Opinion: Practice (indoors) makes perfect for Bengals

Take cover, Cincinnati Bengals.

They will. But really, there’s no need to worry. Every team in the National Football League has taken cover with an indoor training facility except for the Los Angeles Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, the Los Angeles Rams − and, the Bengals.

However, for the Bengals, that should change relatively soon thanks to new revenue streams for the ballclub. But is there really an advantage to having an enclosed practice facility? Moreover, what advantage does an NFL dome team have?

The current teams playing in a dome are the Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings, Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans. Each of these teams, by way of scheduling, played at least nine indoor games in the 2018 season, which was a huge advantage over teams such as the Raiders and Chiefs who played all 16 of their games outside.

But, is there an advantage to an indoor training facility?

"The biggest advantage," former Bengals coach Marvin Lewis told me, "is when the weather is severe. Nothing gets done."

In fact, he said you just don’t accomplish what you want during a practice session.

"And," he added, "you’re exposing your players to sickness in that kind of wet, cold and inclement weather."

Dave Lapham, the 35-year radio voice for the Bengals Radio Network had a different view about practicing indoors.

"I’m a believer that practicing in weather that you’ll be playing in is beneficial," said the man who played for the late Hall of Famer, Paul E. Brown, in Cincinnati. "But, if the weather conditions are so severe that you are not getting productive work done, well, it’s fruitless. You want to be able to executive meaningful repetitions against looks you’ll see in a game. If players are out there just trying to survive the elements, practice reps suffer."

So far, indoor practice has two votes in favor. In fact, Lapham says, "Practice makes perfect, is the old saying. Should be…as close to perfect practice makes perfect."

Kenny Anderson, an MVP quarterback with the Bengals who served as quarterbacks coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers, experienced the cold in Cincinnati and a climate-controlled practice facility in Pittsburgh.

"We had two grass practice fields in Pittsburgh," he told me. "When they freeze, well, nothing gets accomplished. The benefits are simple − we get our work done indoors."

In fact, to simulate the weather conditions, Anderson said then-head coach Bill Cowher would − at times − open the doors to "let the cold inside."

Anderson reflected on the Bengals’ 1981 season. He threw for a career-high 3,754 yards with 29 touchdowns to 10 interceptions while leading the league in touchdown/interception percentage along with a passer rating of 98.4. The performance earned him both the Associated Press and Professional Football Writers of America NFL Most Valuable Player Awards.

That same season, the 12-4 Bengals had their first post-season win and played host to the (then) San Diego Chargers in the AFC Championship Game − later referred to as the Freezer Bowl with conditions of minus nine degrees on game day. The Bengals won 27-7 for their first-ever conference championship.

"The win was great," Anderson said, "but what hurt us. We stayed in Cincinnati the week after the game. With the frigid weather, well we just didn’t get as much accomplished."

Make it three-zip for the indoor facility.

Now to the GOAT – Bill Belichick, the head coach of the New England Patriots. My mind still wasn’t convinced of the indoor advantage. Why practice in a climate-controlled, 60-degrees facility if you’re planning for next week’s game outdoors at Green Bay?

"We hardly ever use our indoor facility," said the coach with eight Super Bowl rings − six as head coach with the Patriots and two as defensive coordinator of the New York Giants in 1987 and 1991. "We’ll only use it if the weather is terrible (unplayable)."

And then he added: "But I’m probably the wrong guy for this quote." Maybe so − but don’t knock his success.

So, Cincinnati, get ready to take cover.

Andy Furman is a member of the Enquirer Board of Contributors. He also talks sports nationally on Fox Sports Radio, serves as PR Coordinator for The Point/Arc in Northern Kentucky and writes for the Brooklyn (NY) Daily Eagle.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Opinion: Practice (indoors) makes perfect for Bengals