"Ben BabySep 4, 2025, 06:00 AM ET CloseBen Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN's NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs."
"Before each game, Karras will walk roughly 200 yards of the field, pacing down the team's sideline, careful not to infringe on the opponent's side out of respect. He wants to know how the grass feels, what the other team is wearing, how the stadium smells. Because whether it's Game 1 or No. 144, which is what it will be for Karras, the nerves are still there."
Ted Karras maintains a strict pregame ritual, walking roughly 200 yards along the sideline to assess the grass, opponents' uniforms and stadium conditions because game nerves persist. Bengals starters received the most preseason snaps this year, and the team shifted training camp earlier while eliminating joint practices. Those changes aim to remedy Cincinnati's inability to start seasons strongly under coach Zac Taylor; the Bengals have one combined win in Weeks 1 and 2 across Taylor's six seasons, the NFL's worst record in that span. The team hopes altered preparation and increased starter reps boost early-season performance.
Read at ESPN.com
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