When the New Orleans Saints face the Cincinnati Bengals in a pair of practices today and an exhibition game Saturday night, safety Kevin Kaesviharn knows he can count on one thing. Kaesviharn, who signed with the Saints this spring after playing the last six seasons with the Bengals, figures to get an earful from fun-loving former teammate Chad Johnson. Kaesviharn could only chuckle Tuesday when asked if the loquacious Johnson, one of the NFLs premier wide receivers, might talk a little trash when they cross paths during the teams two joint practices today. Might? Kaesviharn said with a smile. No, thats a given. Thats what Kaesviharn and middle linebacker Brian Simmons, also a former Bengal who spent nine years with the team before joining the Saints during the offseason, have to look forward to the next few days. The two thought they would be going back to Cincinnati to play their old team in a preseason game in what amounted to a reunion. But the trip took on new meaning at least for Kaesviharn when Saints coach Sean Payton and Bengals coach Marvin Lewis agreed last week to hold two joint practices in advance of the game. Im excited to see some of my old buddies, old friends, teammates and just kind of see how theyre doing, Kaesviharn said. Its going to be easier for me than some of the other guys. Im familiar with the area and how things work, so theres not the anxiety other guys might feel. Simmons, the Bengals first-round draft pick and 17th overall selection in the 1998 draft, is looking at the trip a little differently. While hes looking forward to meeting with some old friends, the Bengals are another story. They dumped him in February, terminating his contract after he started 115 games during his nine-year career there. Yeah, its going to be a little weird going back, he said of the workouts at the Bengals training facility. But you just have to get some work out of it and take it for what it is. Its not going to be a big emotional thing for me, thats for sure. Im just going there to try and get better, and I take it as another day at work. Thats pretty much what it is. On the other hand, Simmons said he does remember the good times and the relationships he built with his former teammates. When he signed with the Saints in March, he scanned the roster and realized that hed never played with any of them before until Kaesviharn signed two weeks later. The thing about this game that you never forget, and the thing that you do miss, is your relationships with the other guys in the locker room, Simmons said. Thats the only thing I miss about it the friends that you make and the teammates you have over the years. But thats gone and Im a New Orleans Saint now. Thats who Im loyal to. Full Article
