted him to get surgery on his ankle. A youthful 28-year-old, he bounces through the Kettering Health and Performance Center’s stations as if he were performing for Moeller High School’s Jim Lippincott, slamming through the workout with a little vintage Bog Seger tearing through some “Night Moves.”
“I’m feeling really good. Really glad I got it fixed. Been bugging me for a long time,” said Hubbard, who gutted out the last seven games because they needed them all to make the playoffs. “I’m excited to be out there and trying to move like I want to move and play like I know I can play. That’s the most important thing right now. That’s the only thing I’m thinking about.”
So he’s not thinking about passing another Cincinnati icon on the Bengals’ all-time sack list last season when his 36.5 career sacks nudged past Tim Krumrie’s 34.5 into 11th on the list. Or that he’s 7.5 sacks from passing 2001 first-round pick Justin Smith and getting into the top ten, behind only Carlos Dunlap (82.5), Geno Atkins (75,5), and Trey Hendrickson (39.5 and counting) for most Bengals sacks in this century.
Moreover, Hubbard seems unconcerned about playing in ten more Bengals games to complete an even hundred, making him just the sixth defensive lineman to do so since Paycor Stadium opened in 2000.
In addition, he is the final player to have played for both Zac Taylor and Marvin Lewis.
“I intend to maintain that pattern for the longest duration possible,” stated Hubbard, who will turn 29 in June.
Be the first to comment