Tuesday, April 28th, 2009

Boeckman getting a chance to impress Bengals

By Gary R. Rasberry

A day after the NFL Draft, Todd Boeckman finally got the call he wanted to hear.

The St. Henry native and Ohio State quarterback confirmed that he will head to the Cincinnati Bengals training camp later this week for a tryout for a spot on the training camp roster.

"It's a great opportunity to get a chance," said Boeckman during a Monday evening telephone interview. "All I wanted is an opportunity, a chance to perform and go out there to play. I'm looking forward to it. It should be a lot of fun."

Boeckman, who went undrafted during the weekend's draft, will head to the Bengals camp later this week and work out against other quarterbacks to find a spot on the roster going into preseason.

The Bengals' front office has some familiarity to the Mercer County area. Jim Lippincott, Director of Football Operations for the team, was head football coach at Marion Local from 1974 to 1977.

While Boeckman has not received the itinerary for this weekend's camp as of Monday evening, he knows he will have to battle against good competition.

With the Bengals already having Carson Palmer, Jordan Palmer and J.T. O'Sullivan, picked up in the offseason after his release from San Francisco, the Bengals also invited former Colorado State signal caller Billy Farris to camp.

"Anywhere you go, you have to compete," said Boeckman. "Especially in the NFL. Usually, you're going to take three guys on the roster. ... It doesn't matter who's there, how many guys are there. All I know is that I'm looking forward to it.

"I don't know the situation or how many practices we're going to do, but it's going to be fun. I'm ready to compete and go out there and show them my skills."

Boeckman was all-Big Ten as a junior before being replaced as the OSU starter during his senior season by Terrelle Pryor.

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