If God were a sports fan, then he did a horrible job coinciding Cincinnat's weather with a boring sports day. Baking in the heat while a perfectly operational air conditioning unit feels neglected because sports on Saturday wasn't enough to keep the general sports fan at home. We love you air conditioning. We'll make it up. Regardless there are sports today and there will be something for someone to enjoy, be it racing, golf or a primetime Cincinnati Reds date.

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There's a lot of topics to kick around on this Friday heading into Memorial Day Weekend. Since some of you are already done for the weekend, we thought we would get an early start on your forum as well.

On the positive side, rookie guard, Kevin Zeitler signed his contract today, leaving only two other rookies unsigned. This is a stark contrast to the days of old, where many Bengals rookies would not be under contract in late May.

On the negative side, Bengals undrafted rookie free agent, Brandon Joiner was sentenced to three years in prison today. This arrest has cast a black cloud over the franchise once again, and some think that it has tarnished the good offseason that they've achieved thus far. What do you think?

We also want to take this opportunity to thank the men and women who serve(d) in the United States armed forces. We are eternally grateful for what you do for this country. Feel free to share any stories you'd like.

Since the mid-2000s, the Bengals have had this image of being a safe haven for criminals, miscreants and other NFL players who have had legal run-ins. From 2005-2008, the amount of Bengal player arrests was staggering and it led to a number of players being suspended and/or booted from the team. It hindered the franchise's growth, as the club had placed some relatively high hopes in these troubled athletes and it blew up in their faces often.

It's difficult to say with certainty as to who gave these troubled players a chance (sometimes a second or third one), but signs point to owner, Mike Brown. With the case of former Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry, Brown notoriously referred to himself as a "redeemer", cementing the team's reputation as being a sanctuary for players that have a checkered past.

That had seemed to dissipate over the last couple of years, but with the earlier news that rookie free agent Brandon Joiner was sentenced to three years in prison, some are wondering if the team is headed right back to their tumultuous days of seven years ago. NFL analysts are starting to paint that picture as well--but is it warranted?

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Hue Jackson is listed as the Bengals' Assistant Special Teams Coach and Assistant Defensive Backs Coach. It's a bit odd when you think about it, because he has five years experience as a wide receivers coach, eleven years experience as a running back coach, six years experience as a quarterbacks coach, and eight years experience as an offensive coordinator. Most recently, he was the head coach of the Oakland Raiders in 2011, who ranked 9th in team offense, but 29th in team defense.

He hasn't coached special teams since 1991, and he has never held a position on the defensive side of the ball. Until this year, when the Bengals signed him in February to help out in both those phases. A little bit of a head-scratcher, right? That's why we think that the Bengals have brought in Jackson as an insurance policy for if/when Offensive Coordinator Jay Gruden possibly receives a head coaching offer from another NFL team.

For the coming season, though, Jackson is already making his presence felt on all sides of the field. When A.J. Green made a catch over the middle at Tuesday's OTAs, Jackson playfully remarked "Hey A.J. Green, if this was a game, you'd be on your way to Christ Hospital", according to Bengals.com's Geoff Hobson.

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Despite today's news that undrafted free agent Brandon Joiner has been sentenced to three years in prison for a robbery that occurred in 2007, the Bengals have announced that they will retain his rights, per Joe Reedy of The Cincinnati Enquirer. Joiner's contract runs through the 2014 season, per NFLPA files.

It is unlikely that Joiner makes the team out of training camp regardless of what happens with the legal situation. According to theeagle.com in Bryan-College Station, Tex, Joiner was indicted for two counts of aggravated robbery and one charge of felony drug possession a month after Joiner and a teammate from Texas A&M allegedly broke into an apartment and robbed a drug dealer at gunpoint.

The Bengals have reportedly been impressed with Joiner's community service and clean record since the incident occurred in 2007. Joiner's attorney Jay Granberry told theeagle.com that good behavior for Joiner could result in him being paroled in six to nine months. Granberry says:

"Since this incident, Brandon has conducted himself in an exemplary fashion and I’m sure he will continue to do that," Granberry told theeagle.com. "There are a lot of people rooting for Brandon and I’m convinced he’s not going to let anyone down."

The Cincinnati Bengals announced on Friday that they signed rookie offensive guard Kevin Zeitler, the team's second first-round draft pick during the 2012 NFL draft, selected at No. 27 overall, ten spots after rookie cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick. Details of the contract are currently unknown, but we can make our assumptions.

Linebacker Nick Perry, selected one spot after Zeitler, signed a four-year deal worth $7.5 million with $6.4 million guaranteed, including a $4 million signing bonus. So you can imagine that Zeitler's deal won't be less than that. Perhaps

That leaves two rookies from this year's class currently unsigned; defensive tackle Brandon Thompson and wide receiver Mohamed Sanu.

Competition. Training camp battles. Multiple players fighting like gladiators for a sustained paycheck through the 2012 season. Perhaps a postseason appearance, bonuses for all-star consideration and maybe the ever-elusive ring to add to their collections. There will be fights for multiple positions. Cornerback, with unknown variables that fail to dictate predictions (aka, Leon Hall), is one. Who will be the team's No. 2 wide receiver is another.

And through the first week of OTAs, it would appear that Brandon Tate is the early favorite. And Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton is excited about what Tate can do.

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Despite the fact that there's really no peace between the league and the NFL Players Association, there is a collectively bargained agreement through the 2020 season. What happens between the warring factions will have limited, if any, repercussions during actual games. However NFL referees may be an entirely different matters. The NFL Referees Association and the NFL are headed to federal mediation, according to the Washington Post.

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Soon after the 2012 NFL draft, the Cincinnati Bengals signed Arkansas State defensive end Brandon Joiner, who generated at least a partial sack during ten of his final 12 games in college, was named to the All-Sun Belt Conference First-Team and awarded as the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year. Now that NFL career is going to wait.

According to ArkansasSports360.com, Joiner was sentenced to three years in prison for "his role in a 2007 robbery." According to TheEagle.com:

Brandon H.W. Joiner, 23, of Killeen, was indicted for two counts of aggravated robbery and one charge of felony drug possession in January 2008, about a month after police said he and another former A&M player broke into a College Station apartment and robbed a drug dealer at gunpoint.

The posting continues:

According to court documents, Joiner and Yemi Babalola — who was sentenced to five years in prison for the incident in 2009 and released on parole in December 2011 — forced their way into an apartment and punched one of the male residents in the face before ordering him and another man to the ground.

Joiner and Babalola used duct tape to bind the man before taking off with wallets, keys, cellphones and marijuana, the police report stated.

Jay Granberry, Joiner's defense attorney, said that "he expects his client could be released on parole after six to nine months in prison."

Joiner was an unlikely candidate to make the 2012 Cincinnati Bengals squad as it was; we're fairly more confident with that assessment today than we were earlier this week.

The Cincinnati Bengals announced on Wednesday that they signed sixth-round pick, running back Dan "Boom" Herron. Since we love the art of conjecturing rookie contracts, we forecasted that Herron's four-year deal will be worth something in the neighborhood of $2.201 million with more than a $102,000 signing bonus. We were close.

According to NFL Insider Aaron Wilson, Herron's four-year deal is worth $2.203 million, which includes a $103,152 signing bonus. Herron, selected No. 191 overall, signed a deal slightly higher than Charles Mitchell, who was selected at No. 192, signing a four-year deal worth $2.201 million with a $101,672 signing bonus.

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