By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Bengals fans will have five chances to get player autographs in designated sessions at the team's training camp.

The Bengals released the fan schedule Tuesday for training camp at Georgetown College near Lexington. Players report July 30 and will practice for the first time the next day.

Camp will break Aug. 25.

Autograph sessions for fans will be Aug. 4, 6, 7, 11 and 18. Dates and times are subject to change. Players and coaches also sign many autographs on normal days.

Following the popular model of 2003, the team will hold its intrasquad scrimmage from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 6. An autograph session will follow.

The Black-Orange Mock Game will be Saturday, Aug. 7, from 1-2:30 p.m. An autograph session again will follow.

TWO ROSTER MOVES: The team signed free agent tight end Chad Hayes to a two-year contract. Hayes, who played college ball at Maine, was with Tennessee in training camp in 2003 and caught five passes in the preseason before being released Aug. 30.

Hayes, 25, recently completed a season in NFL Europe, where he caught 12 passes for 156 yards and three touchdowns for Frankfurt. He had two receptions in the World Bowl on Saturday.

Hayes practiced Tuesday in the Bengals' on-field coaching session.

The Bengals waived Justin Sands, a first-year offensive tackle from Kansas who played this past season in Europe for the Scottish Claymores.

SKIP'S BACK: Tailback Skip Hicks practiced Tuesday after playing in the World Bowl on Saturday for Frankfurt.

"It's great to be back," Hicks, wearing No. 38, said after practice. "You can't believe how much we take for granted in this country."

Hicks noted that even in a developed country such as Germany, people generally have very modest homes, pay more for goods and services and are taxed at a higher rate than in the United States.

SOLD OUT: The Bengals have exhausted ticket packages for the Miami (Sept. 19) and Dallas (Nov. 7) games. It is the second two-game package to sell out, joining the Baltimore-Denver set.

These two sets made up the team's first four home games, and tickets for those four games are now available only through the purchase of season tickets.

BIG PLAY: A 67-yard touchdown pass from Carson Palmer to Chad Johnson was the attention-getter Tuesday.

Palmer, a second-year quarterback, froze the defense with a pump-fake, and Johnson outran the secondary to grab the ball in stride. Offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski and wide receivers coach Hue Jackson pumped their fists and slapped hands in celebration.

FIELD UPDATE: A crew has covered 100 yards of the playing field and the sidelines of Paul Brown Stadium with the new FieldTurf surface. Installation continued Tuesday on the end zones.

REMODELED: The hallway adjacent to the Bengals' weight room at Paul Brown Stadium has a decidedly new look. In addition to lettering spelling "Cincinnati Bengals" and orange paint at the entrance, the Bengals have added floor-to-ceiling portraits of franchise greats Anthony Munoz and James Brooks and three words - "determination," "discipline" and "dedication" - to the hallway.

THIS AND THAT: Outside linebacker Kevin Hardy is getting work as a down lineman at left end in an attempt to improve the pass rush. ... Defensive end Carl Powell is being used at defensive tackle. ... Most of the team's 11 rookie draft picks are not expected to sign contracts until the second half of July.

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E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

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