Rookie Nick Vigil figures it was 48 hours before his NFL debut when Bengals linebackers coach Jim Haslett told him he’d be playing “a little,” middle linebacker against the Vikings last Friday night.
One series turned into two. A couple of series turned into a quarter. A quarter turned into a quarter and a half. By the time it was over, Vigil had played the most snaps on the team with 46 that included his plays on special teams, at WILL backer, in nickel, and in the middle.
The only time he had played the middle was at rookie minicamp that first weekend in May, a week after the Bengals took him in the third round out of Utah State.