Bone-headed (and crunching) move could cost Cincinnati Bengals’ George Iloka his job
By Jason Marcum
The Cincinnati Bengals have now conducted five training camp practices, and with less than three weeks left before the season opener vs. the Chicago Bears, there are a number of positional battles that will ensue as roles on this team have have yet to be determined.
The biggest question mark with the team right now is who will open as the starting strong safety opposite Reggie Nelson. George Iloka, the former fifth-rounder out of Boise State, had appeared to have taken the lead with a solid training camp and a decent showing in the teams’ preseason opener vs. the Atlanta Falcons, a game in which he drew the start.
But Iloka missed last Saturday’s game vs. the Tennessee Titans with a wrist injury, and Taylor Mays got the start in his place, while rookie third-rounder Shawn Williams came off the bench to lead the team in tackles (10), and looked like the future starting SS.
Needless to say, Iloka has lost ground since, and it may ultimately even cost him a roster spot, especially when you consider the level of immaturity Iloka showed in how he incurred the injury.
During last week’s practices, Iloka let his emotions get ahead of him as he threw a punch at linebacker Jordan Campbell during a special teams drill. He unfortunately connected his wrist with Campbell’s helmet, and broke the fifth metatarsal of his hand in the process.
This scene was prominently featured on the latest episode of HBO’s Hard Knocks, and if Taylor Mays and Shawn Williams can do enough in the next two weeks to make the coaching staff feel confident in their abilities, they may opt to keep them and dump Iloka.