The Cincinnati Bengals wrapped up their mandatory minicamp on Saturday and have some promising things to look forward to during training camp next month.

This was the last organized team event before the team reports to Georgetown.

If the minicamp was a blueprint of things to come for the Bengals, then the team is moving in a positive direction.

Day 1 of Bengals minicamp was described as a circus when flamboyant wide receiver Chad Johnson showed up for his first day of practice. I can assure you that this spectacle was nowhere near the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus that took place in the Philadelphia Eagles training camp a few years back with disgruntled wide receiver Terrell Owens.

I was there for the event and there is no comparison. The whole Chad thing was more like a sideshow — much like having a juggler and a clown on the sideline.

However, by the time Day 3 rolled around, the media frenzy had calmed down a bit, focusing less on Chad's attendance and more on his play on the field.

Johnson did his thing during practice and was his usual self, even being playful at times. He did nothing spectacular, but the corners still had trouble trying to cover the receiver.

I think the important thing to point out where Johnson is concerned is the positive interaction between him and quarterback Carson Palmer.

In between plays, I observed the two having deep conversation about plays when they misfired.

Chad always left these little meetings of the minds with a big grin on his face, as did Palmer. When they ran the play back, they executed more often than not.

This was very encouraging to see and a good sign that things are starting to come together with the team's star quarterback and wide receiver. There was no receiver dissin' the quarterback in Cincy a la T.O. and Donovan McNabb in Philly.

Running back Rudi Johnson looked like a Cadillac fresh off the showroom floor. He was very sleek, smooth and showed good speed.

Johnson is known as a physical runner that will plow you, but does have the subtle quickness to make a defender whiff on a play. He demonstrated that ability on one play when he put a little hop-step move on a would-be-tackler who was left grabbing nothing but air. Johnson showed off his quick-feet and a nifty spin move throughout practice.

If Johnson was a Caddy, then undrafted rookie James Johnson (Kansas State) had to be a 'Vette. The 5-foot-11, 205-pound running back showed good initial burst and exploded through the line of scrimmage with no hesitation, gaining huge chunks of yardage before ever being touched.

Johnson has good acceleration, outstanding sideline-to-sideline speed and can turn the corner on a dime. He took a handoff from Palmer on one play and sprinted to the outside, turned the corner, and went up the sideline untouched for a touchdown.

The Bengals may have themselves a find here, but must be careful should they decide to place him on the practice squad. Johnson wouldn't last long because he appears to have the 'IT' factor going on. He's very exciting to watch.

Bengals first-round draft choice, linebacker Keith Rivers appears to be worth his weight in gold. He was a disruptive force in the backfield and showed great range in pass coverage. Rivers plays with a lot of tenacity and is a student of the game. He had a good overall showing in minicamp.

It was the complete opposite for second-round pick wide receiver Jerome Simpson. Simpson struggled terribly on Saturday causing two Palmer interceptions by failing to complete his routes. The first interception was picked off and returned for a touchdown by cornerback Johnathan Joseph. The second pick took place in the endzone.

There were a few knocks on Simpson coming out of college and a couple stood out during practice.

One: Due to his outstanding leaping ability he tends to jump for passes when he doesn't need to.

Two: Harnessing his competitive nature and not getting frustrated when things get rough.

Simpson getting down on himself could have led to the second interception.

Simpson is no way ready to replace former Bengals Chris Henry as the No. 3 receiver. In fact, third-round pick Andre Caldwell might be ahead of him at this point.

Simpson will probably be more effective and better served on special-teams until he is developed. There is no question that he is experiencing some real growing pains early on. Where's Alan Thicke when you need him.

After practice was over safeties Marvin White and Chinedum Ndukwe marked off 45-yards like they use to do on the playground to see who's the fastest in an old fashion footrace. Chinedum got out of the gate first on White and ended up winning the race with White closing in quickly, finishing a split second behind him.