Bengals Related News & Notes

[stripesincarolina]

Any reason why the Bengals would have cut Geno under a "failed physical" designation? Does it get Geno anything to just not be cut without a designation?

Saw where Dehner had tweeted that out.

[Bengals1]

I'd also be curious what kind of diet will prevent you from blowing out your knee when your o-line gets blown up, but I'm not the nutritional expert that Ochocinco is.

Maybe the better diet would've enabled him to run from defensive lineman faster....

[Bengals1]

Field Yates (@FieldYates)
Several players have 5th day of the league year roster bonuses that became due today:
> Rams QB Matthew Stafford ($10M)
> Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson ($6M)
> Bengals DT DJ Reader ($5M)
> Colts C Ryan Kelly ($4.65M)
> Bills OT Daryl Williams ($3M)
> Bengals CB Trae Waynes ($2M)

[4256 Hits]

Field Yates (@FieldYates)
Several players have 5th day of the league year roster bonuses that became due today:
> Rams QB Matthew Stafford ($10M)
> Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson ($6M)
> Bengals DT DJ Reader ($5M)
> Colts C Ryan Kelly ($4.65M)
> Bills OT Daryl Williams ($3M)
> Bengals CB Trae Waynes ($2M)

Maybe those Bengals will actually earn their money this year.

[Bengals1]

BENGALS TALK 🗣 (@BengalsTalk)
#Bengals Re-Sign Punter Kevin Huber
https://t.co/fcHhTXFdlI

[MeatHeadbengal]

So far the off-season I think has gone pretty good, and it could go better with a few more signings but with that said NFL.com has put out their first power rankings for next season, so lets play a game (TOO High, Just right, To Low)


Baltimore 5th (To High) - Jackson is great on his feet but he's still not a very good passer and this I feel keeps them in the top 10 but not top 5.
Cleveland 7th (To Low) - They have made some very good moves this off-season and they also had the Chiefs on the ropes a bit, they just ran out of time I feel this Cleveland team will be there again next season if they can stay healthy.
Shitsburg 10th (WAY TO HIGH) - I don't think they've gotten better this off-season. I feel this team is a dumpster fire so far.
Bengals 30th (WAY TO LOW) - I know we're all biased here but if this team is healthy there's no reason Burrow and company don't go at least .500 this upcoming season if not better. We have THE BEST young QB in the league hands down, yes he's better then Herbutt with the Chargers.

What say you?

[Bengals1]

What say you?

I think you hit it pretty much right on the head.

[Jmble]

Nice piece in The Athletic from 2019 regarding new Bengal Safety Ricardo Allen.

He may be a backup on the field but he sounds like an Asset to the team.

From Jason Butt (No relation)

Ricardo Allen was bored.

Only about a month removed from surgery to repair a torn Achilles, there wasn’t much the Falcons’ starting free safety could do from a physical standpoint. With some unforeseen extra time on his hands, the cerebral defender took it upon himself to gather a good bit of film to study.

He took a look at split-safety coverages and defensive line play. He went through plenty of defensive film before mentally returning to square one.

He got bored again.

That’s when Allen decided to study offenses. In his estimation, he knows almost everything there is to know about defense. It was now time to see what it is like from the other perspective. He started breaking down former Falcons offensive coordinator and current 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan’s scheme. Allen then took it back further by studying Bill Walsh’s West Coast offense.

That’s when something started to click in his brain.

Allen came to an early conclusion of what he wants to do when his playing days end. He wants to become an offensive coordinator.

“After this, I know I want to pursue trying to be a coach,” Allen said. “Later on, it’s just a good transition. I want to try to be an offensive coordinator. I understand defense in and out. I understand exactly how to manipulate and make people do what I want them to do.”

Allen believes his knowledge of defensive football allows him the ability to exploit coverages. That’s not a common path many in football take once they’re done playing. Defenders who go into coaching typically stay on that side of the ball, and offensive players typically coach offense.

Allen, however, seems to have his mind made up. He has been walking around the Falcons’ facility telling folks he will coach offense when the time comes. He’s been reading Walsh’s books “Finding the Winning Edge” and “The Score Takes Care of Itself,” pointing out to anyone who will listen about the lineage that was created under the legendary coach’s leadership.

“He always tells me about that book, about how many coaches came from under (Walsh),” running back Devonta Freeman said. “He reads it all the time, tells me about it all the time. He has a passion for being a coach. It’s like he’s a coach already out there on the field. It’s going to be an easy transition for him.”

During organized team activities, when the defensive coaches were installing plays, Allen asked head coach Dan Quinn if he could sit in on some quarterback meetings. It was an odd request, and the first time a defensive player ever asked Quinn to do such a thing, the coach noted. But Quinn felt Allen’s request was coming from a desire to improve his overall understanding of the game.

Quinn, however, set some parameters for Allen. If he were to sit in, all he could do is listen. He wouldn’t ask questions and take time away from the quarterbacks.

“I think that goes toward his quest and his search for always wanting to improve,” Quinn said. “I think he wanted to have a better feeling of what the quarterbacks are looking at. That part’s not unusual — a guy going to any length to see what advantage I can get.”

Said Allen: “I’m trying to learn both sides. I want to be able to do it so I can have the same vocabulary and learn how to call it from the offensive side. It’ll be an easy transition when I’m done.”

It didn’t surprise Matt Ryan to see Allen join a quarterbacks meeting.

“I talk to Ricardo, and he hammers you with a million questions every day,” Ryan said. “I know he’s really looking to gain any advantage he can to be the best possible player he can. I appreciate that so much from him as a teammate.”

It appears the time spent learning some offensive strategy helped Allen during the Falcons’ two-day intrasquad scrimmage. Allen instinctively jumped a play for an interception on Ryan’s first pass attempt Sunday. Allen was noticeably vocal on Sunday and Monday, lining up his teammates in the best possible position to make plays.

For Allen, who missed 13 games due to his Achilles injury in 2018, he is also aware of his strengths and weaknesses as a player. That’s why he relies so much on the mental side of the game. For instance, if the defense has an unfavorable matchup against a top-tier receiver, it’s imperative for Allen to understand the offensive coordinator’s tendencies rather than trying to go toe-to-toe and lose.

In this respect, Allen sees football as a “chess game.”

“I know I can’t beat Julio (Jones) man to man, I can’t beat him one on one,” Allen said. “But if I can give myself a chance by just being around because I kind of got an understanding of what the offensive coordinator is teaching him? They can’t just switch their plays on the field. You don’t just get to switch it up. You’re a football player, you have to be accountable to your team. You gotta do what the coach is saying. So I’m going to find a way to beat you with that.”

Allen wants to flip that line of thinking in his next profession. Right now, he wants to take away what’s comfortable to an offensive coordinator. When he becomes a coach, Allen wants to attack the areas a defense can’t cover.

It’s certainly an interesting approach for a defensive player to take.

“He’s been on the defensive side, and he says, ‘I know defense like the back of my hand where I want to go attack it,’” said Jerome Henderson, the Falcons’ defensive passing game coordinator. “(Allen says), ‘I want to attack what people are doing. Because I played it, I know the issues and the stresses certain calls put you in.’”

Henderson said Allen is usually in the building before the sun rises and will watch film of just about anyone, whether it’s his own team, teams the Falcons play or teams that aren’t on this year’s schedule. Henderson said that in meetings, Allen is inquisitive, showing this side by routinely asking detailed questions.

Henderson also said it’s remarkable for a player like Allen to have his post-playing career mapped out to this sort of detail.

Allen is only 27 years old and entering his sixth NFL season. He has been able to participate full speed, albeit limited, in Atlanta’s padded practices thus far. With that in mind, his future coaching plans aren’t on the horizon any time soon.

But when the time comes, Ryan believes Allen will be able to make the transition from defensive standout to offensive play-caller.

“He’s got a great feel for what’s tough on defenses,” Ryan said. “He’s the kind of guy who will be a great coach when he’s done playing. But I’m telling you, he’s got a long way to go before he’s done playing. He’s a good player. He’s going to make a bunch of plays for us. That’s maybe 15 years down the road. He’s got a lot of playing to do before then.”

[Bengals1]

From PFT....

Linebacker Jordan Evans will be back for a fifth season in Cincinnati.

The Bengals announced on Sunday that Evans has re-signed with the team. It is a one-year deal for the 2017 sixth-round pick.


Evans has played in 60 games during his four seasons with the Bengals and made nine starts in his first two seasons, but he has primarily been a special teams player for the last two years. Evans has 122 tackles, 3.5 sacks, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery for his career.

The Bengals have not added any linebackers to the roster this offseason. Logan Wilson, Germaine Pratt, Akeem Davis-Gaither, and Logan Wilson return from last season. Josh Bynes, who played the most snaps of any linebacker, remains unsigned.

[Bengals1]

Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr)
Addition of the 17th game is official, and as widely reported, it will be 49ers at Bengals now on the schedule this year.