Bengals Bytes (10/18): Learning from the best

TDBH: Bengals hit jackpot in trading deadline blockbuster for Palmer
Carson Palmer goes to bed last night on the eve of the NFL’s trading deadline believing he’ll never play again and is pondering other professions. But at 4 a.m. he gets a text from agent David Dunn sending him to Oakland and elevating Bengals president Mike Brown into conversations for executive of the year. Six years later, a lifetime in the NFL, the Bengals are still reaping the benefits of a trade that ends nearly a year-long stalemate with Palmer, their franchise quarterback.

Week 7 Capsule: Bengals at Steelers
QB ANDY DALTON has 7 TD passes vs. 2 INTs for 116.2 rating in past 3. Passed for 366 yards with TD in last road meeting. Has 1,335 pass yards (267 per game) with 10 TDs vs. 0 INTs for 105.8 rating in past 5 division road games. Aims for 3rd in row with 100 rating on road.

Top 50 Moments: Dalton-Green Era Kicks Off With a Win
To this day Andy Dalton likes to offer from time to time a trivia question. “Who threw A.J. Green his first NFL touchdown?” Green and Dalton have become so synonymous with Cincinnati like Procter and Gamble that they rarely pull out “Bruce Gradkowski.” Even though Dalton leaves with an injured wrist at halftime of the 2011 season opener, he becomes just the fifth rookie quarterback since the 1970 merger to win a road opener in his NFL debut when Gradkowski engineers the sixth fourth quarter comeback of his career with two touchdowns in the Bengals’ 27-17 victory over the Browns.

Fantasy Recap: Week 6
Just as the clock ticked past the 7-minute mark of the 1st quarter in Minnesota, many fantasy owners saw their chances of winning their league title take a nose-dive like the great Stock Market crash of 1929. Aaron Rodgers rolled out of the pocket to buy time, and after he released the ball he was tackled, and driven to the ground, by Vikings LB Anthony Barr. Rodgers suffered a broken collarbone, and fantasy owners were forced to look for backups on the waiver wire.

Geno understudy Glasgow emerges
Ryan Glasgow is on pace to play the most snaps by a Bengals rookie defensive tackle in eight years and it works out just right since he’s backing up the guy that did it and he’s making the most of watching Geno Atkins’ every move.

Bengals have momentum, but now must prove they can beat Steelers
Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton said he had to somewhere to be on Monday morning when approached by reporters. Several players said they would talk later in the week. Many of the other players made themselves scarce during the open locker room period. It's Steelers week in Cincinnati.

Cincinnati Bengals Pittsburgh Steelers Preview NFL Week 7
The Bengals are coming off their bye week riding a two-game winning streak in which they’ve outscored Cleveland and Buffalo 51-23. Thanks to the off week, the Bengals’ also come into the week with the league’s No. 1 overall defense and No. 1 scoring defense. The Steelers were in Kansas City and knocked off the previously unbeaten Chiefs 19-13 in a game that saw Le’Veon Bell get rolling to the tune of 179 yards on the ground. The Steelers defense held the potent Chiefs offense in check as well, limiting Kareem Hunt to just 21 rushing yards on nine attempts and sacking Alex Smith three times.

Who Dey notes: Bengals after Eifert, Roethlisberger gets smooth
You had to feel like it was coming. The Bengals’ year was starting out like a Rob Zombie horror flick. The only thing missing was the added drama to fuel the fear and dread. Having Tyler Eifert for the whole year is nothing more than a tease. In fact, that’s the part of the movie where most people go get popcorn. Why? Every Bengals fan knows Eifert ain’t playin’ through the whole season. It’s time to pick a good blocking TE with decent hands and wish him well.

AFC North Bytes

Which Steelers are injured to start Week 7 vs. Cincinnati Bengals?
There is no such thing as a Tuesday injury report, but midway through the season there may as well be. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin took time to outline the health of a several key players heading into their week of practice for the Cincinnati Bengals, who come to Heinz Field for a 4:25 p.m. kickoff on Sunday. Some players listed were already injured, some picked up known injuries against the Kansas City Chiefs and in one case, Tomlin revealed a Pittsburgh injury concern. Here's who's hurting, how badly:

The Browns' plan isn't working, the rift is real, and Jimmy Haslam still needs help to save it: Mary Kay Cabot
Jimmy Haslam's plan for the Browns isn't working, the discord between the coaching staff and top brass is real, and he still needs an experienced talent evaluator to come in and help save it. I wrote it last December and I'm repeating it here: A personnel trio devoid of anyone who's ever assembled a winning football team isn't going to fly.

Ravens sloppy passing attack suffering from Tim Tebow-like regression
The regression in the Baltimore Ravens' passing game from last season to this year hasn't yet reached a historic level. The decline in production with Joe Flacco and his receivers has been Tim Tebow-like, a label that's equally unflattering.

Random Bytes

Aaron Rodgers Injury Won't Hurt Prosperity, Popularity of NFL
Before getting to the NFL’s continuing drama off the field, a personal and professional thought about the potential season-ending injury to Aaron Rodgers. First and foremost, I feel for Aaron. We were close during our three years together with the Packers and just had a nice visit a few weeks ago in Green Bay. He had his usual California chill yet seemed truly energized, fit and poised for another MVP-level season—to which he was well on his way. And this will tell you something about Aaron: after our visit (which included my son Max), he was whisked away and said a quick goodbye to me. A minute later, the door swung open as he realized he hadn’t said goodbye to someone else. “Bye Max!” he said. Of course, Max beamed.

Ezekiel Elliott Will Play vs. 49ers in Week 7 After Suspension
Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott will play in Sunday's Week 7 road game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium after the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York granted a temporary restraining order against his six-game NFL suspension, according to sports legal expert Daniel Wallach. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and CBS Sports' Will Brinson reported Elliott should be eligible to play for at least two weeks

49ers’ Eric Reid: ‘I’m Still Going to Kneel for Anthem'
More than a year ago, Eric Reid joined Colin Kaepernick in the quiet act of taking a knee during the national anthem, to raise awareness of police brutality and racial injustice. Today, the 49ers safety wore an “#IMWITHKAP” T-shirt as he emerged from a meeting at NFL headquarters about the movement Reid’s former teammate began last summer. For a little more than three and a half hours on Tuesday morning, 11 NFL team owners and more than a dozen players, along with commissioner Roger Goodell and players association executive director DeMaurice Smith, met privately at league headquarters as the debate over anthem demonstrations grips the NFL. No policy changes were discussed in this meeting; how the league and players handle the anthem was merely a tangential point. Instead, the focus was on the social issues underlying some players’ decisions to demonstrate during the anthem, and how the league and the individual clubs can better support the players’ work on these issues.