Second year tight end Jermaine Gresham was excited to appear in his first Pro Bowl.
As a key part of the Bengals new-look offense, Gresham caught 56 passes from rookie quarterback Andy Dalton for 596 yards and 6 TDs. He was second on the team in TD catches to rookie wide receiver A.J. Green, who had 7.
ProPlayerInsiders caught up with Gresham in Hawaii as he prepared for the Pro Bowl. “I was very surprised to make my first Pro Bowl this year,” Gresham said. And to his fans, who helped to vote him into the Pro Bowl, Gresham said, “I appreciate the love.”
Working this week in Hawaii with fellow Pro Bowlers, including tight end legends like Antonio Gates and Tony Gonzalez, was educational for a young player like Gresham. “This week, I learned a lot from those guys in the sense of understanding football and understanding the game as a whole.”
As he looks ahead to what it would take to make it back to the Pro Bowl next year and to become a fixture in these games like Gates and Gonzalez, Gresham said he plans to “take more time looking at film, and understanding football as a whole, being a better player in that sense.”
It sounds like he’s got a plan in place to keep coming back and improving, only fitting since his favorite workout song is Stay Schemin’ by Rick Ross.
With the trio of Gresham, Dalton and Green in place, along with veteran running back Cedric Benson, the Bengals have a strong core of young offensive players to go along with their excellent defense. After an unexpected 9-7 finish and playoff appearance this season, the Bengals are poised to keep improving next season, and we can expect to see Gresham back in the playoffs next year, and maybe even the Super Bowl.
Scottie Graham and John Lanzafame contributed to this report.
