What We Learned from Cincinnati Bengals 'Hard Knocks' Episode 1

Tuesday night marked the premiere episode of HBO's Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Cincinnati Bengals. This is the team's second appearance on the series, which examines the inner workings of an NFL training camp in minute detail.

With the Bengals having gone to the postseason the past two years in a row, and both the offense and defense facing high expectations for 2013, Hard Knocks is as compelling as ever. Here are the eight biggest takeaways from the first week's episode. 

Andy Dalton: Leader

It's been clear this offseason how high the expectations are that Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton makes a third-year leap and becomes a true offensive leader, so it's no surprise this storyline made an early and frequent appearance in the first episode of Hard Knocks.

Offensive coordinator Jay Gruden noted that Dalton is "in full control" of the offense and a leader of the team, but he was quick to also mention that while he's helped the team reach the playoffs the past two years, it hasn't resulted in a win. Gruden clearly wants more consistency from Dalton in high-pressure situations.

In moments showing Dalton working with his receivers, he certainly looked the part of quarterback-as-leader. This is certainly a positive sign for his upcoming season, but it will also be interesting to see if Dalton can keep his offense together as the grind of training camp wears on. 

A.J. Green's Knee Scare

One of the episode's more tense moments came on a routine passing drill. Star wideout A.J. Green came up just short of a catch, then awkwardly fell on his knee. On the ground and in pain, the training staff attended to him, and the team collectively held its breath hoping its most valuable offensive player hadn't been seriously injured. 

Fortunately for Green and the Bengals, an examination in the training room and subsequent MRI revealed a bruised left knee—a non-serious injury that nevertheless underscored how anything, including season-ending injuries, can happen in training camp. 

Tyler Eifert Living Up to His Billing

Early in the first episode, Hard Knocks gave us a look at rookie tight end Tyler Eifert, the Bengals' 2013 first-round draft pick. From the brief glimpse we got, it's clear Eifert is starting to live up to his pedigree.

Catching everything thrown his way, Eifert looks primed to be the perfect receiving complement to starting wideout A.J. Green. In front of HBO's cameras, Eifert impressed the visiting Bill Polian, former Indianapolis Colts president and present-day ESPN NFL analyst.

Earlier, offensive coordinator Jay Gruden also praised the tight end, saying to The Associated Press' Joe Kay at the start of camp, "He's done everything we thought and more. He's just one of those guys that when he makes a play, you kind of look around and see if anybody else saw what he just did."

As Hard Knocks and training camp progresses, we'll surely see more of Eifert and how seamlessly he appears to be transitioning into his new offense. 

Andrew Hawkins' Ankle Injury

Another injury befell the Bengals receiving corps in Episode 1 of Hard Knocks, this one to speedy slot man Andrew Hawkins, who had his ankle stepped on by cornerback Brandon Ghee during a drill. 

In the episode, it was noted that Hawkins would be "out indefinitely" with the injury, the extent of which the Bengals are still examining. Hawkins is seeking a second opinion about the ankle, which head coach Marvin Lewis will only say is sprained.

His status for the rest of training camp and Week 1 of the regular season is as yet unknown. This is a story that should be developing in front of the cameras in coming weeks. 

Hue Jackson Likes to Stir the Pot

Last year, well-traveled NFL coach Hue Jackson joined the Bengals staff as their secondary and special teams coach. This year, Jackson has moved to the running backs, providing us with one of the more amusing segments from Tuesday's Hard Knocks: Jackson jawing at his former defensive charges. 

Jackson, described as a "ball of energy," had as much enthusiasm for taunting the defense as he did for praising his running backs—particularly rookie standout Giovani Bernard. While entertaining, Jackson's affinity for stirring the pot nearly got Bernard in trouble.

The defense chose to key in on Bernard in drills, with linebacker Vontaze Burfict calling Bernard his "little stunt dummy," resulting in head coach Marvin Lewis needing to remind the defense to not hit its own offensive players as hard as actual opponents. 

It was clear, however, that Jackson loves football and loves coaching it in any capacity. 

Larry Black's Season-Ending Injury

One of the most gut-wrenching moments in the Hard Knocks premiere came when rookie defensive tackle Larry Black injured his right ankle, ending his season.

Black, an undrafted rookie who played for Indiana, was described as one of the most improved young players on the roster with a true NFL future ahead of him. Now, he'll spend his rookie season on injured reserve with a broken leg and dislocated ankle, hoping the Bengals or any other team will give him a chance next season.

Season-ending injuries in training camp are always a major disappointment. When they happen to undrafted rookies who caught lucky breaks—especially ones like Black who were showing progress—it only serves to highlight just how dangerous a football practice field can be.

James Harrison Truly Is Scary

Intense eyes and an intimidating stare—that's how Hard Knocks introduced us to Bengals linebacker James Harrison, who joined the team after being released by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Harrison clearly has his own way of doing things, both on the field and in meetings, where he was shown sitting apart from the rest of the linebackers but still clearly paying attention.

Harrison also has a true contempt for the Hard Knocks cameras, shutting doors on them, covering their lenses and turning his back to them whenever they appeared, making him also come across as, yes, a little lighthearted.

Harrison versus the cameras will likely rear its head for the remainder of the five-episode season, and he'll surely appear beastly as ever when on the field. Harrison has a reputation for toughness, and it's entirely earned. 

The Oklahoma Drill

Arguably the biggest thrill of the first episode of any season of Hard Knocks is the Oklahoma drill, where blockers line up with would-be tacklers in order to create a running lane for a back. It's football in a fishbowl: two players trying to knock each other down, and a running back trying to gain a few yards, all as quickly and violently as possible.

Leading up to the drill, the Hard Knocks cameras caught tight end Jermaine Gresham asking to take on the Bengals' top defensive player, tackle Geno Atkins. Gresham got his wish and, surprisingly, knocked Atkins down.

Granted, Gresham may have cheated by getting a head start on Atkins, but that didn't make his feat of strength and will any less impressive, considering Atkins had 12.5 sacks last season. And, as always, the Oklahoma drill provided the requisite goosebumps that help make the NFL so compelling. 

Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Cincinnati Bengals kicks off its five-episode eighth season, presented in HD, Tuesday, Aug. 6 (10 p.m. ET), exclusively on HBO. Other hour-long episodes debut subsequent Tuesdays at the same time, with an encore play every Wednesday at 11:00 p.m., culminating in the Sept. 3 season finale.

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