Andrew Hawkins compares Karlos Dansby to James Harrison, offers glowing praise

Former Bengals wide receiver Andrew Hawkins didn't get to see his former teammates Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones join him on the Cleveland Browns this offseason like he wanted, but life will go on for Hawkins who is sure to have many new teammates and position mates by the time the season starts.

Baby Hawk spoke with Bengals.com's Geoff Hobson to offer his thoughts on former Browns, now Bengals linebacker, Karlos Dansby. I'm a big fan of the Dansby signing; it's a team-friendly deal, the linebacker comes with plenty of experience (including Super Bowl experience) and his stats speak for themselves. Hawkins offered a shining endorsement for Dansby, which makes me like the deal even more:

To give you an idea how well they have added to their roster, former Bengals wide receiver Andrew Hawkins, Dansby's teammate in Cleveland, says his old team has not only come up with another good locker room guy but a zealot when it comes to work ethic.

"He takes the game very seriously. You have to to have played as long as he has," Hawkins said Friday. "He's as committed to playing as anyone I've seen while I've been playing. He'll eat the exact same meal at the exact same time for weeks, it's that important to him. He's literally 24-7. He'll sleep in a hyperbaric chamber. He and James Harrison are neck and neck when it comes to preparing themselves.

"He's a motivator," Hawkins said. "He's just not going through the motions when he goes out there and plays."

It's one thing to hear coaches and beat writers say Dansby is a great leader and hard worker, but to hear it from a teammate is another thing. Hawkins' praise for Dansby plays into many things the Bengals need: committed, hard workers, people who take the game as seriously as it gets and good role models. A comparison to James' Harrison's work ethic doesn't hurt either. Interestingly, when the Bengals signed Harrison two years ago, Dansby had also visited the team and almost signed a deal with the Bengals at that time. Though it didn't work out then, now seems like a great time to add a veteran like Dansby.

Dasby is a perfect addition to a Bengals linebacker group that needs immediate improvement and a dependable starter while Vontaze Burfict serves his suspension.

I'm buying what Hawkins is selling.