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Everyone thinks that training camp ends when we check out of Georgetown, Ky., every year.

Technically it does. In reality, not much really changes at all.

Don't get me wrong, we're all glad to go home. I get to go to my own home, sleep in my own bed at night, and have all the amenities that make me comfortable. I can get caught up with my dogs Shadow and Storm and don't have to rely on other people to get my mail and look over my house. Being back home helps with all the small stuff. When we're at training camp in Georgetown, outside life really does go on hold for that few weeks.

As for the team though, we still have a pretty rigid schedule. We practice at our facility at the stadium and have all the same meetings, meals and preparation time that we had before. Returning to Cincinnati basically means we have gotten through the roughest stretch of the training camp. It definitely does not mean that you can let up as a player.

Coaches and everyone involved with the team are studying our play and practice habits just the same as they did a few weeks back. For the backups and the rookies, they need this time to gain playing time in the last two games of the preseason. A lot of cuts are made in the next few weeks, so impressing coaches and practicing with the same intensity is important.

For starters and veteran players, we know how crucial these last couple of weeks before the real season starts can be. We have big goals this year, so we can't settle for anything less that full effort from everybody.

Being back in Cincinnati means having the advantage of not living in a dorm room. It does not mean that training camp is over. Not at all.

There is still work to be done.