Bengals Bytes (2/10): Dishing out help

Geno Atkins is the AFC North defensive player of the year
NFL Nation reporters from the AFC North -- Jeremy Fowler, Coley Harvey, Jamison Hensley and Pat McManamon -- have reviewed the film and sorted through the analytics to determine the 2015 annual awards for the division. Geno Atkins won the award with Carlos Dunlap as the runner up.

10 Bengals thoughts from Super Bowl week in SF
From the time you land at San Francisco International Airport on the Monday of Super Bowl week until the moment the confetti cannons dumped gold all over the grass at Levi’s Stadium, one primary theme carried every day of 50 week: the NFL does big better than anyone.

Andy Dalton, Cam Newton shouldn't change confident approach
In the days since his Panthers lost Super Bowl 50 to the Denver Broncos, Newton has been hammered for the mostly short answers he gave before he interrupted his postgame press availability by walking away. He's been chided for being childish. He's been labeled a sore loser. One of the solutions some have come up with for Newton's apparent behavioral lapse is for him to ditch the personality. Be more robotic, they have said. Simply play quarterback and provide the types of standard, pat answers he thinks reporters want to hear, they add. Remember pre-2015 Andy Dalton? That's the quarterback they are calling for Newton to become.

Big tackles by Cincinnati Bengals helped dish out more than 43,000 servings
Much of the Cincinnati Bengals' AFC North championship this past season was built upon the shoulders of its defense, a unit that allowed the second-fewest points in the NFL. Thanks to the many stops that contributed to so few touchdowns and field goals being scored, the Bengals also did something for their city.

Random Bytes

Keith Olbermann Bearish on Future of SportsCenter (And All Generalist Studio Sports TV)
Keith Olbermann joined Jonah Keri’s Nerdist podcast for a two-part marathon late last week. Around the 1:19:00-mark of Part I, they began talking about contemporary sports media, and Olbermann, who as we’re all aware made his bones as a SportsCenter anchor alongside Dan Patrick in the 1990’s, spelled out doom and gloom for the future of the franchise.

Jalen Ramsey's versatility makes him a top NFL prospect
With the 2016 draft season underway, Sam Monson will open up his Analysis Notebook once again to share an in-depth evaluation of one top prospect each week. This week, we’ll explore the strengths, weaknesses and bottom-line scouting report for Florida cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

NFL will consider Talib suspension
Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib viewed his decision to violently pull Panthers receiver Corey Brown to the ground by his facemask as something that would simply draw the equivalent of a parking ticket. Talib instead may be parked on the couch when the 2016 season begins.

Family was celebrating, but Eli Manning was lost in thoughts of two
Plenty of people were wondering why Giants quarterback Eli Manning had a blank stare on his face when his brother led a Super Bowl-clinching touchdown drive. The short answer might be that that's just his default face.

How the Super Bowl 50 ratings stack up
Given the finish of Sunday’s game, it was clear that CBS was unlikely to top last year’s Super Bowl in viewership given the finish of New England’s win over Seattle. But 111.9 million average viewers—and a peak average of 115.5 million viewers from 8:30-9 p.m. ET—was a solid rating for CBS given the game lacked the drama viewers have been treated to for most of the games since 2008.

Top 10 free agent safeties
With many teams hoping to sure up their secondary this offseason, the safety position is near the top of many franchise offseason needs lists. George Iloka comes in at number 3 behind Eric Berry and Eric Weddle.

Adidas offers $1 million to prospect who breaks 40-yard dash record
Adidas will offer $1 million to any NFL draft prospect who sets a new record in the 40-yard dash at the 2016 NFL combine, the company announced on Tuesday. According to the official terms and conditions, only players who wear Adidas cleats are eligible for the money prize.

Jay and Dan Will Return to FS1 Airwaves With Rebooted Fox Sports Live On February 22
Fox Sports Live co-anchors Jay Onrait and Dan O'Toole, who took turns this past week blasting their own network on TV, social media and on the radio, will return to FS1’s airwaves on February 22nd to debut a new version of the show, sources tell The Big Lead.

4 NFL teams that won’t make the playoffs again next season
Every season over the past decade, at least four playoff teams failed to make the postseason in the following season. With parity at an all-time high in the NFL, don’t expect any deviation from that trend in 2016. But which four teams will fall back next season? We take a look at the teams least likely to make it back to the playoffs, starting with the most likely to prove us wrong.