Well folks, the news is starting to roll in.  Per two Joe Reedy tweets (here and here), Wide Receivers Dezmon Briscoe and Matt Jones have been waived today by the Cincinnati Bengals.  Reedy also seems confident that Briscoe will clear waivers and be available for the Bengals to place on the Practice Squad. 

Both Jones and Briscoe have been a point of debate around these parts for quite some time this offseason.  Jones has been slow off the ball since the Bengals signed him, but in some of the action he saw in a couple of preseason games he made some very nice catches. 

Briscoe hadn't gotten many opportunities to shine, but made one highlight reel catch in Thursday's preseason finale against Indianapolis.  The prevailing line of thought (at least from this writer) is that Marvin Lewis and company know that Dezmon is a player with a very high ceiling and they were hoping to give other teams as little film on him as possible during the preseason in the hopes that he would stick on the PS. 

Also noted by Joe Reedy on his twitter feed is the fact that Jerome Simpson has not been waived at this point and if the Bengals carry six receivers, he is now the man who would fill that role. 

As of right now, the Bengals' opening day wide reciever corps is officially comprised of Chad Ochocinco, Terrell Owens, Jordan Shipley, Andre Caldwell, Quan Cosby and Jerome Simpson.  Reedy said the official roster announcement will come between three and four today, so in the next three or four hours we'll know if it's six wide recievers including Simpson or if they'll go into prep for New England carrying five.  That would mean one of two things, that either they carry five on the roster hoping that they'll be able to pluck Briscoe off of the Practice Squad should a need arise or they'll add a sixth WR from the waiver wire. 

My guess at this point is that Jerome Simpson remains as the sixth wide receiver. 

Much more to come today, folks.  Don't you dare move.

Good afternoon Bengalheads. There's not much going on today in the way of Bengals news as far as we can tell. If there are any trade talks in process, which seems improbable for our ferocious feline football club, they're anything but public right now. There are still things that we can debate and think about, even if no breaking news (besides the Ben Roethlisberger suspension-controversial as it may be-that looks like it won't impact the Bengals very much, oh and Corey Dillon's DUI) is happening today.

First, let's briefly revisit the NFL schedule released yesterday. Joe Reedy's breakdown of the schedule, seen here, is a somewhat useful tool when you think about the Bengals' prognosis this year. It is easier to think about games, for me anyway, when they're broken down quarter-by-quarter (of the season), and Reedy's commentary provides some insights into the competition (Miami will probably be better, maybe by the time the Bengals play San Diego, they'll have the AFC West wrapped up).   

Second, what would the day before the draft be without draft speculation? Reedy again is very handy and well-versed on this stuff, as are many of you readers, and he lists offensive prospects that the Bengals may go after in round 1. These include common suspects Dez Bryant, Jermaine Gresham, and Mike Iatupi, and a few guys I've heard mentioned but am not as familiar with in Demaryius Thomas and C/G Maurkice Pouncey. The interesting thing about this year's draft, as we've harped on before, is that the Bengals could be okay picking up any of these guys. The same could be said for Taylor Mays, Earl Thomas, Jason Pierre-Paul, and probably some other defenders I'm forgetting. Will the Bengals go offense or defense?

My question of the day related to the draft is, forgetting about Eric Berry, would you like to see the Bengals trade up in the first round to go after Earl Thomas. If he's around at ~15 or so, it would probably only cost Cincinnati their 1st and a 3rd round pick (according to Pick Value Calculator). Totally worth the price if you ask me. That would give the Bengals a top-tier safety and still 2 more picks in the first 2 rounds, which could be used to grab guys like TE McCoy from USC and WR Mardy Gilyard.

Seattle Seahawks coach, Pete Carroll, is using his Twitter account to give musical clues as to who Seattle has ranked where on their draft board. Very curious, IMO. Just imagine if it was Marvin Lewis.

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Originally tweeted by Adam Schefter and followed up by Cincinnati.com's Joe Reedy, reports are flowing in that the Bengals are close to an agreement for an extension. 

Schefter reported that a deal was done, but Reedy reports here that the deal is in sight but not complete. 

This is one that we've been waiting on, the cohesiveness of the Bengals' offensive line will be bolstered greatly by the retention of a guy like Bobbie Williams.  It would have been a shame to let this one get away. 

Appearances indicate now that unless a killer guard or tackle (Mike Iupati, anyone?) falls to the Bengals in the first round, we're likely to see the same road-grading line take the field this season that we grew to know and love in 2009.

UPDATE: Geoff Hobson confirmed Joe Reedy's report that "there are still loose ends to tie up before it is finalized". Hobson wrote that Williams' agent "said he is still talking to the club about a deal that would bring Williams back for a seventh season at right guard."

Part of the holdup is that Williams is on Easter vacation and the sides are apparently waiting for him to get back so he can be updated on the negotiations. It is a deal that has been expected since free agency opened, when head coach Marvin Lewis said he was confident that a deal would get done because of the mutual enthusiasm for the return of one of their offensive captains from the last several years.

Tight End J.P. Foschi proved to be a pleasant surprise last year in that he, well...he actually caught the ball when it was thrown to him most of the time.  His fourth season as a pro, last season spent in Cincinnati, was far and away his most productive as an NFL player.  Beginning his career in 2005 with the Oakland Raiders, he spent two years on the Bay without catching a touchdown before spending a year away from the league.  He re-entered the NFL in 2008 with the Kansas City Chiefs, where he remained touchdown-less.  As a matter of fact, he remained catch-less since he caught six passes in his rookie season in Oakland. 

He joined the Cincinnati Bengals as a free agent last offseason and emerged as a pretty handy little hot-read option for Carson Palmer.  He had 27 receptions for a total of 260 yards and 2 touchdowns. 

During his nightly show, Lance McAlister said that the Bengals are considering bringing him back for the 2010 season after electing not to tender his contract and releasing him into free agency, where he did not receive any interest. 

My take?  He'd be a good guy to have around in the event we don't score Chris Baker, Chase Coffman remains unable to break into the offense and Dan Coats hasn't received an emergency double metacarpal transplant.

UPDATE: It would appear that the initial word on Foschi's potential return came from Hobson. 

By now I assume you've heard that the Bengals have had 0 players selected to the Pro Bowl. You've probably also heard that Chad Ochocinco has since dismissed the NFL All-Star Game since the Bengals will be playing in the Superbowl the following week anyway. Here's the AFC Pro Bowl roster. Who are your biggest snubs? Who's in that doesn't deserve it?

• Sports Illustrated's Don Banks and Jim Trotter both think that Dhani Jones was the one Bengal most deserving of Pro Bowl recognition. I'll be curious to find out who is at least an alternate. I've gotta assume Ced Benson, Leon Hall, Dhani Jones, and/or Chad Ochocinco drew some heavy votes.
• Yahoo! Sports' MJD takes his eraser to the Pro Bowl squads. The only change he makes that involves Cincinnati is replacing Champ Bailey with Leon Hall. Joe Reedy also thinks that the Champ Bailey selection is questionable. I'm inclined to agree with him and MJD, Leon Hall has been excellent for the majority of the year.
• CBS Sports' Pete Prisco only talks about Bobbie Williams as far as Bengals go in his "snubs" article.
• CNati.com thinks that the Bengals had a bunch of candidates that may end up being alternates. Not that it matters, of course. SUPERBOWL, BABY!
• Moving on, John Eradi highlights Brian "Mr. Cluch" Leonard's season with the Bengals. What an acquisition this guy turned out to be. Give up nothing, get 2-3 wins in return. Chris Crocker called Leonard the team's MVP.
• Apparently Chad Ochocinco is a trashtalker. He's been spewing Twittertalk about Darrelle Revis preceding the Bengals' trip to NYC this weekend. The New York Times' Matt Gagne has the story.
• Power Rankings: Yahoo - 6, ESPN - 7, CBS Sports (noting the awful passing game) - 7, Fox Sports - 10 (they dropped 4 spots after a win and Green Bay is ahead of them, so take that as you will).
• DVOA rankings from Football Outsiders suggest that the Bengals are over-performing. Their computers and stat nerds say Cincinnati's performance should have yielded about 8, not 10 wins.
• Football Outsiders' all-rookie team features 3 Bengals. Guess who? Rey Maualuga (get better soon!), Michael Johnson, and Kevin Huber.

Luckily, media perceptions and All Star games don't really matter in this league. The Bengals are in the playoffs for the second time this decade, and have the potential to beat anyone in a 1-and-done scenario. I still think we probably want to play the Jets in the first round. But it doesn't matter, we'll eventually beat the Chargers, Colts, and Cardinals anyway. How's that for a prediction?

Well, that didn't take long.  Here's the story from PFT. 

This makes me feel good.  This makes me feel very, very good.  This tells me that out of all the other "dubious" signings we've had on tap this year, that had Larry Johnson or anyone else not brought what the Bengals were looking for to the table that the result would have been just this. 

A player who was brought in for a legitimate need, who seemed to be the best fit physically for the need for which he was brought in, was cut a mere three days after his arrival.  That apology that he reportedly called Marvin Lewis to offer got him in the door, but he didn't have any staying power (I mean really, three days?) because the team did not feel he was the asset they had hoped. 

I don't know if it was a locker room issue or an on-the-field issue, but the Bengals clearly weren't impressed.  So they cut him loose.  Again, after THREE DAYS.  Anyone think that everyone else in the locker room isn't taking notice of that? 

Good job, Bengals.  This is what we like to see. 

A Pragmatic Bengals Fan

I've been so bored of Bengals games lately. And I'm not complaining (well, maybe a little) because for the most part, we're winning games. I've voiced my opinion in a few threads about the current brand of offense, which has been excused because the Bengals defeated the Browns and Lions. I contend that the Oakland game is case in point as to why this sort of offense isn't the answer, but alas, I digress. Our boys are 9-3, potentially one week away from sealing the AFC North, and have a blue print to beat the Vikings after their drubbing at the hands of Kurt Warner and his second greatest show on turf. Anyhow, here are some cool stories that mention the Bengals.

• Michael Johnson is a pretty nifty pass rusher, so says John Eradi, and that's just about all he's been asked to do so far this season. Many people have good things to say about the young third round defensive end, who should only become better with time, because he's phyiscally a freak of nature.
• Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati's most famous and probably most decorated sports journalist, says that these Bengals are not the best kind of 9-3. I guess the best kind of 9-3 would be 11-1 and not 9-3, but never the less, Doc says the Bengals need to figure out how to score, or this fairy tale season will have an unhappy ending. I'm inclined to agree, because this rush attack is bad at scoring points even if it is good at chewing up time. Need moar rhythm, moar points, plz.
• Joe Reedy recaps the game, and he includes a nifty little quote from our offensive coordinator, innovative genius, admitting that he may be running the ball on first and second down too predictably. WOW! The genius must be reading Cincy Jungle.
• Cedric Benson ran the ball a whole lot of times considering it was his first game back from injury. I guess the coaches didn't  think he deserved some rest, or forgot we had another bell cow in the stable, as Ced continued to take hits in the 4th quarter. Scott Priestle got Ced's take.
• Priestle also reminds us that there aren't any polls in the NFL, so it doesn't really matter how we win as long as we win. I contend that while there are not polls, it matters how we win, because if we can't throw the ball and find BALANCE, we can't beat the Colts or Saints. Just my opinion.
• CNati.com provides excellent photography at every Bengals game. 
• Not much coverage of the Bengals in national media. Here are post-game quotes, and that's about all I got.

Another dull week in Bengaldome, in my opinion. Boring win over a bad team with another bad team coming to town this weekend. Game still isn't sold out, might not sell out unless the Bengals eat a decent amount of the remaining tickets. Bengals heavy favorites, still talking about getting respect despite being a top team in the AFC by record. I think we've heard this before.

Anyway, here are a few links.

• Power rankings! CBS: 5. Fox: 4. Yahoo: 6. ESPN: 5.
• Chris Chase lists his 10 top plays of the decade in the NFL. The Bengals weren't involved in any of them, perhaps unsurprisingly.
• Pete Prisco gave the Bengals a B- for their win over the Browns. The cumulative GPA is down to a 2.95.
• Charles Robinson says the Bengals have been flying under the radar. Are we the best team in the NFL that no one is talking about? Cool video from Yahoo! Sports. We apparently have to win playoff games to get respect, despite the fact that we have the best scoring defense in the league.
• Joe Reedy reports on some major storylines, including that Mike Zimmer is happy with the defense. I would be too, it's the best in the league.