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+ Who-Dey Weekly celebrates their 100th episode, with sounds clips from Paul Brown Stadium. Interviews include players like Chris Pressley, Andrew Whitworth, Tyler Eifert, A.J. Green, and Dre Kirkpatrick. We also hear from coaches like Marvin Lewis and Hue Jackson, and the Voice of the Bengals, Dave Laptham. The crew even manages to discuss some of the issues facing the Bengals recently. Give the show a listen and enjoy.
+ I'll leave you with one concluding thought on the Robert Sands release on Wednesday. Some have suggested that he was released because he just wasn't that good. That's plainly obvious. Cincinnati isn't the type of team that would release a decent player on June 12, just to make a point or to free space for another player.
Our perspective was countering the other prevailing opinions. There are a handful of players currently on the team that do not figure into the teams plans, so we didn't buy that. We also doubt that the team is sending any messages of substance, at least in context to Adam Jones' recent entanglement. Releasing Sands to make room, based on popular opinion, makes the most sense. And since Sands just wasn't that good, he was released to make room for an eventual acquisition.
We doubt anything happens until after minicamp, but that would be too obvious.
+ The Cincinnati Enquirer (Joe Reedy and Paul Dehner) with day two observations of minicamp | Day One.
+ Joe Reedy also highlights the vacant free safety position battle between Taylor Mays, Shawn Williams, and Jeromy Miles. Mays appears to be the leading candidate, primarily due to his first-team involvement on defense. Miles has had a good share of snaps but Williams figures to be the eventual starter -- maybe not in week one.
+ Kevin Goheen with FoxSportsOhio.com pens a perspective that, fair or not, players are one of the more recognizable figures. This is largely in response to Adam Jones, who was captured on video for an incident that led to a serious charge of assault. That awareness should be applied when they're conducting their actions.
"When you put yourself in a situation where you want to go eat, of course you want to have some privacy and be with your wife, your family, your kids but we’re in a situation where we’re in the limelight and people are going to know who we are so things like that we have no control over," Rey Maualuga told Goheen.
+ Geoff Hobson writes about the Bengals depth at the offensive line.
But when they return for training camp July 25, they'll do it with their deepest offensive line in head coach Marvin Lewis' 11 seasons.
"As a group, probably," said left tackle Andrew Whitworth, who should know as the line dean heading into his eighth season.
+ Most of you have read enough Paul Daugherty to know his stances over the years, sometimes even playing the antagonist. Yet at one point he was the disgruntled leader of millions of disgruntled fans against the Bengals during "the lost years" or "the age of helplessism". Daugherty pens that the Bengals are "inches from being very good", looking for that next big moment. Which will likely come from Andy Dalton.
Make no mistake. Even with all the sunny news emanating from PBS – the run of highly praised drafts, the apparent collection of mostly low-key hard workers, the recent sort-of success the Bengals have had – nothing works without the quarterback. In the NFL, it always comes down to the quarterback. The Bengals will go as Dalton goes. Until he completes that signature throw, Dalton will be viewed through slightly squinted eyes.
+ Despite most of the first-team snaps going to Taylor Mays during OTAs, a clear-cut favorite for the vacant starting safety position opposite Reggie Nelson, appears to be wide open.
+ Highlighting a few of the better comments from this week.
On Anthony Cosenza's posting that Dalton intends to take control, reader lightskin350 writes:
I did not know that DALTON was third in TD passes in NFL history of QB in their 1st two seasons. Manning and Marino you could argue are top 5 players of all time and DALTON name is right behind them. ANDY is putting up those numbers considering that we only have one dominant WR and a bunch of complimentary players that don’t scare defenses. I have been super hard on DALTON for his play in big games but I think that all ends in 2013. The team finally has surrounded him with elite talent with EIFERT and GIO who are going to open up the field for GRESHAM and SANU. I believe that GRESHAM is going to shock a lot of people with his stats this year. He could have his first 1000 yard season.
In the same post, reader Braintrust writes:
Dalton was as scared as he looked last year bailing the pocket and going fetal. When you have to call out your starting quarterback halfway through the season, that tells the world that he’s afraid of the competition, his teammates, or both.
Toughness and confidence are part of the position. Seems like Andy is more motivated andSTILL is being challenged publicly by his coach. Nice play, Marv.
(h/t to SCBengalsfan)