PLAY OF THE DAY
WR Charlie Jones
Jones' terrific camp continued Friday with a couple of catches downfield, but none finer than his diving, outstretched grab of a perfect Jake Browning pass down the right sideline as he fought off the press coverage of cornerback D.J. Ivey.
"It was a bench route, and I was trying to work him to the sideline. Jake put it in the only place he could," Jones said.
The catch was smoother than the smoothies he's been devouring this camp. His new diet and regimen seem to have revived Jones in his third season after injuries marred the first two. After two surgeries repaired a sports hernia this past offseason, he went to work and began building up his body to a firmer and more consistent 190 pounds.
"Still healthy, but eating more times throughout the day," Jones said. "Higher calorie count. A lot of smoothies. Being a smaller guy. I'm trying to keep more weight on."
Jones is also spending more time in the recovery areas and taking time every day to hop in and out of the hot beds and cold tubs.
The new-and-improved Jones, though, also needed to re-acquainted with an old friend. And he found him. The 110-catch Charlie Jones from his senior year at Purdue.
"Just getting back to myself. When I was there, every time I was on the field, I expected the ball to come to me and I expected to make a play," Jones said. "Just more confident. Telling myself I belong, and I can make these plays."
One of the first guys to greet him Friday after the catch was an old roommate, rehabbing tight end Mike Gesicki.
They've been buddies since Gesicki arrived last season, when he stayed a couple of days with Jones instead of staying in a hotel. That led to a friendship that spawned last year's off-day routine during the season. They would meet at Paycor Stadium and catch balls while also doing other drills. When Gesicki was trying to find a new place to live during the OTAs this past spring, he again bunked with Jones.
"It was like college again. Just having a roommate, which is fun," Jones said. "You don't get to do a lot of that anymore."
And, like college, Jones has learned something.
"Just listen to him talk about the game," Jones said.
"When you watch Mike run routes, you really can tell he's a smart player. He runs a route, but he runs it based on the coverages. He's my guy. Having him as a friend and being able to learn from him has been a great thing for me."
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Rookie defensive end Shemar Stewart on his conversation with Burrow after he bumped into him to ignite Wednesday's scrum:
"I told him, 'I'm sorry.' I apologized for everything that went down. He said, that's cool. He understands. Still my fault. I was stumbling. I was just trying to catch myself. At that point, you have to just fall down … He said as long as I do it on Sundays, he's fine."