Cincy Jungle

Insomniac's Open Thread: What Keeps You Up At Night?

2012-05-18T02:00:21Z

Maybe it's because you just can't get enough Bengals news or maybe it's because you just watched a terrifying movie and you're too worried about what could be in your bed/closet or behind the shower curtain to fall asleep. Or maybe you live on a planet that has three suns, you don't know what night actually is and you, for some weird reason, get Earth's Internet (if you do, it's probably from Time Warner).

Whatever the case may be, this is a safe place (no monsters in the closet here). Share your thoughts whether they be Bengals or things-that-go-bump-in-the-night related.

Go.

Real Football Talk With CincyJungle.com Brought To You By Art Of Smiles Dentistry -- 5/17

2012-05-18T00:39:12Z

Tonight I was joined by Joe Goodberry, Dave Wellman and our producer Jason Blanton as we went through the Bengals 2012 NFL draft pick by pick, analyzing each selection and grading each round. All in all, each of us were happy with the Bengals overall draft and we spent the time tonight to tell you why.

You can listen to the show here.

Join us the week after next on Thursday night where we will give a preview of the depth chart, discuss breaking news between now and then and give a short preview of the season.

Thanks to all of our listeners, our callers and thanks to our sponsor Art of Smiles Dentistry, transforming smiles into beautiful works of art. Check them out on Facebook, follow them on Twitter and give them a call at 513-367-4441. Also, make sure you submit your questions for the weekly Art of Smiles Dentistry In-Your-Grill question of the week.

Podcast Open Thread: We're On The Air

2012-05-17T23:30:14Z

We're on the ~~air~~ Internet. Tune in here, call in at 661-449-9301 or ask questions or comments in this open thread.

Former Bengals Offensive Lineman Mike Ryan Failed Physical Due To A "Slight Knee Injury"

2012-05-17T22:00:32Z

On May 2 the Cincinnati Bengals announced their undrafted free agent signings, which included University of Connecticut offensive lineman Mike Ryan. Over a week later just before Cincinnati's rookie minicamp on May 11, the Bengals released Ryan and three others after reportedly failing their physicals. According to Ryan, he had suffered a "slight knee injury" during his March Pro Day.

For the time being Ryan is heading back to class to earn his degree and rehabilitate for an invite with another team.

"It's unfortunate but this summer I'm going to try and graduate [with a degree in English]," Ryan said. "I've got four more classes I need to get that done and then be ready if I get a call or an invite to fall camp."

There have been five players released by the team due to a failure with their respective physicals, including Ryan, defensive end Julian Miller, cornerback Derrius Brooks, offensive tackle Landon Walker and offensive lineman Chris Riley.

Pete Prisco's Top-100 Players In The NFL List

2012-05-17T20:00:18Z

For the past few weeks, CBSSportsLine's Pete Prisco has been hinting at the fact that he would be releasing his list of the top-100 players in the NFL. He finally released the list today, after much deliberation I'm sure, and it's definitely an interesting read. Prisco made this list off of film study and relying on NFL scouts' opinions, making it a valid assessment.

In year's past, the Cincinnati Bengals would have likely been slighted on a list like this, even though certain players would have been deserving. But, thanks to some recent success, Prisco gives the nod to a small handful of worthy Bengals.

The first Bengal to make the list was offensive tackle, Andrew Whitworth at No.69. Of Whitworth, Prisco writes:

He is one of those players who never gets the due he deserves. He is a good pass protector who has improved as a run blocker. He never backs down.

He wasn't on the list last year and it's good to see the big guy get some national love. He's been slighted from the NFL Network's Top-100 List before to much chagrin, but Prisco feels that he's worthy here. We agree. Whitworth comes in ahead of fellow offensive linemen Jared Veldheer, Josh Sitton and Logan Mankins.

The next Bengal on the list is their star wide receiver, A.J. Green, coming in at No.64. It's quite a feat to make this list as a rookie and Prisco acknowledges that.

As a rookie he flashed star potential -- and that was with a rookie quarterback and without an offseason. Scary.

Obviously being a rookie last year, Green wasn't on Prisco's list, but we think he'll be on this list for years to come. Prisco hints at a common theme that both Green and Andy Dalton should benefit from a full 2012 offseason together and we think that there's a lot of truth to that.

The last Bengal to make the list was defensive tackle, Geno Atkins, and he cracked the top-25. At No. 24 overall, Prisco has a lot of admiration for him:

He was a dominant inside player last season, beating up on good guards at times. He has the quickness to get a pass rush, but he's strong enough to hold up against the run.

Atkins is indeed an emerging star who can truly do it all. He was a steal in the fourth round and in two short years, he's gone from rotational player to Pro Bowler. We think he has a lot more big things ahead and he is likely one of the team's biggest priorities to lock up long-term.

Dalton missed making this list and some may argue that he is worthy. The man who beat Dalton out for the 2011 Rookie of the Year Award, Cam Newton, made the list at No.83, so an argue could be had there. Regardless, it's good to see the team get some much-deserved recognition.

Projecting First-Round Contracts For The Cincinnati Bengals

2012-05-17T18:00:25Z

Thanks to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement that was signed last year, rookie contracts are no longer a drawn out process that threatens a player's development deep into training camp. There are no more $50 million guarantees, contractual holdouts and every selection during the 2012 NFL draft is slotted much earlier than ever before. There is a projected price range for each player and we're going to address one of Cincinnati's first-round selections in detail.

Boiling down the potential contract for first-round pick Dre Kirkpatrick, we're required to incorporate previous deals made at No. 17 (last year) as well as the ceiling and floor from this year's draft.

Nate Solder, the No. 17 selection during the 2011 NFL draft, signed a four-year deal with the New England Patriots worth $8.54 million and a $4.71 million signing bonus. Since No. 16 pick Quinton Coples hasn't signed a deal with the New York Jets yet, we have to drop another slot to set the ceiling. The Seattle Seahawks signed defensive end Bruce Irvin at No. 15 to a four-year deal worth $9.342 million, fully guaranteed and a $5.23 million signing bonus. The San Diego Chargers signed Melvin Ingram, selected at No. 18, to a four-year contract worth $8.39 million with $7.61 million guaranteed and a $4.54 million signing bonus. That gives us the floor.

A quick snapshot.

Selection/Player	Years	Total	Signing Bonus
Last Year's No. 17 (Nate Solder)	Four	$8.54M	$4.71M
This Year's No. 15 (Bruce Irvin)	Four	$9.32M	$5.23M
This Year's No. 16 (Quinton Coples)	Unsigned
*Dre Kirkpatrick (Projected)*	*Four*	*$8.5M-$8.8M*	*$4.8M-$5M*
This Year's No. 18 (Melvin Ingram)	Four	$8.39M	$4.54M

Kirkpatrick won't receive less than what Ingram signed for this year or Solder from last year. Taking the higher of the two, we can assume that Kirkpatrick's deal will be more than $8.54 million with a higher signing bonus than $4.71 million. Coples (No. 16 with New York) will receive more than Kirkpatrick (obviously), but less than Irvin.

If we make a wild guess on what Cincinnati's No. 17 pick will sign before this year's training camp, we project Kirkpatrick signing a four-year deal worth something in the neighborhood of $8.5-8.8 million, just shy of a $5 million signing bonus with most of the contract being guaranteed.

But if it's in that neighborhood, why isn't he signed already? Good point. Some believe that there will be a holdup on contracts with mid-to-late selections in the first round due to guaranteed numbers and bonuses. It's not enough to worry about any perceived holdout, but may take a little longer to file those contracts compared to the early signings we've seen already.

Just to wrap up this file for the time being, the Green Bay Packers, who selected Nick Perry at No. 28, have already set the floor for Cincinnati offensive guard Kevin Zeitler, selected one pick earlier at No. 27. Green Bay signed perry to a four-year deal worth $7.5 million with $6.4 million guaranteed and a $4 million signing bonus.

Cincy Jungle Podcast Tonight

2012-05-17T17:24:08Z

Our usual suspects will be getting together (over the phone) to talk Bengals football. We'll be recapping the draft and taking your calls and comments, so be sure to join us. We'll be on the air at 7:30PM EST and will have an Open Thread going throughout the show. See you then!

To listen, go here, and remember you can call in at 661-449-9301

The Cincinnati Bengals Need To Sign Marvin Lewis To An Extension Sooner Rather Than Later

2012-05-17T16:00:28Z

Taking a moment to look back over the previous 17 months, you have to be clutching onto a feeling that things have improved within this organization. They've changed. Along with a vastly improved draft strategy that's resulted in critical foundation pieces, this team has added significant contributors through free agency (Thomas Howard, Manny Lawson) and surprisingly renewed an effort to bring back their own (Reggie Nelson) with enough conviction to replace Jonathan Fanene and Frostee Rucker through free agency and the NFL draft.

Let me make a bold statement. Marvin Lewis has more power today than he did in 2010. Let me make another one. The Cincinnati Bengals have to sign Lewis to a long-term extension.

Lewis has enough speculated influence to make his draft selections, complete control on the personnel of his coaching staff and strong persuasion with ownership to sign a player that he, or someone within his coaching staff, likes, helps reach such conclusions. The scouting department is undergoing renovations, the team is more convinced today than ever about the importance of an indoor practice facility with a willing approach and foresight to prepare for long-term extensions among the team's core players. A franchise quarterback and the team's all-time wide receiver were traded for draft picks during the 2012 NFL draft and two more on tap for next year as well.

Things have changed. Much of it unexpected, all of it welcome. At least that's the plan that we're led to believe.

Almost 17 months ago Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis was a free agent. The team failed to sign the head coach to an extension during the team's playoff push in 2009 and the follow-up four-win campaign that evoked anger against the team once again. Public opinion was split on whether Lewis should remain. No playoff wins, lack of consistency, failure to repeat as postseason participants, too many distractions, inconsistent draft selections, two four-win seasons in the span of three years, it was all there.

Lewis wanted changes within the organization if this partnership was going to continue, ranging from an indoor practice facility, to an improved scouting department, an enhanced role within personnel decisions and total control over his entire coaching staff.

Though it's never been confirmed nor denied that those were his demands, nor has it been acknowledged that those supposed (and reported) demands were capitulated by the team's front office, it's clear that this front office, this organization has changed, specifically after the Bengals signed Marvin Lewis to a two-year deal on January 4, 2011.

Lewis' return easily marks a reference of the team's recent evolution. Though it might be more than that. There is reason to believe that while overall ownership remains with President Mike Brown, his daughter Katie Blackburn is becoming more active in daily operations operations for her aging father. Our belief is that while Mike Brown knows he's the son of the legendary Paul Brown with decades of experience (and thus no need for external voices), Katie Blackburn has enough awareness that decisions made by an NFL team can't be made through a single mind with a singular voice. Afterall it was additional voices that spoke through the choir that led to the Bengals selecting quarterback Andy Dalton and not Ryan Mallett.

It's time to cement this relationship between team and coach, not with just another one or two-year extension. It's time to finalize the partnership with something larger for a head coach that did the impossible -- work with Mike Brown, go to multiple postseasons with a continued evolution of the team's overall philosophy.

In the end it's in Marvin Lewis' hands. The Bengals have already approached Lewis about talks for a long-term extension and Lewis has already admitted that he wants ownership on board with the direction he believes they should take.

"There’s a lot of things that go into that. In the direction of things that we’re doing and how we’re doing things that are important to me," Lewis said. "There were things when I started in this job in 2003 that were important and we can’t change those. They have to stay on track and I have to make sure we’re continuing to progress that way. Those are the things that are more important to me as anything.

"I’m talking about structure, decision and how we do things and how I have the ability to do things that give us an opportunity to win football games."

If our suspicions of an organizational evolution are true, then the Cincinnati Bengals will have no issue falling in step with Lewis' overall vision to modernize a team that people once laughed so heartedly at.

So maybe it's not just in Lewis' hands. It's the Bengals too who have to put forth that commitment. The personnel is improving, the coaching staff is wanted (two received head coaching nominations and last year's defensive backs coach is now the Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator) and internal changes are modernizing the team.

It's time to sign Lewis to a long-term extension and keep this show rolling.