The Cincinnati Bengals are in new territory. They're taking their practice to a new environment to match.
The Bengals are preparing for Super Bowl LVI against the Rams -- set to be played in the roof-covered SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles -- by borrowing time at the nearby University of Cincinnati's practice bubble. Cincinnati bussed its players to UC's facility on Thursday, with all but one bus in the convoy making it to the campus on time due to icy conditions brought on by a winter storm.
"This is the first time we've been playing inside or in warm weather," Taylor said, via ESPN. "This decision was made a long time ago."
Cincinnati does not have an indoor facility of its own, instead practicing on grass fields located outside of Paul Brown Stadium or inside the stadium on its turf field.
The Bengals haven't played in a domed stadium since their Week 11 win over the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium in Nevada. Cincinnati has played just two games in a dome this season, with the first coming in Week 6 at Detroit's Ford Field.
Since Week 11, it's been all outdoors, all the time for the Bengals, who completed their first indoor practice in Zac Taylor's tenure Thursday. All three of Cincinnati's games occurred at outdoor venues -- Cincinnati's Paul Brown Stadium, Nashville's Nissan Stadium, and Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium -- and the Bengals triumphed in each of them.
This time around, they'll have to prepare for a different climate and a brand-new setting.
"I don't think it will be a distraction," Boyd said of moving practice to the University of Cincinnati. "Nobody wants to practice in the cold anyways, especially when we're not playing in it, so I don't think no guy would be mad about that."
Adjusting for warmer temperatures seems prudent for the Bengals, whose offense is certainly capable of racking up a ton of yards when inclement weather isn't a factor. They'll have four more days to make the trip to Los Angeles, though it's not certain they'll practice every day between now and their Tuesday travel day.
As for Thursday's practice, the Bengals got a few players back on the practice field. Defensive end Trey Hendrickson (illness), defensive tackle Cam Sample (groin), defensive tackle Josh Tupou (knee) and wideout Stanley Morgan (hamstring) participated in the session, while tight end C.J. Uzomah (knee) sat out.
Upon next week's arrival in Los Angeles, the Bengals will prepare at UCLA's Drake Stadium, the home of the Bruins' men's and women's track and field teams. UCLA has also been a popular offseason training destination for NFL players since the university opened its Wasserman Football Center in 2017.
