Bengals News

"Running back Shaun Alexander has returned home to Seattle following two free-agent visits this week, first to Cincinnati on Sunday and Monday and then to New Orleans on Wednesday. Jim Steiner, Alexander's agent, said he expected to be in contact with the Bengals today. Alexander, who grew up in Florence and was the league MVP in 2005, was released April 22 after eight seasons with the Seahawks. The Bengals have a glut of running backs but are believed to be interested in Alexander as a possible backup to starter Rudi Johnson."

"Former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry will be released from court-ordered electronic monitoring and house arrest so he can try out for another NFL team. Hamilton County (Ohio) Municipal Court Judge Richard Bernat issued the ruling yesterday, when Henry's attorney Perry Ancona said he has an offer to try out for a team, which he didn't identify."

"The Bengals acquired rookie WR Travis Brown of New Mexico on waivers from Seattle on Tuesday. Brown (6-3, 202) was a first-team All-Mountain West Conference selection as a junior and a senior. His 182 career receptions rank third in New Mexico school history, and his 2196 receiving yards rank fifth. He was signed by Seattle on April 29 and was waived on Monday. "

"Former Bengal Chris Henry will be allowed to travel to other cities in hopes of reviving his professional football career, a judge ruled Tuesday. The judge said Henry must present proof from other NFL clubs that he has a tryout before his electronic leash will be disconnected. Henry is currently on an ankle bracelet that monitors his whereabouts."

"The Saints will bring in free-agent tailback Shaun Alexander for a visit this week, a sign that they're still in the market for some insurance in case Deuce McAllister is unable to return to form. Alexander, 30, was released by the Seattle Seahawks last month after two disappointing, injury-plagued seasons. The former league MVP and three-time Pro Bowl player was scheduled to make his first free-agent visit with the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday. "

"Bengals coaches and executives wrapped up a two-day visit Monday with former NFL MVP Shaun Alexander. Alexander, a Boone County High School graduate from Florence, is scheduled to visit the New Orleans Saints on Wednesday, Alexander's agent Jim Steiner said. Alexander was released April 22 after eight seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. "I have talked to Shaun," Steiner said Monday afternoon. "I have not talked to (the Bengals). We don't even know if the Bengals are interested." Alexander grew up a Bengals fan."

"Marvin Lewis closed the three-day, five-practice rookie minicamp Sunday in positive terms. Coaches now know even more than they did about the team's 10 draft picks, and new defensive coaches - coordinator Mike Zimmer and linebackers coach Jeff FitzGerald - had time on the field to work with players after four-months of scouting and office work. Asked what he took personally from the three days of work, Lewis said he often was left saying "wow." "But," he added, "that's why we drafted them.""

"Defensive tackle remains a position of uncertainty for the Bengals behind projected starters Domata Peko and John Thornton. The Bengals took Pat Sims in the third round and fellow defensive tackle Jason Shirley in the fifth. "Yeah, I think Pat for sure should have an impact right away," Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said during rookie minicamp. "I think Jason has a lot to learn. But he will be a willing learner. He's a big, big strong man, so we'll get him . . . into the correct stances and be faster and quicker with his hands and allow him to use all that big man that he's got there because right now he's wasting about two-thirds of it.""

"Rookie sixth-round draft pick Corey Lynch might already be one of the most popular Bengals among their Ohio fan base - if only for blocking the potential game-winning field-goal in Appalachian State's upset of Michigan last season. But the safety is determined to have a lasting effect on and off the field in Cincinnati. A Christian married to a granddaughter of the evangelist Rev. Billy Graham, Lynch is a clean-living man coming to a team dragged down in recent years, in part, by some of its players' legal problems."

"Running back Shaun Alexander, released April 22 by the Seattle Seahawks, will visit the Bengals on Sunday and Monday, agent Jim Steiner said. Alexander grew up in Florence and played for Boone County High School before going on to the University of Alabama. He is an eight-year NFL veteran and 2005 league MVP."

"Quarterback Carson Palmer was an interested bystander Friday morning for the first of five Bengals rookie minicamp practices. He walked out to the practice fields adjacent to Paul Brown Stadium with cornerbacks Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph. Palmer spent most of his time watching the team's rookie receivers; the Bengals used three of their 10 draft picks, including two of their first four, on receivers. Then there was the matter of the quarterback wearing the No. 5 white practice jersey - little brother Jordan Palmer."

"After drafting Keith Rivers with their first-round pick Saturday, the Bengals on Thursday started to clear a glut of linebackers. The Bengals waived two of their 11 linebackers, letting go of Anthony Schlegel and Roy Manning. Manning is a fourth-year NFL player from Michigan. He played in five games for Cincinnati last season and had seven tackles on special teams."

"Bengals linebacker Ahmad Brooks has been accused of punching a Florence woman in the left eye. Brooks, who lives in Union, has been summoned to appear June 6 in Boone District Court to answer to the charge of misdemeanor assault, punishable by up to a year in the jail. Destiny Rosich gave a sworn statement Wednesday that Brooks was arguing outside her neighbor’s home on April 9 in the 7600 block of Banklick Street. She said her children were outside playing and began to cry because Brooks and the neighbor were about to start a fistfight. "

"Running back Shaun Alexander, cut loose by Seattle less than two weeks ago, will be contacting his favorite boyhood team, the Bengals. "Making calls to teams. Bengals are on our list!" Jim Steiner, Alexander's agent, told The Enquirer in an e-mail Wednesday. The Bengals did not use any of their 10 picks in last weekend's NFL Draft on a running back."

"The Enquirer reported Monday, citing University of Cincinnati sources, that the Bengals have signed former UC players Bradley Glatthaar, a running back, and Anthony Hoke, a defensive end."

"Just 28 months ago — no longer able to concentrate on the game — he was out of football. Now Pat Sims is one of the newest Cincinnati Bengals, a 314-pound defensive tackle from Auburn taken in the third round of this past weekend's NFL draft."

"Q Why didn't the team trade up to get USC defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis? A Too expensive. The Bengals would've had to give up their No. 1 and No. 3 picks, which turned out to be linebacker Keith Rivers and defensive tackle Pat Sims (Nos. 9 and 77 overall). Two is better than one."

"What are the chances off the Cowboys getting Roy Williams, Chad Johnson or Anquan Boldin in a trade?"

"The words Marvin Lewis used to describe linebacker Keith Rivers, introduced Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium as the Bengals' first-round draft choice, were eerily similar to those Lewis spoke three years ago to describe David Pollack."

"Two of the most memorable moments in University of Florida wide receiver Andre Caldwell's life involve Ohio — beating Ohio State 41-14 for the national title (2006 season) and being drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round Sunday, April 27."

"He hasn't played a down for the Cincinnati Bengals. In fact, he just got drafted. But already he's received more of an embrace from Ohio football fans than nearly any player on the team. "Yeah, I have a good fan base there," Corey Lynch said with a chuckle."

"The Bengals took a big risk by picking Fresno State defensive tackle Jason Shirley in the fifth round of Sunday's NFL draft. Not because of his football skills, but because of his checkered past."

"In 2005, defensive tackle Pat Sims quit the Auburn football team to cope with the death of one of his four sisters, Vonda Nimmo, who had a heart attack at age 31."

"Here's why: Chad Johnson is demanding a trade; T.J. Houshmandzadeh will command big money in 2009 when his contract expires at the end of this season; and Chris Henry is gone, released April 3."

"The Bengals devoted Day 2 of the NFL Draft to filling holes. They finished with two defensive tackles and two wide receivers, plus a defensive end, safety, offensive tackle and tight end. Here's a look at some:"

"The Bengals split their 10 draft picks this past weekend evenly on offense and defense. The highest concentrations of picks came in two areas of need, but where the Bengals did not take players also said a great deal about the 2008 team."

"The Bengals selected a fine player at No. 9 in Southern Cal linebacker Keith Rivers, a sure-handed tackler who should help upgrade the run defense. But the Bengals ignored defense again in the second round, giving in to the temptation to add a wide receiver from a small school who played against sub-par competition and doesn't even return kicks."

"When Southern Cal linebacker Keith Rivers slipped on a Cincinnati Bengals cap just after 4 p.m. Saturday, April 26, it was a perfect match of team need and player talent."

"Before the NFL draft, Arthur Rivers said he had only one lasting impression of the Cincinnati Bengals: "I was watching ESPN, and I saw one of their players, Frostee Rucker, spit on another guy at practice. I told my son, 'That's not the kind of pro — not the kind of teammate — you want to be. You can be just the opposite of that.' " Now Keith Rivers will get that chance."

"Sitting in a hotel suite in his hometown of Lake Mary, Fla., Keith Rivers received a phone call from Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis to let him know the team had taken him with the ninth pick in the first round."

"Keith Rivers got the phone call he wanted from Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. Then came an unexpected surprise when quarterback Carson Palmer dialed him up. From one former University of Southern California star to another, hey, the Trojans are one, big, happy family."

"Jerome Simpson was nowhere near a television when the Bengals selected him in the second round of the NFL Draft. He actually was returning from dinner and a flea market excursion with his family when he got a call Saturday evening. It was Marvin Lewis, telling him he'd been chosen 46th overall."

" Wide receivers DeSean Jackson, Limas Sweed, Malcolm Kelly and Mario Manningham were still on the draft board. But the Bengals spurned those big-school studs and grabbed an unknown — Coastal Carolina's Jerome Simpson — in the second round of the NFL draft, No. 46 overall."

"After examining some of the individual players the Bengals selected through the years - both the good and the bad - over the last two weeks, this week we present the five best and five worst overall drafts in team history."

"In the months since their last college football games, many prospects prepared for this weekend's NFL draft by getting tutored by their agents on everything from exercise and nutrition to how to talk to the media. For some of those players, the months leading up to the draft also include lessons on performance-enhancing drugs, says longtime Cincinnati Bengals strength coach Kim Wood. "

"Most of the media attention for the ninth pick has focused on a pair of Southern California defensive stars, tackle Sedrick Ellis and linebacker Keith Rivers. One of them is expected to be available when the Bengals announce their selection, expected to occur about 4:20 p.m."

"Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis wouldn't reveal any names, but he has his sights set on a special somebody with the ninth overall pick in the NFL draft, which unfolds today, April 26, and Sunday."

"Chad Johnson's agent is imploring the Bengals to trade the disgruntled wide receiver. Appearing on YouTube, the video-sharing Web site, Drew Rosenhaus said he's "obviously hoping" Johnson gets shipped out of Cincinnati."

"In spite of recent investments of early draft picks in running backs, the Bengals say they again find themselves in search of another tailback who could help them re-establish the rush offense. What would seem already to be a crowded position group with a lot of familiar names and big contracts, supplemented with a steady veteran and a promising young runner, could get even chummier. The Bengals might have Illinois' Rashard Mendenhall and Oregon's Jonathan Stewart on their short list of top prospects."

"The offseason already has been a good one for the Bengals' offensive line. The club invested heavily to retain fifth-year lineman Stacy Andrews, who started three games at left guard and 11 at right tackle. And starting offensive tackles Levi Jones and Willie Anderson are in better health now than a year ago. Head coach Marvin Lewis said this week they are also determined to withstand the rigors of a 16-game NFL schedule. Still, the Bengals are considering using one of their 10 draft picks this weekend on an offensive tackle from an exceptionally deep, talented pool..."

"For weeks now, the Bengals have said they won't give in to Chad Johnson's trade demand and deal the wide receiver. On Tuesday, they proved it. The Bengals turned down a confirmed offer from the Washington Redskins, who were willing to give up their first-round pick Saturday - the 21st overall - and a conditional third-round pick in 2009 that could have been elevated to a first-rounder based on Johnson's 2008 performance."

"Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis called out Chad Johnson on Tuesday, April 22, daring the disgruntled wide receiver to sit out the 2008 NFL season. Johnson has spent the offseason saying he wants out of Cincinnati. He demanded a trade last week, claiming he won't show up for the club's mandatory minicamp in June and training camp in July."

"Tuesday morning during a news conference, Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said the team had received no trade offers for disgruntled wide receiver Chad Johnson. But after initially denying an ESPN report that the Redskins had made an offer for the wide receiver, Lewis confirmed the team had rejected an offer by Washington."

"The Washington Redskins, who repeatedly have said they want to emphasize the draft over acquiring high-profile stars, continue to pursue trading their first-round pick for Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson, sources said yesterday."

"The Washington Redskins admitted yesterday they tried to trade for disgruntled Cincinnati receiver Chad Johnson — only to have the Bengals turn them down."

" The three names most linked of late to such talk have been Cincinnati's Chad Johnson, Detroit's Roy Williams and Arizona's Anquan Boldin. Adding intrigue is the fact that the three teams most mentioned as trade partners – the Cowboys, Eagles and Redskins – all play in the same division."

"The Dallas Cowboys have talked to a team, not the Cincinnati Bengals, about acquiring a veteran receiver. And that's about all Jerry Jones would say Tuesday, offering nothing more specific... The top veteran receiver candidates who might be available via trade remain the Arizona Cardinals' Anquan Boldin and the Detroit Lions' Roy Williams."

" Jones emphatically denied that he's talked to Cincinnati about the availability of disgruntled receiver Chad Johnson, who is threatening to sit out the season if he doesn't get a new contract. ESPN reported this week that the Bengals informed Washington, which was offering its first-round pick (No. 21) and a conditional third-rounder in 2009, that Johnson wasn't available. Arizona's Anquan Boldin and Detroit's Roy Williams are other veteran receivers the Cowboys could be eyeing. "

"Keith Rivers, a potential top 15 pick Saturday in the first round of the NFL Draft, already knows about pressure."

"The Bengals might go to the linebacker well in the NFL Draft again this year in the form of Southern Cal star Keith Rivers."