Bengals Bytes (8/25): Two sides

One-on-One with Brandon Tate | James Rapien
Yesterday I called for Bengals fans to "Stop the Brandon Tate HATE!" I caught up with the veteran wide receiver today in the locker room. We talk about his role on offense, how good he is at Madden and I explain the "Stop the Brandon Tate HATE!" movement. Listen to the interview below.

Bengals’ Winston: ‘Need to be ready’ for 2020 work stoppage
Bengals offensive tackle and National Football League Players Association president Eric Winston says players should be prepared in case 2011 repeats itself. Disenchanted by several issues with the league’s drug policy, Pittsburgh Steelers player rep Ramon Foster told ESPN.com on Monday that he is urging players to save money for a potential work stoppage after the current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires at the end of the 2020 season.

Bengals starters ready for final "dress rehearsal" with national audience
Pre-season prime time doesn’t exactly carry the same punch as any other prime time game, regular season or playoffs, but this Sunday night in Jacksonville is the Bengals first chance to show a national audience who they are in 2016.

Bengals Walkthru: Big news at BTS
Walkthru on advantages of the Beyond The Stripes location change and big news about the next guest, plus, TV announcer schedule for the "Bingles," ROY odds, 4-pound hair, MJ90 optimism and Skynyrd.

Hobson's Choice: toil on the bubble
Preseason is such a mish-mash. When it comes to the 1s, games one and four are worthless because they hardly play or not at all. Game two is a little better, but not much so I think we’ll see a little bit of that this Sunday (8 p.m.-Cincinnati’s Channel 5) in Jacksonville in the third game.

Cincinnati lands five players on #NFLRank Top 100
Our panel of 50-plus NFL experts picked the greatest 100 players in the NFL headed into the 2016 season for the annual #NFLRank Top 100. The Cincinnati Bengals landed five players on the list

Cincinnati Bengals not yet settled on No. 2 WR spot behind A.J. Green
The Cincinnati Bengals aren't saying yet who they consider to be the No. 2 receiver behind A.J. Green. But they've probably got two players in mind. The likely candidates are rookie Tyler Boyd and veteran Brandon LaFell. But considering that LaFell, who has a hand injury, has yet to play in a preseason game, that picture is a little more muddled.

Notes: Lewis plans to sub by feel vs. Jags; Dalton talks Boyd; Hocker plans to kick Sunday
Safe to say the Bengals starters are going to get their biggest workload of the preseason Sunday night (8-Cincinnati’s Channel 5) in Jacksonville but as head coach Marvin Lewis got ready for Wednesday’s practice he didn’t say who would get how much.

8-24 Marvin Lewis Press Conference Transcript
Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis held a press conference on Wednesday at Paul Brown Stadium as the team prepares to play Sunday night at Jacksonville in the third game of the preseason, and here is a transcript

AFC North Bytes

Ryan Shazier: Bengals Want To Be Our Rival
Steelers linebacker talks about the season, teammates' suspensions, and what to expect. "I think Cincinnati wants to be our rival," Shazier said, "but the Ravens are still our rivals."

Dean Pees Wants Faster Start From First-Team Defense
The Ravens’ starting defense has given up long drives to begin each preseason game. Saturday’s contest against the Lions should give a better sense of the unit, which needs to get off to a better start than last year.

Cleveland Browns: Must be careful with Coleman and Gordon
Both Josh Gordon and Corey Coleman are expected to return for the Cleveland Browns’ game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Friday night.

Random Bytes

Dez Bryant complained about ‘Madden 17’ so now ‘Madden’ is torturing cyber Dez Bryant
Dez Bryant was not pleased with his Madden 17 rating. Despite being rated at 90 overall, he was mad. He felt he was being disrespected. It didn’t take long for the Madden 17 team to respond, and when they did it was incredible.

Seahawks edge Patriots, Broncos for most expensive NFL tickets
Seahawks fans are known for their loud support for their team, which enjoys a distinct advantage at CenturyLink Field. It turns out that the "12s" (not to be confused with Texas A&M’s proprietary "12th Man") are also putting their money where their roaring mouths are.

The Life of a Free Agent Kicker | The Players' Tribune
Here’s the thing about being a free agent kicker — or a free agent in general: You always have to be ready. You never know when you might get the call. You have to constantly prepare your body and stay on top of your craft because your phone could ring at any moment..

Ryan Lochte to join latest 'Dancing with the Stars' cast
Ryan Lochte is going on Dancing with the Stars, locking down a deal in the works before his Olympic saga, a person familiar with the deal confirmed to USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday.

Thursday NFL training camp preview - Rookie running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Derrick Henry are vying for big roles
NFL Nation assesses what to watch across the league on Thursday, including Ezekiel Elliott's NFL debut against the Seahawks and Derrick Henry's continued progression in Tennessee.

Statement from Joey Bosa’s representatives
CAA, the firm that represents Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa, issued a statement on Wednesday night in response to a statement issued and comments made by the team on Wednesday.

Kaepernick ready to make 1st preseason appearance for 49ers
Colin Kaepernick is on track to make his first appearance of the preseason for San Francisco on Friday night against the Green Bay Packers after his tired shoulder made it through a full week of practice without any limitations.

Deadline is approaching for Drew Brees contract
With the regular-season opener little more than two weeks away, the artificial — but very real — deadline for the Saints and quarterback Drew Brees to hammer out a new contract is arriving. Appearing on Wednesday’s PFT Live on NBC Sports Radio and NBCSN, Brees reiterated his position that, once the regular season begins, negotiations will stop until the season ends.