2011 HIGHLIGHTS: GENERAL: Played in 14 games (Games 1-6 and 9-16), with 13 starts, and started Wild Card playoff ... Contributed to pass protection effort that ranked tied for fourth in NFL in fewest sacks allowed (25).
2011 GAME-BY-GAME: On Sept. 11 at Cleveland, led team in catches (six) and receiving yards (58), and displayed great hands on a two-yard TD reception from Andy Dalton in first quarter ... Also at Cleveland, aided blocking effort that helped produce Cedric Benson’s 121-yard rushing performance … Two catches for eight yards Sept. 18 at Denver … Logged four catches for 51 yards Sept. 25 vs. San Francisco … Tied for team lead in catches (four) and second in receiving yards (70) Oct. 2 vs. Buffalo, including a 17-yard TD and a key 25-yard catch late on Bengals game-tying fourth-quarter TD drive … Also vs. Buffalo, supported run-blocking effort that paved way for Benson’s 19-for-104 rushing performance … On Oct. 9 at Jacksonville, caught five passes (tied for team lead) for 21 yards, including a three-yard TD in the second quarter, and on the game-deciding fourth-quarter drive, he caught a nine-yard pass to the Jaguars 10 on fourth-and-six ... Four-for-23 receiving Oct. 16 vs. Indianapolis … Also vs. Indianapolis, supported pass-protection effort that held Colts for the first time this season without a sack ... … On Nov. 13 vs. Pittsburgh, in return to action after missing last two games with hamstring injury, had four catches for 23 yards, including a one-yard TD in the third quarter that tied the score at 17-17 … … Three-for-48 receiving Nov. 20 at Baltimore, and helped lead blocking effort for 483 yards of net offense … On Nov. 27 vs. Cleveland, led team in receptions (five) and second in receiving yards (68), including a leaping 22-yard TD grab in the third quarter ... Also vs. Cleveland, helped lead protection effort for 389 yards of total offense, including 106 rushing yards by Benson … Three-for-37 receiving Dec. 4 at Pittsburgh … Three catches for 45 yards Dec. 11 vs. Houston … Three catches for 16 yards Dec. 18 at St. Louis ... On Dec. 24 vs. Arizona, led team in receiving yards (56), tied for team lead in catches (five) and had 11-yard TD catch in first quarter to make score 10-0 ... On Jan. 1 vs. Baltimore, led team in receiving yards (72) and tied for team lead in receptions (five) ... Caught five-for-46 in Wild Card playoff 1-7-12 at Houston.
Gresham has been Bengals No. 1 TE from onset of his career, and in 2011 he improved his numbers from a fine rookie season ... Finished as a third alternate in Pro Bowl voting, and was named to AFC squad as a replacement for New England’s Rob Gronkowski ... Despite missing two games to a hamstring injury, he was second on team in receptions (56), topping a 2010 total of 52 that tied for AFC rookie lead ... Tied for second on team in TDs (six), one behind A.J. Green ... Gresham’s 596 receiving yards ranked third on team and bettered his rookie total of 471 ... Athletic 260-pounder who has all the tools and attitude to continue development into a top blocker.
2011 HIGHLIGHTS: GENERAL: Played in 14 games (Games 1-6 and 9-16), with 13 starts, and started Wild Card playoff ... Contributed to pass protection effort that ranked tied for fourth in NFL in fewest sacks allowed (25).
2011 GAME-BY-GAME: On Sept. 11 at Cleveland, led team in catches (six) and receiving yards (58), and displayed great hands on a two-yard TD reception from Andy Dalton in first quarter ... Also at Cleveland, aided blocking effort that helped produce Cedric Benson’s 121-yard rushing performance … Two catches for eight yards Sept. 18 at Denver … Logged four catches for 51 yards Sept. 25 vs. San Francisco … Tied for team lead in catches (four) and second in receiving yards (70) Oct. 2 vs. Buffalo, including a 17-yard TD and a key 25-yard catch late on Bengals game-tying fourth-quarter TD drive … Also vs. Buffalo, supported run-blocking effort that paved way for Benson’s 19-for-104 rushing performance … On Oct. 9 at Jacksonville, caught five passes (tied for team lead) for 21 yards, including a three-yard TD in the second quarter, and on the game-deciding fourth-quarter drive, he caught a nine-yard pass to the Jaguars 10 on fourth-and-six ... Four-for-23 receiving Oct. 16 vs. Indianapolis … Also vs. Indianapolis, supported pass-protection effort that held Colts for the first time this season without a sack ... … On Nov. 13 vs. Pittsburgh, in return to action after missing last two games with hamstring injury, had four catches for 23 yards, including a one-yard TD in the third quarter that tied the score at 17-17 … … Three-for-48 receiving Nov. 20 at Baltimore, and helped lead blocking effort for 483 yards of net offense … On Nov. 27 vs. Cleveland, led team in receptions (five) and second in receiving yards (68), including a leaping 22-yard TD grab in the third quarter ... Also vs. Cleveland, helped lead protection effort for 389 yards of total offense, including 106 rushing yards by Benson … Three-for-37 receiving Dec. 4 at Pittsburgh … Three catches for 45 yards Dec. 11 vs. Houston … Three catches for 16 yards Dec. 18 at St. Louis ... On Dec. 24 vs. Arizona, led team in receiving yards (56), tied for team lead in catches (five) and had 11-yard TD catch in first quarter to make score 10-0 ... On Jan. 1 vs. Baltimore, led team in receiving yards (72) and tied for team lead in receptions (five) ... Caught five-for-46 in Wild Card playoff 1-7-12 at Houston.
PREVIOUS SEASONS: 2010 - Played in Games 1-15 … Credited officially with only 10 starts, but was in No. 1 TE role for all games … Inactive for Game 16 due to knee strain ... Caught six-for-25 in NFL debut Sept. 12 at New England, including one-yard TD pass from Carson Palmer in third quarter … In win Sept. 26 at Carolina, led team in receiving yards (59, on four catches), with 27-yard gain on one Bengals TD drive and 17-yarder on another TD drive … Caught four-for-24 Oct. 10 vs. Tampa Bay, and his one-yard TD catch put Bengals in lead early in fourth quarter … Had personal season bests of nine catches and 85 yards, with 19-yard TD, on Nov. 14 at Indianapolis … Had prodigious fourth quarter in Colts game, with all nine of his catches in the period, but he fumbled (lost) after the final catch … Caught three-for-43, plus two-point conversion reception Dec. 5 vs. New Orleans … Failed to dent receiving column for first time Dec. 12 at Pittsburgh, seeing limited action after missing the entire practice week due to a death in the family … Caught four-for-56 on Dec. 26 vs. San Diego, including three-yard TD on third-and-goal in first quarter, making the catch despite pass interference by Chargers.
GRESHAM’S RANKINGS ROUNDUP: Gresham’s rookie receiving totals were notable in a number of respects:
» His 52 catches tied teammate Jordan Shipley for the AFC rookie lead and tied for third among NFL rookies. He and Shipley were the first Bengals to win or share the AFC rookie receptions title since Carl Pickens in 1992.
» His catch total was a record for a Bengals rookie TE, breaking the mark of 44 set by Tony McGee in 1995.
» He and Shipley tied for most catches by any Bengals rookie since 1985, when WR Eddie Brown caught 53.
» His 471 receiving yards were the most by any Bengals TE since 1995, when Tony McGee had 754.
» His four TD catches tied for the most by any Bengals TE since 1997, when Tony McGee had six.
» His TD catch total was the most ever by a Bengals rookie playing strictly TE.
COLLEGE: Played in all 42 Oklahoma games from 2006-08, helping team to 34-8 record, with two Fiesta Bowls and one berth in BCS Championship game … Did not play in 2009, due to knee injury suffered in preseason practice … Declined an option to return to OU for 2010 … In his three seasons, totaled 111 receptions for 1629 yards (14.7 avg.), and his 26 TDs ranked second in Big 12 history for tight ends … Earned first-team All-America honors from The Sporting News in 2008, when he set school records for TEs in TDs (14) and receiving yards (950) … Scored 25 TDs in his last 28 games.
PERSONAL: Hometown is Ardmore, Okla. … Attended Ardmore High School, where as a senior he was rated top TE prospect in the nation by PrepStar and Rivals.com … Also a basketball standout in high school … Majored at Oklahoma in multidisciplinary studies.
