CINCINNATI -- John Ross imitated Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis. Jake Elliott created a throwback Instagram of embarrassing photos, and Ryan Glasgow badly butchered the national anthem.
"They had the idea that they should start off with the national anthem,"Elliott said. "It didn't go so well."
Added Ross: "I don't think it went as planned, but it was definitely fun."
It's the middle of training camp, which meant the annual rookie talent show on Tuesday.
For most of the rookies at least. Third-round pick Jordan Willis, who is somewhat of an introvert and doesn't talk much, sat it out.
"The guys gave me some flack about it, but I just don't have much charisma to be doing something like that," Willis said with a shrug.
Ross emceed the show while in character as Lewis.
"I've been trying to pick up on coach and his mannerisms all week since I've been here," he said. "He's someone very hard to get down because he changes every day with the way he walks, the way he talks, the way he laughs. It's kind of hard. You really have to shadow him all day, which I don't get a chance to.
"I really wanted to get the walk down and some of the things that he says. I think some of the players last night caught some of the words that he says I lot. It was pretty fun."
Lewis gave the performance a passing grade.
“The discipline part of his presentation was very good, to quiet the crowd," Lewis said, laughing. "It's very impressive, actually. (He said), 'I got this coach, don't worry.'"
Other highlights of the show:
Mason Schreck created fake text conversation between Vontaze Burfict and Marvin Lewis, showing first what the two really wanted to say, then what they really said.
Joe Mixon put on the family reunion skit from the TV show "Wild N Out" that made fun of various teammates. "We closed out pretty good and didn't get booed. I think we got booed once," Ross said of the overall performance.
