Fresh off the mild surprise that was returning to the team at all in free agency, Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt has picked up where he left off by having a huge impact this season.
That’s not a surprise to his teammates. Defensive end Sam Hubbard, for example, told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com that nobody he knows watches more film.
A general chat with Pratt would seem to confirm as much.
“I probably watch a couple of hours a day,” Pratt said.”I watch some before I go home. When I get home, my son and daughter have a lot of energy and they want to play. After we put them to bed, I probably watch 30 to 45 minutes before we watch TV or go to bed.”
Pratt also explained why: “I think the game is simpler because you watch film and see the tendencies they like to do. Everybody goes back to their roots in critical situations. They have routes or run schemes they’re doing against us that week, but when the game gets tight they run their stuff they would normally call in certain situations.”
Through seven games, Pratt is third on the team with 49 total tackles, plus one sack, two interceptions and one forced fumble.
Or in other words, he’s pacing toward another routine season as one-half of what has quietly become one of the league’s best linebacker cores.
