Cincinnati Bengals

Dec 24, 2012; Honolulu, HI, USA; Southern Methodist Mustangs defender Margus Hunt (92) holds the MVP trophy at the end of the Hawaii Bowl at Aloha Stadium. Southern Methodist defeated Fresno State 43-10. Mandatory Credit: Marco Garcia-USA TODAY Sports We announce the signing of 2nd-round draft pick, DE @margus_hunt. He is the 7th of 10 #Bengals picks to sign on the dotted line. — Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) May 22, 2013 Hunt is projected to a be rotational defensive end this year, and will likely earn a starting role in 2014 when Carlos Dunlap and Michael Johnson will both be free agents, and at least one of the will likely be gone. Hunt’s deal is worth $3.671 million, including $1.049 million bonus. With his signing, that leaves Notre Dame TE Tyler Eifert, North Carolina running back Giovani Bernard and Georgia SS Shawn Williams as the only unsigned draft picks. Scouting Report/Player Notes via NFLMocks.com Margus Hunt is one of the more freakish athletes in the entire 2013 NFL Draft, regardless of position. If you could put LeBron James in the Scouting Combine, he’d put up similar measurables to Margus Hunt, and I’m not stretching much there. Hunt backed up his height/weight/speed combo at SMU by blocking a ridiculous number of kicks and punts, as well as racking up eight sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss as a senior. Hunt came to the US from Estonia, where he was a track and field star before trading the discus for a pair of cleats. I think Hunt has the chance to be a dominant defensive end in the NFL if he gets in with some good coaching. The major knock on him is that he is still pretty raw, and will turn 25 years old as a rookie. Want more Bengals news? Like Stripe Hype on Facebook, or grab our RSS feed. Follow @StripeHype Follow @UK_Fans

The Bengals have signed defensive end Margus Hunt of Southern Methodist, one of their two second-round selections in the 2013 NFL Draft.

Feb 3, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice (27) is tackled by San Francisco 49ers strong safety Donte Whitner (31) in the second quarter in Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports Police say the Maryland home of Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice was burglarized over the weekend. A reported $2,000 and two guns were stolen. Fortunately, Rice and his family were not in the house at the time of the robbery: My family and I are fine, which is the most important thing. This is an unfortunate incident that I am dealing with through the proper channels. Baltimore County police spokeswoman Cathleen Batton says that the burglary happened between 8:30 p.m. Friday and 12:50 a.m. Saturday at the home in Reisterstown, MD, and that the burglary was caught on camera. Vic Carucci of ClevelandBrowns.com shares his thoughts on the quarterback situation in Cleveland, and whether its a competition or a controversy. And if you were wondering who’s favored by oddsmakers to win the AFC North, Boavada gives a light edge to the Baltimore Ravens: Per the folks at Bovada, the AFC North over/under win totals — Steelers 9; Bengals 8.5; Ravens 8.5; Browns 6 — Joe Reedy (@joereedy) May 22, 2013 Want more Bengals news? Like Stripe Hype on Facebook, or grab our RSS feed. Follow @StripeHype Follow @UK_Fans

May 10, 2013; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton watches from the tunnel during the Bengals rookie minicamp at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports Like it or not, the general view of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton is that of an “average” quarterback when compared to the other 32 starting NFL QBs. NFL.com ranks Dalton as just the 9th-best QB under the age of  25, mostly because of his inability hit the deep-ball consistently, as well as his late-season struggles in the Bengals’ biggest games of the season: The Bengals’ offense didn’t score a touchdown in the two biggest games of the season, at Pittsburgh in Week 16 and in the playoff loss to the Houston Texans. Dalton averaged just 5.58 yards per attempt in his last six starts. (For comparison, Blaine Gabbert and Jimmy Clausen were the only two players to have a lower YPA over a full season since 2010.) There are many reasons why Dalton struggled for much of his second season, but it mostly comes back to his inability to hit vertical passes. Dalton infamously doesn’t have a great arm, but his accuracy and timing seem more important here. On most of his deep throws, he doesn’t give his receivers a chance. Dalton was able to finally make the big play to beat Pittsburgh in Week 16 to clinch a playoff berth, but only after his defense surrendered a mere 10 points and got a late interception to set Dalton up in a very manageable position to lead his team to victory.

Dec 2, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher (54) during the second quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports Chicago Bear middle linebacker Brian Urlacher has announced his retirement from the NFL today. Urlacher just released this statement: After spending a lot time this spring thinking about my NFL future, I have made the decision to retire. Although I could continue playing, I’m not sure I would bring a level of performance or passion that’s up to my standards. When considering this, along with the fact that I could retire after 13-year career wearing only one jersey for such a storied franchise, my decision became pretty clear. I want to thank all the people in my life that have help me along the way. I will miss my teammates, my coaches, and the great Bears fans. I’m proud to say that I gave all of you everything I had every time I took the field. I will miss the great game, but I leave with no regrets. There was a report last week that the Minnesota Vikings were considering Urlacher, and may have even been lose to a deal with him, but Head Coach Leslie Frazier said that the Vikings weren’t near a deal with Urlacher, as was reported over the weekend, and they preferred to take a long look at the options on the current roster before considering other alternatives. Want more Bengals news? Like Stripe Hype on Facebook, or grab our RSS feed. Follow @StripeHype Follow @UK_Fans

Head Coach Marvin Lewis was quoted last month saying that the offensive line has an, “…opportunity for some real, true depth.”  With the last minute signing of starting right tackle Andre Smith and the decision to retain veteran guard Travelle Wharton, Coach Lewis’s appraisal of the situation may even be considered a bit of an understatement.  With three offensive linemen taken on the backside of this years’ NFL Draft, depth is exactly what the Bengals are looking to go after, but with fifteen players vying for those positions on the roster at this time, both rookies and veteran alike will have to step up if they want to make the final 53. Dec 13, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Cincinnati Bengals guard Kevin Zeitler (68) blocks Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Cedric Thornton (72) during the third quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. The Bengals defeated the Eagles 34-13. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports In the past the Bengals have gotten away with taking 9 offensive linemen onto the final roster, opting for a guard/center or tackle/guard hybrid in order to increase depth at other positions; however, this year it would not be surprising if Cincinnati decided to take a starter and a backup at each position in addition to an amalgamation in one of those reserve roles.  A couple reasons why this makes sense – first, both Wharton and veteran center Kyle Cook have been shown to be injury prone, and second, with the amount of experience that these veteran players have, increasing exposure to as much potential talent in your young ranks is the smart part of the investment and continuity.  Further, it shouldn’t be a shock if at least one of these guys ends up on the practice squad as a placeholder. At this point some roster spots are all but spoken.  Andrew Whitworth (LT), Andre Smith (RT) and Kevin Zeitler (G) are as close to locks as one can get, and with Travelle Wharton (G) it can be assumed that by retaining his services to the tune of $3.375M a year that he is intended to be kept as well.  Same line of logic would retain Kyle Cook (C) despite his abysmal play during the past several years.  Strangely enough, these five have the initial markings of the starting lineup. However, the up-and-comers may have a say in all this.  Clint Boling (G) may be forced into the back seat by Wharton, but his play as a starter all last season was nothing short of outstanding for a 23-year old sophomore project from Georgia.  He’ll easily earn a seat at the table.  Same for Trevor Robinson (G/C).  The undrafted rookie took over as the third string center last season and was the only productive starter at that position.  However, past that, it’s a crap shoot.

This is just a request, which I'll remove within a couple days. Perhaps one of the CJ writers is currently putting together a linebacker analysis post - and is possibly waiting until closer to the season to publish. It's just with all these young, talented and mostly unknown LBs, I've been hoping to see a comprehensive post/fanpost analyzing and comparing all of them (beyond the piecemeal posts discussing each of them, separately for the most part). I'm talking Burfict, Maualuga, Harrison, Porter, Lamur, Dimanche, Campbell, Rey, Maybin, Joiner, and even Moch (who I haven't given up on yet) and Howard (who could still potentially return). Thanks in advance.... This is just a request, which I'll remove within a couple days. Perhaps one of the CJ writers is currently putting together a linebacker analysis post - and is possibly waiting until closer to the season to publish. It's just with all these young, talented and mostly unknown LBs, I've been hoping to see a comprehensive post/fanpost analyzing and comparing all of them (beyond the piecemeal posts discussing each of them, separately for the most part). I'm talking Burfict, Maualuga, Harrison, Porter, Lamur, Dimanche, Campbell, Rey, Maybin, Joiner, and even Moch (who I haven't given up on yet) and Howard (who could still potentially return). Thanks in advance....

I tried posting in fanshots buts it wasn't cooperating. But here's the link to today's OTA's passing Drills. I love watching the off-season videos and see how the rookies are doing in practice. Is there anyway Cincyjungle can post these videos without having copyright issues? if so, it'd be freakin awesome! Heres the Link http://www.bengals.com/media-lounge/videos/OTA-Highlights-Passing-drills-52113/b93c77e0-0db4-45e6-bb26-deff274d5de4 I tried posting in fanshots buts it wasn't cooperating. But here's the link to today's OTA's passing Drills. I love watching the off-season videos and see how the rookies are doing in practice. Is there anyway Cincyjungle can post these videos without having copyright issues? if so, it'd be freakin awesome! Heres the Link http://www.bengals.com/media-lounge/videos/OTA-Highlights-Passing-drills-52113/b93c77e0-0db4-45e6-bb26-deff274d5de4

James Harrison made his Bengals debut Tuesday with a chip on his shoulder that is supposedly as big as Pittsburgh. Yet his new quarterback may have an even bigger chip after an offseason of taking the heat of back-to-back Wild Card losses.

Jan 20, 2013; Foxboro, MA, USA; A general view of the NFL shield logo on the field before the AFC championship game between the New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports Following the NFL draft, and as we begin OTA’s, I give you my NFL Power Rankings. 1.  San Francisco 49ers:  There just aren’t any weak spots on the roster, and they should be early favorites to host the next Lombardi Trophy.  Unless of course, they have to play in Seattle during the playoffs. 2.  Seattle Seahawks:  There just aren’t any weak spots on the roster, and they should be early favorites to host the next Lombardi Trophy.  Unless of course, they have to play in San Francisco during the playoffs.  See what I did there? 3.  Denver Broncos:  The addition of Wes Welker should give another Peyton Manning a exceptional short range target on third down.  If Manning’s health holds up, this team could be looking at home field advantage in the playoffs. 4. New England Patriots:  Certainly the largest threat in the AFC along with Denver.  Tom Brady gives the Patriots the upper hand in almost any contest, and will look to break a late round playoff-rut. 5. Green Bay Packers:  As arrogant as he is, Aaron Rodgers’ talent at quarterback can’t be denied.  He led a team without a great defense and devoid of a decent running back to the playoffs on a career year. 6.  Atlanta Falcons:  Well, Matt Ryan finally won Atlanta a playoff game.  Do we start seeing a trend, or does his long stretch of playoff woes settle in again? 7.  Cincinnati Bengals:  With arguably the best overall defense in the NFL (outside the 49ers?), the Bengals have put themselves in a great position with young talent.  They’ve also put themselves in a position to win their first playoff game since 1991, but that will ultimately fall on Andy Dalton in his third year. 8.  Pittsburgh Steelers:  Another top year defensively and a healthy Ben Roethlisberger will make the Steelers dangerous once again.  Determining a starting RB in the offseason will be key. 9.  Baltimore Ravens:  Never has a reigning Super Bowl Champion been ranked so low before the start of the season.  The fact of the matter is, I don’t put a whole lot of trust in Baltimore.  Inconsistent Joe Flacco is still inconsistent Joe Flacco, and they lost quite a few veteran players this off-season. 10.  Houston Texans:  Defensively, this team will look to stop anyone from scoring 20 points.  They have skill players on both sides of the ball, and a good mix of veteran guys with young talent. And here are my power rankings outside of the top 10. 11.  Minnesota Vikings 12.  Washington Redskins 13.  New York Giants 14.  Indianapolis Colts 15.  New Orleans Saints 16.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17.  Chicago Bears 18.  Dallas Cowboys 19.  St. Louis Rams 20.  Kansas City Chiefs 21.  San Diego Chargers 22.  Miami Dolphins 23.  Arizona Cardinals 24.  Philadelphia Eagles 25.  Cleveland Browns 26.  Detroit Lions 27.  Carolina Panthers 28.  New York Jets 29.  Tennessee Titans 30.  Oakland Raiders 31.  Jacksonville Jaguars 32.  Buffalo Bills