Bengals Bytes (6/24): Can't get it right

Police: Son of former Bengals RB Wilson shot by homeowner
A naked man who was shot by a Southwest Portland homeowner while attempting to break into a home Wednesday afternoon is a former NFL player, according to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office. Stanley Wilson II, 33, of Portland played college football at Stanford and played cornerback for the Detroit Lions from 2005-2007. He was waived by the Lions in 2008, according to Rotoworld.com.

'Top 100 Players of 2016': No. 29 Geno Atkins
DT Geno Atkins was voted the 29th-best player in the NFL by his peers on "Top 100 Players of 2016."

AFC North Q&A: Is Vontaze Burfict dirty or just ultra-competitive?
Vontaze Burfict isn't a player who inspires ambivalence. The love-him-or-hate-him reaction to the Cincinnati Bengals linebacker is based on his style of play, which at best is All-Pro caliber and at worst is considered over the line. He will serve a three-game suspension to start 2016 after a hit to Antonio Brown caused a season-ending concussion for the Pittsburgh Steelers receiver in last season's wild-card playoff game. The question is: Does the rest of the division view Burfict as dirty or just ultra-competitive?

AFC North Bytes

Antonio Brown catches passes from Russell Wilson's 'cannon'
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown's game is exclusive to Ben Roethlisberger in the fall, but he shares his skills with at least one other star quarterback in the offseason. Brown went to work with Seattle Seahawks signal-caller Russell Wilson on the UCLA campus this week, as Brown and Wilson shared on their social media accounts. Brown even documented some of the action, with a clip of the two stretching on his snapchat.

Browns rookies visit Hall of Fame
The NFL moved the annual Rookie Symposium to Northeast Ohio in 2012 in part so each of the league’s drafted rookies could visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. The league scrapped the symposium this year in favor of orientation programs for drafted and undrafted rookies at each team’s facility, but the Browns used a little home-site advantage Thursday to take their rookies 50 or so miles south to the Hall of Fame.

Kid Trolls Steve Smith at Football Camp, Says 'Go Patriots' Instead of Ravens
When you're at a football camp hosted by Steve Smith, you at least pretend to like the Baltimore Ravens. That is, unless you're a New England Patriots fan. One young camper at the wide receiver's camp for military kids made no bones about which team had his allegiance. When Smith broke a huddle with a "Go Ravens," the kid opted for a "Go Patriots" instead—and he made sure his professional host heard it.

Random Bytes

Four major NFL storylines to watch during the summer quiet period
The only true "dead zone" in the year-round enterprise that has become the National Football League is upon us: The six weeks of nothing between the end of minicamps and the start of training camps.

Exclusive: NFL players speak out on marijuana policy Video
When NFL lineman Eugene Monroe spoke out publicly against the NFL’s ban on marijuana, it sparked a national conversation about the merits of cannabis as an alternative method of pain management for players.

Ranking NFL head coaches as players from 32-1
There's one Pro Bowler among them. Others, such as Adam Gase and Ben McAdoo, only played in high school. Kevin Seifert ranks NFL coaches as players, from worst to best with Marvin Lewis ranking right in the middle.

Panel studying stadium plan in Vegas gets new numbers
A day after Las Vegas won a bid for an NHL expansion team, a governor's panel studying a proposed 65,000-seat domed stadium to lure a pro football franchise was greeted Thursday with a pep talk and changing financial figures.

Judge bars Wells Fargo signs near Minnesota Vikings' stadium
A judge on Thursday ordered Wells Fargo to take down office-tower rooftop signs near the Minnesota Vikings' new stadium. U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank gave Wells Fargo 30 days to remove elevated signs from the rooftops of two office towers near U.S. Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis, the Star Tribune reported. Frank also ordered Wells Fargo to pay the Vikings' legal fees, finding the San Francisco-based bank had breached a contract.

Aldon Smith to Be Arraigned for Violation of Probation
Oakland Raiders linebacker Aldon Smith will be arraigned Friday for violating his probation in an incident stemming from a prior conviction.  CSNBayArea.com reported the news Thursday, indicating it wasn't clear which incident Smith's charge is from.

Reggie Bush has had two teams call him
Speaking on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Bush said Thursday that two teams have called him, but he's "just taking my time in this process. I want to do it the right way."

J.J. Watt, Rob Gronkowski top NFL's best non-QBs
As much as it might stagger the imagination of a 21st century football fan, quarterbacks weren't always atop the NFL's salary-structure food chain. Back in the late 1970s, Hall of Fame running backs O.J. Simpson and Walter Payton were the highest-paid players in the league. The subject is back in the news of late, with Von Miller's quest to become the highest-paid defensive star and Fletcher Cox's new contract that rewards him as the second-highest paid non-quarterback in NFL history.