Cincinnati Bengals

Cedric Benson continues to cry to the media

I am a very tolerant Bengals fan. I was a huge fan of Chris Henry even though his troubles were well documented. However, I lose my fandom for a player when they continue to whine and really make no sense doing it. As is the case with Cedric Benson. Sure, he had some great times [...]

Bengals look like they’re moving on from Cedric Benson

According to Alex Marvez of FOXSports.com, it doesn’t look like the Cincinnati Bengals are in interested in re-signing running back Cedric Benson.
“We haven’t had any talks about a new deal, re-signing or anything like that to my knowledge,” Benson told Marvez and Ross Tucker on Sirius XM NFL Radio. “I’m not sure where things are laying up there in Cincinnati.”
Benson didn’t disappoint us when he decided to criticize the Bengals offense.
“I just think we didn’t stick with what the offense was built on,” Benson said Tuesday night. “Since I’ve been there the past four years we’ve ran the football to try and win games. Even when we had Carson (Palmer) and Chad (Ochocinco), we still kept a strong identity in the run game.
“I just feel we got away from it. We didn’t let that part of the offense grow the way it could have.”
Benson, who’s now 29 years old may have a hard time catching on with a team because of the problems he’s caused in the past. Running backs are a dime a dozen in the N…

Cedric Benson’s days numbered with Bengals

Unless the Cincinnati Bengals know something he doesnt, running back Cedric Benson will be playing elsewhere in 2012.

Benson has led the team in rushing for the past four seasons, including three consecutive campaigns of 1,000-plus yards. Cincinnati, though, has made no effort to re-sign Benson as he heads toward unrestricted free agency on March 13 when the NFL signing period begins.

We havent had any talks about a new deal, re-signing or anything like that to my knowledge, Benson told me and co-host Ross Tucker on Sirius XM NFL Radio. Im not sure where things are laying up there in Cincinnati.

If he has taken his final snap for the Bengals, Benson will be leaving on a down note. His role greatly diminished in Cincinnatis final three games as the Bengals relied more heavily on the Andy Dalton-led passing game. Cincinnati (9-7) reached the playoffs but dropped its final two contests, including a 31-10 first-round loss at Houston in which Benson only received seven carries.

I just think we didnt stick with what the offense was built on, Benson said Tuesday night. Since Ive been there the past four years weve ran the football to try and win games. Even when we had Carson (Palmer) and Chad (Ochocinco), we still kept a strong identity in the run game.

I just feel we got away from it. We didnt let that part of the offense grow the way it could have.

Benson didnt help his cause with ball-control issues. The normally sure-handed Benson fumbled five times, losing two, in December victories against St. Louis and Arizona.

It was a little bit of me trying to do too much and a little bit of it being a long season, said Benson, who hadnt previously fumbled since Week 16 of the 2010 campaign. The largest part of it was trying to make the most of the opportunities I was getting rather than letting the game come to me. I paid for it a little bit. Fortunately, we didnt lose any of those games so that was the sweet thing about it.

Benson, 29, knows his free-agent market value may be tempered by his checkered off-field history. Benson served a one-game suspension last season after being arrested during the offseason on misdemeanor assault charges for the second time in two years.

As tired as I am and my advisors and family of these types of things coming up, with each passing situation, its a learning experience, Benson said. Its definitely a life-changing experience.

Im not perfect. I dont go out seeking any trouble or try to put myself in a confrontational situation. I try my best to avoid them by all means. But life sometimes throws you curveballs. The best thing is to learn in the future and avoid them happening again.

The No. 4 overall pick in the 2005 draft by Chicago, Benson has rushed for 5,769 yards and 31 touchdowns in seven NFL seasons.

Benson’s Bengals days appear done

Unless the Cincinnati Bengals know something he doesn’t, running back Cedric Benson will be playing elsewhere in 2012.

“We haven’t had any talks about a new deal, re-signing or anything like that to my knowledge,” Benson told me and co-host Ross Tucker on Sirius XM NFL Radio. “I’m not sure where things are laying up there in Cincinnati.”

If he has taken his final snap for the Bengals, Benson will be leaving on a down note. His role greatly diminished in Cincinnati’s final three games as the Bengals relied more heavily on the Andy Dalton-led passing game. Cincinnati (9-7) reached the playoffs but dropped its final two contests, including a 31-10 first-round loss at Houston in which Benson only received seven carries.

“I just think we didn’t stick with what the offense was built on,” Benson said Tuesday night. “Since I’ve been there the past four years we’ve ran the football to try and win games. Even when we had Carson (Palmer) and Chad (Ochocinco), we still kept a strong identity in the run game.

“I just feel we got away from it. We didn’t let that part of the offense grow the way it could have.”

Benson didn’t help his cause with ball-control issues. The normally sure-handed Benson fumbled five times, losing two, in December victories against St. Louis and Arizona.

“It was a little bit of me trying to do too much and a little bit of it being a long season,” said Benson, who hadn’t previously fumbled since Week 16 of the 2010 campaign. “The largest part of it was trying to make the most of the opportunities I was getting rather than letting the game come to me. I paid for it a little bit. Fortunately, we didn’t lose any of those games so that was the sweet thing about it.”

“As tired as I am and my advisors and family of these types of things coming up, with each passing situation, it’s a learning experience,” Benson said. “It’s definitely a life-changing experience.

“I’m not perfect. I don’t go out seeking any trouble or try to put myself in a confrontational situation. I try my best to avoid them by all means. But life sometimes throws you curveballs. The best thing is to learn in the future and avoid them happening again.”

The No. 4 overall pick in the 2005 draft by Chicago, Benson has rushed for 5,769 yards and 31 touchdowns in seven NFL seasons.

RB Benson still waiting to hear from Bengals

Running back Cedric Benson said he he not heard from the Cincinnati Bengals about possibly re-signing with the team.
Benson had his third straight 1,000-yard season with the Bengals but also was held under 64 yards in nine of 14 games.
The 29-year-old Benson has averaged fewer than 4.0 yards per carry in four of his last five seasons.
He has been a workhorse for Cincinnati, averaging just under 300 carries in his three seasons

Bengals’ Benson criticizes OC Jay Gruden

Realizing his career with the Bengals may indeed be a wrap, Cedric Benson — again — took the time out to air his displeasure with the organization.
In a radio interview Tuesday, Benson, a free agent, revealed that the Bengals have yet to contact him, and isn’t sure where this situation is headed.
“I’m not sure. We haven’t had any talks about a new deal,” he said.
Afterward, the veteran running back wasn’t so succinct regarding the next topic — offensive coordinator Jay Gruden. Benson went on to criticize the offense (basically, Gruden) for lacking an identity, which apparently last existed in a galaxy far, far away.
“We had a chance to establish an identity and we kind of got in our rhythm at times and there were times that were tough,” said Benson about the past season. “You can look at the statistics. We didn’t stick on what the offense was built on. When we had Carson and Chad we kept a strong identity in the run game and we kind of got away from it and didn’t let that part …

Benson: No talks with Bengals so far

With less than three weeks until the start of free agency, Cedric Benson has not heard from the Bengals about re-signing.
Said Benson on Sirius NFL Radio’s Late Hits program about where things stand: “I’m not sure. We haven’t had any talks about a new deal.”
Benson has rushed for over 1,000 yards the past three seasons but the running game has struggled. Late last season, Benson had five fumbles in wins over the Rams and Cardinals and saw just 20 carries for 71 yards in losses to the Ravens and Texans.
“We had a chance to establish an identity and we kind of got in our rhythm at times and there were times that were tough,” said Benson about the past season. “You can look at the statistics. We didn’t stick on what the offense was built on. When we had Carson and Chad we kept a strong identity in the run game and we kind of got away from it and didn’t let that part of the offense grow and bit the bullet on it a little bit.…

Bengals WR Jerome Simpson Simpson in court; new status hearing set for March 1

Yesterday Bengals wide receiver Jerome Simpson appeared in Kenton Circuit Court over the allegations of marijuana was shipped to his home in Kentucky made its way through the legal system. In September a package of marijuana arrived at Simpson’s house in Crestview Hills house. The package contained 2.9 pounds of marijuana.
A plea agreement could not be reached according to Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Casey Burns. Another status hearing for the case has been set for March 1. Simpson pleaded not guilty in January to trafficking marijuana in excess of eight ounces. If Simpson is convicted then he could be sentenced to up to five years in prison. However, in Kenton County most first-time offenders don’t severe the full sentence.
Simpson was held and later freed on a $2,500 cash bond. But he didn’t speak with reporters after being released. Simpson’s attorney, Travis Burr has stated that the package wasn’t addressed to Simpson, but he didn’t provide the name of that…

Several potential free agents on Bengals D

The Bengals defense finished in the top 10 of all three major categories for the second time in three seasons, but there are plenty of question marks as the team approaches free agency.Some would say that the unit retained its most valuable asset, defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, when he was passed over for head coaching jobs in Miami and Tampa Bay, but when you look at the depth chart, there are still lots of concerns.Three starters — outside linebacker Manny Lawson, safety Reggie Nelson and defensive end Frostee Rucker — are unrestricted free agents as well as some valuable backups, including cornerbacks Adam “Pacman” Jones and Kelly Jennings, defensive end Jonathan Fanene, defensive tackle Pat Sims and linebacker Brandon Johnson. All of the aforementioned backups have had key starting roles throughout the past couple seasons.Of all the free agents, Nelson is the biggest priority. After acquiring the former first-round pick in a trade with Jacksonville in 2010, Nelson has developed into a solid starting safety and last year led the Bengals in interceptions with four. With former secondary coach Kevin Coyle now the defensive coordinator in Miami, it is possible that the Dolphins make a play for Nelson because of his familiarity with the 4-3 scheme Coyle wants to put in place there.As far as the top free-agent prospects, two of them are from the Titans – cornerback Cortland Finnegan and safety Michael Griffin. Former Raiders corner Stanford Routt is visiting on Friday and could be a good option as a No. 2 or 3 corner.With the need for another edge pass rusher, the Bengals could also target Jaguars defensive end Jeremy Mincey. The priority would be to re-sign Rucker, but if the Bengals were able to get both Mincey and Rucker, they could be in a position to release Robert Geathers, who has the longest tenure of any Bengals player currently on the roster.Of all the Bengals’ free agents, the biggest question mark is with Jones, who has had an injury plagued two seasons in Cincinnati. The team displayed tremendous patience in his rehabilitation from a neck injury, but he pleaded no contest to an incident outside a Cincinnati nightclub last July and had two incidents over the last three weeks of the season where he got in heated arguments with players and coaches.With Jones and Jennings being free agents and Leon Hall still on the mend from an Achilles injury that ended his season midway through last year, there are plenty of questions concerning the secondary. Besides Nate Clements, the only corners currently on the roster are Brandon Ghee, who was signed off the practice squad to fill Hall’s spot but played on special teams, and Rico Murray, who was with the team in 2009-10 but was released after Week 1 last season. He has been signed to the offseason roster.Sims and Johnson are the players most likely to leave because they would like to have starting jobs elsewhere.

Week In Review: Rey Maualuga’s Assault Fails To Bring Up Old Ghosts

Bengals starting middle linebacker Rey Maualuga pled not guilty to misdemeanor assault on Friday after the owner of a downtown bar named Luxe claimed that the linebacker punched him. Already with one strike against him in regards to the Personal Conduct Policy, Maualuga could face a multiple-game suspension. Cincinnati’s 2009 NFL Draft pick out of USC is entering the final year under contract and unless he shows significant improvement, we’re not exactly sure if this team will make an effort to extend Maualuga beyond his rookie deal.
It would seem that Cincinnati is playing to the tune of old ghosts, with eight off-the-field incidents that’s resulted in charges dating back to January 2010, the Tennessee Titans lead the league nine arrests. But eight teams have generated at least six incidents since then, hardly making Cincinnati exclusive to the demeaning caricatures from six years ago.
Sure the number is a little unsettling, but consider that Maualuga and Cedric Ben…

Commentary: Do The New Coach Hires Signal A Free Agency Opportunity?

The Cincinnati Bengals pulled a trick out of their hat that nobody saw coming yesterday, when they re-hired former Oakland Raiders Head Coach Hue Jackson to be their newest Assistant Coach. This was just a few days after the Bengals unexpectedly named Mark Carrier as the team’s defensive backs coach. Not only do these two coaches bring a level of respect and expertise to the Bengals, but they’ve also gained valuable connections throughout their year’s in the league.
Carrier made his hay with his decade-long career as a player, as well as the leader of the vaunted Ravens secondary and Jets defensive line, while Jackson has made quite a few friends with players from his days at USC and most recently with the Raiders. A lot of silver and black fans aren’t pleased at how the Jackson situation has played out, but the truth is that Jackson has a reputation as a “players coach”.
Do these two hires help the Bengals’ upcoming foray into free agen…

Ganassi team signs open wheel standout Larson

Earnhardt Ganassi Racing has signed 19-year-old racing standout Kyle Larson to a developmental contract, putting him on the path to a potential future in the Sprint Cup Series.

The Elk Grove, Calif., native won a total of 22 major professional feature races last season, including victories in the World of Outlaws sprint car series and all three United States Auto Club national divisions. Last fall, he swept the 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway, winning in three different styles of race car – midgets, sprint cars and silver crown cars – in the same night.

Larson is Japanese-American and will compete in the NASCAR East Series next season as a participant in NASCAR’s diversity program.

Bengals Hire Hue Jackson as Assistant Coach for Secondary, Special Teams

Brought to you by Cincy Jungle

According to ESPN, the Cincinnati Bengals have hired — actually re-hired — Hue Jackson to be on the team’s coaching staff. Jackson was the team’s wide receiver coach from 2004 to 2006 before he left offensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons in 2007, the quarterback’s coach for the Ravens in 2008 and 2009, the offensive coordinator in Oakland in 2010 and eventually the Raiders head coach in 2011. He was fired after his first season as head coach, though, after the team failed to make the playoffs and after he was a major architect of the Carson Palmer trade.

Now, Jackson is returning to the Bengals to help the team as an assistant coach to help the team’s secondary and special teams. Jackson was one of the more liked coaches among fans for the Bengals and his return is likely good news for many fans.

For more from Cincy Jungle, make sure to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

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PFF: Top Free Agent Wide Receivers In The NFL

With Jerome Simpson’s NFL future very much in doubt as he heads into free agency, while facing a felony marijuana trafficking charge (which he pled not guilty to), and Andre Caldwell (who played his best when lined up as an outside receiver, not in the slot) also entering free agency, the Cincinnati Bengals will be tasked with finding someone that can help limit the coverages against A.J. Green and give quarterback Andy Dalton a viable threat, especially in undercoverage.
Names have been thrown around, like Giants wide receiver Mario Manningham, Buffalo Bills wide receiver Steve Johnson and New Orleans wide receivers Robert Meachem and Marques Colston.

Pro Football Focus ranked their best wide receivers that will be free agents next month. Some of the names are unlikely to ever see free agency, like New England wide receiver Wes Welker, Pittsburgh’s Mike Wallace but you also have names like San Diego Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson and Kansas City’s Dwayne Bow…

Maualuga pleads not guilty to assault

Bengals linebacker Rey Maualuga has pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge.

The three-year veteran’s attorney filed a written plea Friday in Hamilton County Municipal Court.

An employee at a downtown Cincinnati bar told police that Maualuga punched him in the face on Feb. 5. Maualuga and the Bengals have not commented on the charge, which could bring a fine or suspension from the NFL.

It’s Maualuga’s second court case in two years. He pleaded guilty to drunken driving after police in northern Kentucky said he hit a parking meter and two parked cars in January 2010. The league suspended him for two games for violating its conduct policy.

As a repeat offender, he could be suspended by the NFL for part of next season.

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