The official count of Bengals players attending Wednesday's voluntary veteran workout was 46, but team leader Takeo Spikes said he was not happy with the attendance.

        “There aren't a lot of guys here, like you want, but you work with what you have,” said Spikes, a fifth-year linebacker and defensive captain. “What's sad is seeing the guys who are already up here in the city, and they still don't come. That's lazy there.”

        Spikes declined to mention any missing teammates by name, but he clearly was sending a message: Be here.

        The Bengals held their fourth of 14 voluntary veteran workouts Wednesday. Workouts are scheduled to continue today and Friday.

        Such workouts are important.

        “I feel it's how you build a camaraderie and make it stronger,” Spikes said. “Any way you can get a head start on your opponent, you have to jump on it and run with it.”

        Spikes came up from his offseason home in Sandersville, Ga., for minicamp and workouts. Minicamp, held May3-6, was mandatory. The May workouts are not.

        Spikes said he would like to see management put more pressure on players to attend — even when the workouts are listed as voluntary.

        “The pressure has to come from somewhere. It's got to come from the top,” he said. “More coaches need to put more pressure on players to come. If you don't show up here and you show up at training camp, and you don't feel bad enough about not coming to these workouts, that's sad.

        “If (linebacker) Brian (Simmons) can take time coming from North Carolina and I can take time coming from Sandersville, man, and you can't drive 10 or 15 minutes away, something's wrong.”

        Attendance for voluntary workouts under coach Dick LeBeau is better than it was two or three years ago under former coach Bruce Coslet.

        LeBeau and Bengals president Mike Brown are attending NFL spring meetings this week in Houston, and LeBeau did not return a message left on his cell phone Wednesday.

Spikes criticizes Bengals missing workouts Scott healed, expected back Monday Bengals ticket packages on sale Monday

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