Bengals Cornerback Helped By High School Player

By ESPN

Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick was in a bind Sunday afternoon.

The Bengals were practicing at West Carrollton High School, about an hour away from the team's practice facility in downtown Cincinnati. Kirkpatrick got off the bus, rummaged through his bag, and realized he had no cleats. At that point, there was no going back to get them.

So he had to improvise.

"I was looking around and saw that Coach [Marvin Lewis] was addressing some of the [high school] team," Kirkpatrick said. "I just went over and I asked him if anybody had a pair."

Lucky for Kirkpatrick, West Carrollton senior Bryan Jones had a pair on hand. It wasn't a perfect fit, as the cleats were one size too big. That meant Kirkpatrick had to go to the training table twice during practice to get his ankles taped and retaped.

A worried fan in the crowd of 6,000 on hand to watch practice yelled a question from the bleachers after Kirkpatrick's second trip to visit the athletic trainer.

"Are you injured?" the fan shouted.

Kirkpatrick smiled and shook his head.

"It worked out pretty good," Kirkpatrick said. "It was just a blessing that he was there and he had his cleats. I want to tell him I appreciate him."

When practice was over, Kirkpatrick made sure to sign the shoes and send them back. Standing there in his socks, he signed autographs for at least 20 minutes more before he realized he was the last Bengal left on the field.

Then Kirkpatrick, shoeless, sprinted off to catch the bus.

Chicago Bears

The depleted Bears have a much-needed day off after close to 20 players sat out Sunday's practice at Halas Hall. Running back Jeremy Langford (foot) and Pro Bowl guard Kyle Long (shoulder) were among the guys who didn't participate, though Langford is out of the walking boot he wore to Saturday night's practice. Expect the Bears to mull over their options at cornerback, where Kyle Fuller, Jacoby Glenn, De'Vante Bausby and Bryce Callahan are all nursing injuries. At this rate, the Bears might not have enough healthy bodies at cornerback to finish next Saturday's third preseason game against Kansas City. -- Jeff Dickerson

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts head to practice with some injury concerns for a couple key starters as they prepare for the their third preseason game against Philadelphia on Saturday. Receiver T.Y. Hilton and cornerback Vontae Davis both sat out of the Colts' loss to Baltimore over the weekend. Hilton, a back-to-back Pro Bowler, has been dealing with a hamstring injury, and Davis, also a back-to-back Pro Bowler, injured his ankle late last week. "Vontae rolled an ankle, and it swelled up on him a little bit, so we just held him out," coach Chuck Pagano said. "T.Y. had a little bit of a hamstring [injury]. He pushed through it all last week. Even going back to the catch on the sideline where he overextended in the Buffalo game and came back and he practiced all week. It was just a little bit tender, so it wasn't worth throwing him out there." The Colts are expected to play their starters into the third quarter Saturday against the Eagles. -- Mike Wells