Bengals Early Bird Special

Good morning everyone! Time to rise and shine. Grab yourself the breakfast of champions. I'm referring to coffee and a donut, not Wheaties. 

So by now I'm sure a lot of people have heard the news regarding Jerome Simpson and Anthony Collins, (if not see below). Assuming that all of this is indeed true, then Simpson can probably kiss his Bengals career good-bye. I cannot envision him suiting up for the Bengals again. Not only has he damaged his image, he's made the Bengals look foolish (even though Mike Brown does an awesome job of doing that all on his own), and has damaged the team.

Simpson was a second-round pick out of Coastal Carolina. He was picked ahead of DeSean Jackson and other players who have had more success then him! There were high expectations for him to evolve into a long-ball threat and to be a viable target for his quarterback, but he fell well short of expectations. He was praised for his speed and his hands. But he never did capitalize on his abilities and amounted to nothing more than a third wide receiver at best.

However, this season Simpson was catapulted into being the number two wide receiver opposite of A.J. Green. The results haven't been jaw-dropping. I think Simpson was never capable of being a number two receiver. He never really performed well when giving playing time until the final three games of the 2010 season. Those results didn't carry over into this season. And now Simpson may never be able to prove his value.

Not only does Simpson hurt his image, he also hurts the Bengals on the depth charts. With Jordan Shipley out for the season, Andre Caldwell is the most likely candidate to slide into the number two slot. But then who becomes the third receiver? Do the Bengals go with Ryan Whalen, a rookie that they regard highly? Or do they move Brandon Tate to the third slot and have Andrew Hawkins become the return specialist? Those are some questions that hopefully will be answered in the near future.

Alright here is a look at what you may have missed or overlooked from Wednesday.

• Cincinnati media has confirmed that two Bengals players are being questioned after high-grade marijuana shipments arrived at the home of Jerome Simpson. This very well could end Simpson's Bengals career and it undoubtedly will hurt the Bengals depth-wise. But maybe we should be patient and not condemn those involved until all of the facts are revealed. 
• Check out our weekly podcast.
• Mike Brown could possibly leave a legacy that has nothing to do with football. Yes, you read that correctly.
• Sports writers are presented with numerous questions on a daily basis. With all of the questions they receive, they are lucky if they can respond to a majority of them. Well Peter King actually responded to a Bengals fan. Sound the alarms!
• Taylor Mays has returned to practice and it appears as if he's on pace to play on Sunday, whereas 49ers' wide receiver Braylon Edwards is going to miss Sunday's game.
• The Bengals thought so highly of Taylor Mays that they nearly traded a fourth-round draft pick for him during the 2010 draft. Waiting pays off, sometimes.
• Even though the Bengals lost to the Broncos on Sunday there were some Bengals players who had breakout performances. And three of those players have been nominated for AFC Offensive Player of the Week.
• Bengals fans who continue paying for the stadium are being rewarded....with...a....blackout? Don't remind me of the stadium "deal."
• Check out the connections between the Bengals and the 49ers. One connection is the familiar face that Andrew Whitworth will be blocking on Sunday. 
• While Brandon Gates gets "comfortable" with his new team and role, former Bengals return specialist Quan Cosby signed with the Denver Broncos.