Bengals Bites: OOOOk-lahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain

Maualuga still clawing in the middle
"He’s like, ‘I’m afraid I’ll lose my job.’ That was something I always remember and keep in the back of my mind," Maualuga said. "Opportunity is given to people that are ready."

Bengals’ Giovani Bernard in a good place
In front of 1,200 fans the second straight day on a practice field adjacent to Paul Brown Stadium, running back Giovani Bernard wiggled past linebacker Emmanuel Lamur during a one-on-one drill, eliciting a small cheer from those looking on. Those plays drawing roars from the crowd came often during the first two days of practices.

Bengals mixed on Sunday's Oklahoma drill
For some, it's the most anticipated moment of training camp. For others, it's a pain they would rather not endure. Ahead of Sunday afternoon's Oklahoma drill, the first fully padded, live contact exercise of their training camp, the Cincinnati Bengals offered mixed reviews on the necessity of the task.

Practice mastered, Burkhead eyes preseason games
The distance the back treks depends on the play, everyone is different. And then there's Rex Burkhead. Rarely does the ball tuck into his No. 33 jersey without him ending either in the end zone or the vicinity of it. Coming from a mentality where practice reps have traditionally meant the primary medium to impress coaches, the second-year pro doesn't plan on throwing away opportunities.

Cincinnati Bengals' defensive goal? Be 'smart bullies'
Printed on the fronts of T-shirts and plastered into an image that occasionally flashes on the television screens mounted atop the wall posts inside the Bengals' locker room, representations of the Lombardi Trophy have been visible. The actual trophy has never seen Paul Brown Stadium, although the Bengals hope to change that this year.

Bengals notebook: Defense builds mentality of being ‘smart bullies’
Bengals first-year defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said he isn’t worried about putting his stamp on a unit that ranked third in the NFL last season under Mike Zimmer. Instead, Guenther wants the players to create their own identity, one that has a unique name.

After missing 2013, Lamur fighting to start for Bengals
It was a dislocated shoulder that kept Emmanuel Lamur from playing in the 2013 regular season for the Bengals, but it's a permanent chip he keeps on that shoulder that had the undrafted free agent linebacker pushing for a starting spot last season and has him taking nothing for granted heading into this season.

Bengals' Huber getting back into the punting groove
It was nothing like punting in a game with a full-scale rush bearing down on him, but Bengals punter Kevin Huber passed his first test Thursday afternoon after being cleared by doctors to practice. "That was the first time since Pittsburgh that I was actually behind the punt team," Huber said Friday. "At first it was a little uncomfortable, with a lot of moving parts. I felt a little rusty, but after a couple of reps I settled into it and it was fine.

Cincinnati Bengals camp report: Day 3
Offense was the big story for the Bengals through the first two days of training camp, but on Saturday, defense stole the headlines. Cornerbacks Adam Jones and Darqueze Dennard had a few key pass breakups and interceptions in a practice that hinged largely on third-down play.

Terence Newman: Bengals' playoff loss on players
"Everybody that's here knows exactly what happened," he said. "We just didn't get it done. "You can't blame it on coaches. You can't blame it on management. It was us, the players."

Summer of revival for O-Line
On a postcard summer day at the Paul Brown Stadium practice fields Friday (sunny and 78 degrees), the offensive line wrote a note to Bengaldom to let it know that despite all the offseason gnashing of teeth, things are just fine early on, thank you.

Marvin Lewis news conference transcript
"Yeah, I mean our guys run. That’s what we do. We run all the time. We work hard. They left here in a good spot. It’s a shorter period than it’s been in years past. They came back in good order."

Camp report: depth charge on third down
With about a period-and-a-half devoted to third down, the Bengals defense showed why it was second best in the NFL in third down efficiency last season during Saturday’s practice on the Paul Brown Stadium fields.

Green-Ellis sliding into obscurity in Cincinnati
With the Bengals spending a second-round pick in each of the last two years on tailbacks, a free-agent arrival from 2012 has moved closer to becoming the odd man out.