CINCINNATI -- In the middle of Tuesday's joint practice with the New York Giants, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton showed a glimpse of the fiery personality his offensive coordinator has repeatedly said exists.
"We can't have that!" Dalton shouted loudly after a bad exchange with center Russell Bodine. "The snap is the first thing we got to put away."
Two plays later, after Bodine sailed another snap wide of Dalton's chest-high hands in a shotgun formation, the quarterback barked out his center's first name: "Russell!"
"Trust me, he's pissed off about it," Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson told ESPN after practice. "It unsettles an offensive unit. If you don't think you can get the snap, that's a problem. We have to get that addressed and we've got to do it better. Obviously I haven't gotten it solved."
Bad snaps were an issue for Bodine and Dalton last training camp. Balls were sent at Dalton's feet with him both under center and in shotgun formations. Others screamed over the signal-caller's head. Others were too far to the left or right of him.
As bad as those exchanges were, though, the Bengals were in a position to give Bodine more of a pass than they are now. Back then, he was a rookie, learning how to put the ball in Dalton's hands for the first time.
But after going through the 2014 regular season and having no real snapping issues, Bodine gave every impression that he was beyond the miscues that defined his first training camp. That's why it's puzzling that they have started to return.
"We'll fix it," Jackson said. "There's a lot of ways to fix it."
Does that include making a change at the center position?
"It will get fixed," Jackson answered.
It was following Bodine's second misdirected snap in a four-play sequence that opened 11-on-11 drills with the visiting Giants that Jackson did yank his starter. Bodine was replaced by backup T.J. Johnson to finish the drill. Bodine eventually returned to his starter's duties later in the practice.
Jackson said he wasn't sure if Bodine's problems were mental or physical. He said he'd work to figure out how things need to be fixed, and that Dalton would help him.
"I'm tired of watching it. I'm tired of seeing it," Jackson said. "That's the single fundamental thing we have to do if nothing else; is to get the snap from the center.
"I'm glad it's happening now and it's not a regular-season game. We have time to get it worked out and we will get it worked out."
The Bengals open the preseason against the Giants on Friday.