By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis expects 79 players to attend the team's third minicamp, which begins Monday at Paul Brown Stadium.

The team's previous two offseason minicamps were voluntary. This one is mandatory, and although it will be similar in structure with six practices spread over three days, Lewis does see a difference. Lewis, as a rookie head coach, was allowed two extra voluntary three-day minicamps.

"It really is the beginning of our season," he said of Monday's practices. "The on-field coaching sessions are over. Now we go to work to build the foundation of our team."

Voluntary on-field coaching sessions were held in three of the previous four weeks. But those sessions did not lack intensity.

During last Monday's session, Lewis did not like what he saw from his team. At one point, he stopped practice and gathered them back together. Then, later, upset with how a play had been run on both sides of the ball, Lewis yelled, "Learn what you do, or we're going to find somebody else."

Lewis has hinted that more personnel changes will be made.

The mandatory minicamp is closed to the public. There will be two practices Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Two more weeks of the offseason strength-and-conditioning program will follow before ending June 27.

The team is off until July 27, mandatory reporting date for training camp at Georgetown College near Lexington.

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E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

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