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West Carrollton High senior linebacker/wide receiver Bryan Jones and his father are big Cincinnati Bengals fans. Inside their house, they have a "man cave" of Bengals paraphernalia. Jones will have a few items to add to the room this week. Jones is awaiting a box of items from Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, who told reporters Monday that he sent off the package to thank Jones for helping him out of a jam. Jones and Kirkpatrick had never met before Sunday, but as an avid Bengals fan, Jones already knew who Kirkpatrick was when the player approached him with an unusual request. "I already knew of him way before [Sunday], because I play defense, so I follow their defense a little more than the offense," Jones said. The Bengals were practicing at West Carrollton High in Dayton, Ohio, on Sunday afternoon when Kirkpatrick realized he'd forgotten to pack his cleats before he got on the bus. The high school football team happened to be in the adjacent gym around the same time the Bengals were set to practice. While Bengals coach Marvin Lewis was speaking to the high school team, Kirkpatrick walked around the gym looking for anyone with cleats similar in size. Jones realized he wore the same Nike cleats that Kirkpatrick used, only one size bigger, and offered them up. "It's kind of shocking -- you never want to think a player in the NFL would forget his cleats. You'd think they have extra around, but I guess everyone is human," Jones said. The Bengals equipment team initially told Jones they'd keep the cleats and send Jones new ones, but Kirkpatrick went a little further. Kirkpatrick signed the cleats and sent them back after practice, along with a signed pair of gloves that he wore that day. "It worked out pretty good. It was just a blessing that he was there and he had his cleats," Kirkpatrick said on Sunday. "I want to tell him I appreciate him."
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