Bengals defensive end Bernard Whittington was in Indianapolis last week at his house, which is just around the corner from the Colts' training complex. He was thinking about stopping by to visit his former teammates but figured he'd see them soon. As in Thursday night.

        Whittington spent his first seven years in the NFL with the Colts. The Bengals signed the unrestricted free agent in July.

        “That's just life,” he said. “You have changes. This is my first time moving to another team. You feel kind of weird. My first couple days of training camp, I felt like a rookie all over again, not knowing anybody, and I didn't know the defenses. But once you get settled in, it's a job.”

        The former Indiana University standout stays in touch with some of the Colts, especially those on the defensive line.

        “It will be strange, but I'm really excited to see my friends, some of the coaches, and I've got a lot of friends in the front office, as well, but it will also be exciting to play against them,” he said.

        Whittington was part of the Colts' resurgence. He was there in 1997 and '98 when Indy went 3-13. He was there when they went 13-3 in '99 and when they missed the Super Bowl by one play in '95.

        “Everybody wants to win ballgames,” he said. “I think the thing with the Bengals is, we have talent here; it's just believing you can win.

        “When you get to this level, everybody's pretty much physical. It's just the mental game, saying, "Am I going out there and playing to lose or to win?' That's what I have learned over the years. I just try to bring hard work and do my job wherever they put me and keep my mouth closed. I've been playing eight years; I know what it takes to win. It's not a huge science. It takes preparation, hard work and practice.”

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