http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/bengals/home.aspxMusings about our home team.en-usCopyright 2013, CincinnatiMagazine-NAThu, 20 Jun 2013 01:25:54 GMTTue, 11 Jun 2013 20:46:14 GMT1http://emmisinteractive.comIt comes as no surprise that the first black eye of the Cincinnati Bengals otherwise outstanding offseason would be delivered, both literally and figuratively, by Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones. There are three or four different reports of what happened at the Tin Roof last week, but they all end with Pacman hitting a woman in the face—a grown man striking a female. Here’s what Jones had to say about the incident after being arrested. Just got arrestedfor protecting myself, I will not let this break me or change what I have work so hard for .... — ADAm Pacman Jones (@REALPACMAN24) June 10, 2013 Now, my vision isn’t the greatest, but it certainly looked like the “immediate threat” to Pacman’s life was having a beer brushed across his face (not swung) and poured on his shirt. The Bengals should cut Pacman, and they should cut him regardless of how this instance ...http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/bengals/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10556120jmiller@cincinnatimagazine.com (Josh Miller)http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/bengals/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10556120Tue, 11 Jun 2013 20:46:14 GMTAfter two years of watching Andy Dalton as the Bengals starting quarterback, I’ve come to three general conclusions about the redheaded TCU product. He isn’t quite as good as the average Bengals fan thinks he is…yet. He isn’t quite as bad as the average non-Bengals fan thinks. Both groups need to realize he’s only been in the NFL for two years, and, as a second round draft pick, he started right away. Although his arm strength will continue to be questioned, Dalton saw significant improvements in every major statistical category in his second year as a starter. Statistically speaking, he’s not out of place when compared to the early years of the league’s best quarterbacks. Here’s a breakdown of Dalton’s first two seasons, compared to the first two starting seasons of the seven active quarterbacks with Super Bowl victories: Quarterback Comp Att Comp % Yards TD-INT Rating Record Andy Dalton ...http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/bengals/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10546193jmiller@cincinnatimagazine.com (Josh Miller)http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/bengals/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10546193Mon, 20 May 2013 15:30:20 GMTThere are plenty of reasons why Bengals fans—and NFL fans in general—love Geno Atkins. This is simply another thing to add to the list. Meet Henry, Geno's pet turtle. And to think, one of the league's most feared defenders comes home to this little guy every day.   (Photo courtesy of Geno's Instagram account.)http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/bengals/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10546196jrwilliams824@yahoo.com (Justin Williams)http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/bengals/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10546196Fri, 17 May 2013 20:44:17 GMTI know it’s been hard for you, Bengals fans. Your spirits were lifted after your team snuck past those darn Steelers and sauntered into the playoffs. Somewhere beneath the completely warranted skepticism and reluctance to become emotionally attached to a self-combusting entity, there was a real belief that your beloved Bengals could rally against a limping Houston squad and win a playoff game for the first time since starting linebacker Vontaze Burfict was three months old. And then it all came crashing down, one namaste bow after the other. I’m not here to gloat about worry that Andy Dalton’s ineffective play the last month or so of the season would hurt the team even more in the playoffs. The wound is still fresh, no need for some salt. No, instead I come offering solace from that sixth bowl of Skyline. (That’s what you guys do to cope with losses, right?) ...http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/bengals/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10492108adamflango@gmail.com (Adam Flango)http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/bengals/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10492108Fri, 17 May 2013 17:52:38 GMTThe Bengals received widespread praise over the course of this past weekend regarding the team's selections in the 2013 NFL Draft. And while we’ll still need a few years before we can determine if that praise was made in good judgment, the organization has clearly made marked improvement in the past handful of drafts when it comes to recognizing and selecting talent. However, the recent stretch of strong picks isn’t the only draft-related accomplishment worthy of applause. On this date back in 1980, the Cincinnati Bengals selected offensive lineman Anthony Muñoz with the third overall pick. The Southern California product played 13 seasons in stripes, finishing his career as unquestionably the best player in franchise history, as well as an easy argument for the best offensive tackle the game has ever seen. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998. Quick story: years ago, as a youngster, I ...http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/bengals/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10537548jrwilliams824@yahoo.com (Justin Williams)http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/bengals/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10537548Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:28:26 GMTWhen the Bengals finally nailed down a contract with former Steelers linebacker and Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison late last week, I began exchanging emails with my fellow Bobcat grad and Bengals Blog compatriot, Adam Flango. A video producer for CBS Sports, Flango is a die-hard Steelers fan. Being a hard-core Bengals fan myself, we both deemed ourselves intelligent enough to discuss our thoughts on the Harrison signing. Whether we were ultimately correct in assuming this is an entirely separate matter. Justin: I'm in favor of this signing for the Bengals, though not necessarily for any statistical reasons. Harrison has had injury issues in recent years, he's switching from a rush end in a 3-4 base to an outside spot in a 4-3, and unless the Bengals plan to use him in the nickel package, he'll probably only play 20-30 snaps a game. BUT, this is exactly the ...http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/bengals/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10536665jrwilliams824@yahoo.com (Justin Williams)http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/bengals/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10536665Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:35:53 GMTSomewhere around 10:30 pm on Thursday night, Roger Goodell will step up to the podium and announce the 21st pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. This used to be—and maybe still is—a nervous, unsettling moment. For years, the Bengals and owner/de facto GM Mike Brown seemed to find the most agonizing/cursed picks possible. The names read like a horror movie script for Bengals fans. Ki-Jana Carter. Akili Smith. Peter Warrick. Chris Perry. (Ed’s note: AHHHH!!!) But in recent years, Brown’s luck has turned around, particularly in the first round. Since the unlucky selection of David Pollack in 2005, the Bengals have not completely whiffed on a first round pick. (That may sound backhanded, but I swear it came from a good place.) There have been three Pro Bowlers (Johnathan Joseph, Jermaine Gresham, and A.J. Green), two solid, above-average starters (Leon Hall, Andre Smith) and a to-be-determined cornerback in Dre ...http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/bengals/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10535528adamflango@gmail.com (Adam Flango)http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/bengals/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10535528Wed, 24 Apr 2013 13:49:21 GMTThe Cleveland Browns posted this on the team's official Twitter page yesterday: The #Browns just announced they have signed kicker Shayne Graham as an unrestricted free agent. — Cleveland Browns (@Browns) April 16, 2013    Enjoy, Browns fans.http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/bengals/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10531772jrwilliams824@yahoo.com (Justin Williams)http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/bengals/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10531772Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:33:02 GMTWhile working on our Unsolved Mysteries cover package for our April Issue, I was charged with tracking down some of the notable unknowns of Cincinnati sports lore. There proved to be a few that still persist—Sam Wyche’s firing, the Reds Opening Day tradition—but I also managed to get an explanation for one of them. Former Bengals fullback and Ohio State Buckeye Pete Johnson has taken on a somewhat mythical persona over the years. Part of this stems from a gregarious, 250-pound force of a man being squashed into a powerful 6-foot frame, bolstering Johnson to the tune of 5,421 rushing yards for the Bengals from 1977-1983 (a team record at the time) and establishing him as one of the franchise’s biggest offensive threats (literally and figuratively) during the 1981 Super Bowl run. But the man’s fabled backstory was largely the result of a childhood spent under the guise of a ...http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/bengals/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10524844jrwilliams824@yahoo.com (Justin Williams)http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/bengals/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10524844Mon, 01 Apr 2013 20:36:28 GMTThe Bengals announced Monday that the team re-signed linebacker Rey Maualuga to a two-year deal, despite the fact that Maualuga has been tackling-intolerant for the past couple seasons. The deal pays him $6.5 million over the length of the contract (plus bonuses), which is somewhere in the range of $6.5 million too much. Below is a list of more productive things the organization could have done with that money. - Donate the money to a charity. - Donate the money to Bill Gates. - Give Hamilton County a tax break by putting it toward the team’s stadium deal. - Throw it all on Black 17 at the roulette tables of the new Horseshoe Casino. - Bequeath it to Pro Football Focus to fund improvements for what Marvin Lewis considers to be “some dumbass website that doesn’t have any idea of what football is.” (Shots fired!!!) - Wire it to those ...http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/bengals/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10519928jrwilliams824@yahoo.com (Justin Williams)http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/bengals/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10519928Wed, 20 Mar 2013 15:04:48 GMT