Jungletiger

Smash and dash Geoff Hobson Editor Bengals.com You know your offense is morphing into a physical presence when the offensive line coach comes out of the game raving about a block from the three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver. Rookie center Russell Bodine ® has the physical mindset fitting Hue Jackson's offense. You know your offense is morphing into a physical presence when the offensive line coach comes out of the game raving about a block from the three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver. It happened on the play just before Andy Dalton threaded a 46-yard touchdown on a post to wide receiver Mohamed Sanu to start the scoring in last Saturday’s preseason game against the Jets at Paul Brown Stadium. Running back Giovani Bernard scooted around right end for what would have been an obscure three-yard gain buried in the play-by-play except for what happened at the end of it. “The most inspiring play of the game was A.J. Green getting one of the best blocks I’ve ever seen,” said Paul Alexander. “He kept pushing his guy into the sideline and almost right on Coach (Marvin) Lewis.” Lewis avoided the body of the Jets’ Antonio Allen, a 6-1, 210-pound safety and former college linebacker that couldn’t solve the tenacity of the 6-4, 210-pound Green. But Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson made sure his players saw it Monday morning. “We’re going to celebrate physicality and toughness because that’s the way the game is meant to be played,” Jackson said after Monday’s practice. “When A.J. is doing it, everybody can do it. It’s just not Andrew Whitworth orAndre Smith or (Kevin) Zeitler or (Clint) Boling.” Jackson has been talking about being physical since he became the coordinator back in January and what still sticks in his craw from last season when he was the Bengals running backs coach is how the short-yardage failures became long-term problems. In 2012, the Bengals were third in the NFL in first down success rate on rushing attempts on third and one. They were nearly 81 percent on 21 of 26. But they were 25th last year on 11 for 19, or just below 60 percent. “It’s no different,’ Jackson said, “than a turnover.” When the Jets dropped Bernard for a two-yard loss on third-and-one on the edge of the New York red zone early in the second quarter, Jackson was livid. Yes, the Jets changed up their look and the Bengals had a missed call, so no one got blown up physically. http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Smash-and-dash/df1989e0-ccea-4188-bec1-964ed665fe41

AFC North preview: Consistency at QB could decide a deep division Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images by Chris Burke Posted: Fri Aug. 15, 2014 How's this for parity: Over the past nine seasons, the Bengals, Ravens and Stealers have captured three AFC North titles apiece. Pittsburgh has won a pair of Super Bowls and Baltimore another in that stretch, as well. There may be better divisions in football, but few are as hard-fought year-in and year-out as this one. The North has a chance to be an even tougher gantlet in 2014 and beyond, should the rebuilding Browns finally close the gap on the three contenders accustomed to finishing ahead of them. While most of the focus in the AFC has fallen on the defending conference champion Broncos and the powerhouse Patriots, the North could be where the real action is. http://www.si.com/nfl/2014/08/14/afc-north-preview-steelers-browns-bengals-ravens

Tyler Eifert, Jamie Collins among sophomores poised for a '14 breakout Photo: Peter Aiken/Getty Imagesby Chris Burke Posted: Thu Aug. 14, 2014"Now that it's my second year in the league, I actually get it," said Chargers offensive tackle D.J. Fluker, a 15-game starter in 2013 after he was selected No. 11 overall in the draft. "Being a rookie was awesome, but now I really understand everything. Things are slowing down, and I'm even more confident. I understand the concepts better." While some first-year arrivals do manage to take the NFL by storm -- Sheldon Richardson, Eddie Lacy and Eric Reid were among those who did so last year -- many young players need far more time to acclimate themselves. By Year 2, at least in most cases, the training wheels are off. In turn, expectations are raised. Fluker believes he will take a step forward in 2014. Which 10 fellow second-year players could join him? Tyler Eifert, TE, Bengals Cincinnati never quite figured out how to maximize Eifert last season -- he saw less than five targets in 11 of his 16 games, including a wild-card loss to San Diego in which he was hampered by a neck injury. The Bengals are banking on an across-the-board improvement from Eifert (he had just 39 catches, 445 yards, two touchdowns in his rookie season), and that was true even before starting wide receiver Marvin Jones suffered a broken foot recently. With Jones likely to miss several weeks, Eifert could see more snaps in the slot, on top of the planned increase in two tight end sets. Eifert may benefit, too, from Hue Jackson's arrival as offensive coordinator. His predecessor, new Washington head coach Jay Gruden, did coax 166 receptions out of Jermaine Gresham over three seasons but was not as successful at finding space for the more agile Eifert. http://www.si.com/nfl/2014/08/14/breakout-players-tyler-eifert-jamie-collins

Bengals' Bernard 88th in player rankingsAugust, 19, 2014Aug 193:30PM ETBy Coley Harvey | ESPN.com CINCINNATI -- Earlier this summer, many of the people behind ESPN's NFL coverage sat down and ranked the best current players in the league. It was all for ESPN.com's #NFLRank series, which debuted Monday with player rankings 100-91. Offensive players and defensive players were separated, meaning the rankings cover the top 100 players on offense and the top 100 on defense. On Tuesday, the countdown reached players 90-81. Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth made it on Monday's reveal, landing at No. 92 among offensive players. Running back Giovani Bernard was part of Tuesday's rankings, coming in at No. 88. http://espn.go.com/blog/cincinnati-bengals/post/_/id/10196/bengals-giovani-bernard-nfl-nflrank-player-rankings-88

Bold NFL Predictions for 2014: Cowboys will make the playoffs By John Breech | CBSSports.comAugust 19, 2014 4:27 am ET Are the Cowboys going to ride Jerry Jones' party bus to the playoffs? Will the Titans end a playoff drought that dates back to 2008? Will Andy Dalton win an NFL playoff game for the first time in his life? Will I keep asking questions or will one of these sentences eventually end with a period? It's time to answer all of those questions with some bold predictions. Five bold predictions for the 2014 NFL season 1. Andy Dalton wins his first playoff game -- In three seasons, Andy Dalton has proven that getting the Bengals to the playoffs is easy. The hard part for Dalton is actually winning a game once he gets there. Dalton might have put on a choke show in Cincinnati's 27-10 loss to the Chargers last season, but at least the Bengals didn't lose 41-0 or 24-2. Why did I bring up those scores? Because 41-0 is how bad Peyton Manning lost when his career playoff record dropped to 0-3 and 24-2 is how bad Matt Ryan lost when his career playoff record dropped to 0-3. After both of those games, both quarterbacks spent an entire offseason being asked if they'd ever win a playoff game. In 2003, Manning was dealing with the same criticisms Dalton is dealing with now. That's not to say Manning and Dalton are the same quarterback, because they're not. Dalton's never been in a rap video with Eli and Peyton doesn't have red hair, but Dalton's career is similar to Manning's when it comes to failure in the first three playoff games. Both quarterbacks were horrible. When Manning finally did win a postseason game, it came on a night where he only threw 26 passes, a number that's still tied for a career playoff low. The Bengals have a new offensive coordinator in Hue Jackson who understands that sometimes less is more. If the Bengals make the playoffs this year, I don't expect to see 41 pass attempts from Dalton -- the number that he's averaged in his three playoff losses -- but I do expect to see a win. Fan tweet: I hope Andy Dalton has home insurance. You know, just in case the Bengals lose. http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/24667448/bold-nfl-predictions-for-2014-cowboys-will-make-the-playoffs

Bengals say rookie Russell Bodine opening day starter Bengals BlogPaul Dehner Jr., Cincinnati 5:13 p.m. EDT August 18, 2014(Photo: Jeff Swinger The Cincinnati Enquirer) Bengals offensive line coach Paul Alexander on Monday basically named rookie Russell Bodine as the team's starting center for the regular-season opener Sept. 7 in Baltimore. Bodine, a fourth-round pick, has worked with the first team since training camp began and started each of the first two preseason games. Alexander was asked specifically that if the regular season started this week if he felt confident that Bodine was ready to play. "It doesn't matter how I feel, it's what's going to be," said Alexander. "That kid has so much talent; he's loaded with talent. He has a tough physical demeanor and he can block the big nose guards in our division. He's exactly the type of player we've been looking for." Alexander said he has no plans to get either possible backup – Mike Pollak or Trevor Robinson – snaps with the first team. "Right now it's full speed ahead with Bodine," said Alexander. Right tackle Andre Smith also practiced with the first team on Monday, according to Alexander, after not playing in either of the first two preseason games and returning to practice on a limited basis last week after missing time due to the NFL's concussion protocol. Alexander said he was unsure if Smith would play in Sunday's preseason game in Arizona. "We'll have to see how this week goes," he said. "(It was a step in right direction Monday), but they didn't have pads." http://www.cincinnati.com/story/blogs/2014/08/18/bengals-say-rookie-russell-bodine-opening-day-starter/14253955/

Depends, on which side of AD shows up to QB and if our D stays healthy. The Andy situation is self explanatory, the D... our first string is stellar, after that... well I don't want to see after that. I saw you guys seem to be very positive on what you've seen in the latest games, should be a good game.

Glad to be back every season

CINCINNATI -- Mohamed Sanu had just changed direction on his route and started running at an angle toward the goal posts when his quarterback, Andy Dalton, let go of the pass. As Sanu sprinted past the cornerback defending him and tried to maintain separation from the closing safety, he looked to the sky. What the Cincinnati Bengals receiver saw made his eyes get big. "I was just like, 'Gosh, what a ball,'" Sanu said, adding a giddy, school-girl laugh. A catch, two steps and a touchdown dance later, Sanu helped preserve Dalton's perfect passing line at the start of Saturday's 25-17 loss to the Jets. By the time his night was over, Dalton added another Sanu pass and six more to Bengals receivers to finish 8-for-8 with 144 yards, one touchdown and a 158.3 passer rating. Those statistics, combined with his numbers from the preseason opener at Kansas City the week before, make him 11-for-13 with 215 passing yards and a 144.4 passer rating in limited action through the two games. http://espn.go.com/blog/cincinnati-bengals/post/_/id/10111/bengals-andy-dalton-mohamed-sanu-efficient-strides EDIT: It's sad that this is a story....

he third day of the draft came and went on May 10th. Stanford graduate Ryan Hewitt watched and waited, only the fullback never heard his name called. Disappointing, to be sure, but in an NFL bloated with spread offenses, drafting a fullback lists only slightly more en vogue than the Macarena. With about one week out to the draft, Hewitt researched teams he thought would make a nice fit for his skill set in case he wasn't selected. "Cincinnati was definitely on that list," he said. Even in an ideal scenario at the moment he signed with the Bengals, Hewitt would have struggled to imagine he'd land where he does as camp broke Thursday. He's running with the first team as a fullback and in prime position to make the team in the hybrid H-back spot. No sense claiming he saw this coming. "Yeah, it absolutely is a surprise," Hewitt said, "but something I am very thankful for and I'm working to keep that job." http://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/nfl/bengals/2014/08/14/bengals-hit-hybrid-sweet-spot-ryan-hewitt/14085643/

CINCINNATI -- It was a simple message. "Let's go." When Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson met with receiver Mohamed Sanu in the days after the team first learned it would be without Marvin Jones, those were the only two words he said to the young player. Sanu, once the No. 3 receiver on the roster, knew exactly what they meant. With Jones injured until October and out of the receiving rotation, Sanu's time had come to attempt to be the best pass-catcher on the team. Mohamed Sanu #12 WR Cincinnati Bengals2013 STATS Rec 47Yds 455TD 2Avg 9.7Long 32YAC 253The best? Yes. "I get surprised where people reacted after I made the statement I wanted Marvin to surpass A.J. [Green] a while ago, but it's because they all need to compete," Jackson said. "I wanted Sanu to surpass Marvin, too." Jackson's philosophy: Keep the pressure high on his top skill players and they'll compete better than they did before. He doesn't just say "no one's job is safe." He actually believes it. http://espn.go.com/blog/cincinnati-bengals/post/_/id/10043/cincinnati-bengals-message-to-mohamed-sanu-is-simple-lets-go

I want to curse about the quitter.... but saying that expresses my feelings on him enough. Preseason or not I hope they blow out Arizona.

Football season is here! Which means I come sniffing around my purple friends, so whats new in the land of the Purple and Black!

Every season I come here, someone always manages to entertain me. Never change Crav!

http://deadspin.com/richard-sherman-breaks-up-pass-wins-game-goes-nuts-on-1504807735

Thats why #Whybadteamskeepgettingworse exists

Went up last night Ugh, the purple... just feels wrong....

True, right now everything is on wishes and hot air. Paul Guenther just got promoted to DC, he is staying.... As mentioned elsewhere, now we will see how Marvin copes... while I like Marvin, especially his draft ability, this is going to be a test. Losing Jay was a small loss. Zim is really gonna push it for him. ML maybe looking at a limited time frame now.

I can respect that.

First Hue now another internal elevation Ian Rapoport ‏@RapSheet 38m Paul Guenther, who had interest from #Vikings and #Redskins, has been elevated to defensive coordinator for the #Bengals. Things should remain fairly par for course is the hope.

meh its not like hes still in the div plus hes in the NFC, so meh. As long as the Bengals beat them.

le sigh, Im happy for Zim sad he is gone. I have been preparing for this day for awhile.... gonna go get me a Vik hat in support.