Bengals Bytes (6/7): Taking on Manziel

LaFell Seeks Second Ring In Cincinnati
"Andy (Dalton) is a great guy and a great young quarterback that’s been producing year in and year out and been getting his team better year in and year out," LaFell said. "This team has been winning for the last six or seven years – since Andy’s been in the league and before that when they had Chad (Johnson) and those guys. I wanted to come in to a great situation where I had an opportunity to play with a good quarterback, get a lot of playing time, and to win. Since I’ve been here, that’s all I’ve been seeing."

Green camp set for July 14-15
There have become two rites of passage during an A.J. Green season since he joined the Bengals in 2011. He starts it hosting a youth camp at Sycamore High School on the eve of training camp and ends it in the Pro Bowl.

With Tyler Eifert out, ending mental errors new focus for backup TEs
Once during the Cincinnati Bengals' most recent open organized team activity (OTA) practice, backup tight end C.J. Uzomah went down to the ground after a ball had been thrown his way. He had just dropped a pass.

Adam Jones offers free camp
Bengals Pro Bowl cornerback Adam Jones is holding a free camp for the first 400 kids that sign up at La Salle High School on June 18. It is first come, first served with registration beginning at 2 p.m. at the La Salle football field. The camp is from 5-9 p.m. with free food and instruction from Jones, many of the Bengals rookies, and some of the veterans.

Ronald McDonald Rookie Visit
Cincinnati Bengals rookies visit Ronald McDonald House in Cincinnati, OH.

Ali still rumbles in this jungle
The photo of Ali from that day in Georgetown on Kevin Coyle's bulletin board. It turns out that Marvin Lewis and Hue Jackson, whose boyhoods on opposite coasts were mesmerized by the deeds and words of Muhammad Ali, both have signed Ali boxing gloves hanging in their homes.

Vontaze Burfict Suspension Might Not Matter to Bengals
Vontaze Burfict is the emotional leader on this defense. Unfortunately, the Bengals’ linebacker will be suspended for the first three games of the season, due to his hit on Antonio Brown in the Wildcard game and history. Burfict missing from this roster will be a loss to this team, but is it something they can overcome?

Random Bytes

UFC's Ariel Helwani ban is an attack on journalism: will journalists respond?
The UFC’s decision Saturday to escort MMAFighting.com journalists Ariel Helwani, E. Casey Laydon, and Esther Lin out of UFC 199 and ban them for life has created plenty of controversy and drawn substantial attention throughout the wider sports world, with Helwani himself addressing the issue on TSN 690 Montreal, The Dan Patrick Show, The Rich Eisen Show and his own The MMA Hour Monday. That’s as it should be, as the organization’s reported behavior here seems like an attack on sports journalism as a whole, not merely a feud with a few high-profile reporters, and it’s something that everyone in sports journalism should take notice of.

Ray Farmer talks about the responsibility needed to take on a player like Manziel
I don't doubt that Ray Farmer belongs in the business of football, but after the resume of bad decisions he logged during his tenure as general manager of the Browns, you would think that talking about those decisions would be a bad decision.

NFL's Aqib Talib -- Video From Dallas Gunfight ... At Least 4 Shots Fired
TMZ Sports has obtained footage from outside the Aqib Talib shooting incident -- in which you can hear at least 4 gunshots fired. The person who shot the video tells us ... he was aware of the ruckus inside V Live involving the NFL star -- and began recording when he saw a group of people gathering outside the club.

Ranking the best 100 players for the 2016 NFL season
Welcome to FTW’s ranking of the top 100 players of 2016. This list aims to project which players will be among the best for the upcoming season rather than ranking players based on their 2015 performance. Injury concerns were factored in. [Editor's Note: Geno Atkins is ranked 43rd and A.J. Green is ranked 50th, so we're pretty much writing this off.]

Playoff teams with issues heading into the season
NFL Media's Charley Casserly discusses the playoff teams with issues heading into the 2016 season, including the Cincinnati Bengals.

The top 25 NFL players under the age of 25
A list of the top NFL players under the age of 25 shows the depth of young talent currently playing in the league.

Ranking the rosters of all 32 teams - 2016, depth, talent
Pro Football Focus evaluates the talent, production and depth of every roster in the league. Nos. 1 and 2? The Patriots and Packers, who both have top-tier quarterbacks and front offices.

Embarrassed Cavs looking more and more like NBA's Buffalo Bills
OAKLAND, Calif. – The hysteria is going to grow between today and Wednesday, the gathering of that tortured city's Here-We-Go-Again darkness descending onto the Cleveland Cavaliers. So far, they've been a stunning embarrassment in the NBA Finals, undisciplined and unfocused and unworthy. So far, the Cavs are threatening to become the NBA's Buffalo Bills.

10 worst moves of the 2016 NFL offseason
Not every offseason move pans out—Pro Football Focus Senior Analyst Sam Monson highlights those 2016 deals and picks that NFL teams may soon regret.

Chargers-Allen extension talks still in early phase
A long-term partnership between the Chargers and wide receiver Keenan Allen makes sense, so reports that the sides are talking about a long-term deal are no surprise. And they have been happening. NFL.com reported Monday that the Chargers and Allen’s representation have been talking about an extension "for quite some time."

Marshawn Lynch says he’s done playing football
Running back Marshawn Lynch, deliberately or not, has created an air of mystery regarding pretty much everything he does, due in large part to an intense reluctance to speak publicly. He has decided to speak publicly for the first time about his decision to retire, with Showtime’s 60 Minutes Sports. And Lynch has spoken as clearly as possible about his future.