Bengals bites (1/15) and open thread

Former Bengals player partners to develop Tower Place Mall:
Former Cincinnati Bengals safety Chinedum Ndukwe has a new real estate development and investment firm that is partnering to redevelop downtown’s Cincinnati Tower Place Mall.

Contract extensions enter uncharted waters for these NFL players
The new cap on rookie contracts in the NFL's CBA means that precedents will be set in the 2014 offseason. With 2011 rookies now up for contract extensions, here are the obvious candidates in a time that will be filled with surprises, mistakes and confusion.

Vikings, Zimmer meet again, but no decision made
The relentlessly breathless NFL news cycle began normal enough for Vikings fans at 6:25 Tuesday morning when someone tweeted a photo of Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer checking in with a Minneapolis gate agent inside the Cincinnati airport.

Northern Illinois QB catches eye in Shrine Game practices
The East-West Shrine Game quarterback you have probably heard of is Northern Illinois' Jordan Lynch, who finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting this season.

Best in show
The best season under Marvin Lewis with top 10 NFL rankings in three phases and an undefeated regular season at home, shouldn't be vaporized from the archives.

The Walkthrough: Zimmer watch and let’s discuss McFadden
In six years in the league, McFadden has never made it through an entire season healthy. As Paul Gutierrez of ESPN pointed out, McFadden has missed 29 games over his career "with toe, knee, hamstring, toe, foot, ankle, hamstring and ankle injuries." That’s nearly two seasons worth of injuries for  a running back that Gutierrez said made McFadden more Limp DMC than Run DMC.

Geathers primed for another run with same cast
While his torn right triceps shelved him for the entire season, Robert Geathers's teammates knew he would have come back if allowed and voted him the club's Ed Block Courage Award.

The Morning Line, 1/14, Zimmer out?
It looks more and more as if Mike Zimmer is a goner. It seems a little odd that the Vikings would replace one former defensive coordinator (L.Frazier) with another. But it could be a good opportunity for a very deserving guy.

Ten stats
Ten stats to watch for the Bengals in 2014. And what the NFL's Final Four can teach us.

Parcells: Zimmer was raised to be a coach
Said Parcells about Zimmer in August to The Enquirer: "You want my prototype? It’s the Belichicks and Zimmers. They grew up with it, they get it. He got it at a young age. Mike is a little high-strung, a little bit like me, but I don’t know what they are waiting for with this guy because he has leadership qualities and he can coach."

NFL concussion lawsuit settlement: Judge Anita Brody denies preliminary approval
On Aug. 29, 2013, the NFL and over 4,000 former players who had sued the league agreed to a settlement totaling $760 million. The lawsuits stemmed from the contention that the NFL knew about the dangers of on-field head injuries long before it did enough about them, and that those players affected have not been helped enough in their post-football lives. The settlement came after more than two months of intense negotiations, and was given to Judge Anita Brody for preliminary approval On Tuesday, Judge Brody denied that preliminary motion, stating in her ruling that she was concerned with a lack of documentation regarding the fairness of the final monetary figure, and whether the players involved would be diagnosed and paid properly based on their claims.

Judge rejects proposed $765 million NFL concussion settlement
Brody was likely also motivated by the fact that more 70 retired NFL players -- including former Broncos quarterback Craig Morton and former Seahawks wide receiver Koren Robinson -- have filed concussion lawsuits against the NFL since the proposed settlement was reached last August. Their lawsuits suggest that many retired players are dissatisfied with the proposed settlement and that its approval would fail to represent their views. Along those lines, had Brody approved the settlement, many retired players might have opted out and begun a new wave of concussion litigation against the NFL. Brody was also undoubtedly aware of the public outcry following the Frontline special League of Denial, which aired on PBS in October and concluded that the NFL acted unethically in the past over concussions.

Report: Arian Foster sued by woman claiming she was pressured to have abortion
A woman is suing Houston Texans running back Arian Foster, according to legal documents obtained by TMZ (via Pro Football Talk). The woman claims that Foster and family members harassed her to have an abortion after Foster impregnated her, according to the report.

New coaches change mock draft
24. Bengals Jason Verrett, CB TCU

Bears fan who used stun gun on Packers-loving wife fined $250
You remember in November when a man named John Grant Tasered his wife, Nicole, because he, a Bears fan, won a bet against his wife, a Packers fan, that Chicago would beat Green Bay.

2014 NFL playoffs: What to watch in AFC, NFC championship games
It's the NFL final four 'everyone' wants -- New England-Denver in the AFC and San Francisco-Seattle in the NFC. Old-school passers (Brady, Manning) in one and stout defense with new age QBs (Kaepernick, Wilson) in the other.