The players straggled from their cars to the security check-in to their respective busses. It's 9 a.m., not early for most people, but it feels very early for the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Bengals have a Sunday date on the west coast and for the first time in several long trips, the Bengals didn't get a Friday start. They're traveling today, and playing tomorrow.
At 9:15 a.m, three busses pulled out of Paul Brown Stadium. They motored to CVG where the Bengals caught their charter. Then it's a five hour trip to northern California. With the time change, the Bengals will be in Oakland before noon.
Nobody is used to an early departure like this. You could see it with the players body language as they arrived this morning. You could see it with the rest or the traveling party. Not a lot of conversation and a little grumbling. I've been making trips like this for 30 seasons, and I don't recall a morning departure like this.
Look for a lot of naps on the plane and players plugged into their i-pods. It's a good time to read. I'm hoping it's a big plane so we're not cramped. I shouldn't complain. I'm not 6-6 and 300 pounds like a lot of these guys.
I'll be providing updates as soon as we land in Oakland and continuing through Sunday's game.
