Bengals Bytes (11/11): Solutions for the Bengals

Was Willie Anderson blindsided by switching to right tackle?
Willie Anderson was once the highest paid offensive lineman in the NFL but was he blindsided by moving from left tackle to right tackle for the Bengals? Anderson is one of the greatest players in Cincinnati Bengals’ history, a member of its 50th anniversary team and a 12-year starter and multi-time Pro Bowl selection. Yet now in his fifth year of Hall-of-Fame eligibility, Anderson has yet to reach the semi-final ballot. Anderson believes the big reason why was his willingness to be moved to right tackle after starting on the left side his rookie season.

Was Willie Anderson was blindsided by switching to right tackle?
Willie Anderson was once the highest paid offensive lineman in the NFL but was he blindsided by moving from left tackle to right tackle for the Bengals? Anderson is one of the greatest players in Cincinnati Bengals’ history, a member of its 50th anniversary team and a 12-year starter and multi-time Pro Bowl selection. Yet now in his fifth year of Hall-of-Fame eligibility, Anderson has yet to reach the semi-final ballot. Anderson believes the big reason why was his willingness to be moved to right tackle after starting on the left side his rookie season.

Today in Cincinnati Bengals history: Nov. 12
Carson Palmer threw for a career-high 440 yards, and Chad Johnson caught 11 passes for a franchise-record 260 yards and two touchdowns in a game in which the Bengals lead 28-7 at halftime before an epic collapse. The Chargers scored 42 second-half points to send the Bengals to a third consecutive loss that dropped them to 4-5. LaDanian Tomlinson rushed for four touchdowns, tying the record for the most by a Bengals opponent. The Chargers also had 417 net passing yards, including three touchdown passes from Philip Rivers, for the fourth-highest total by a Bengals foe.

Five solutions for the Cincinnati Bengals in the second half
The Cincinnati Bengals head to Tennessee Sunday for the second game in a three-week stretch on the road, their season on the brink. At 3-5 and with four AFC losses already – two to teams ahead of them in the wild-card race – they are at a point where they need to stack a winning streak together while having to look around for a little help.

Bengals Blitz: Bengals Receive Back-to-Back Community MVP Award
Carlos Dunlap was named Week 9 NFLPA Community MVP for his ongoing, six-stop campaign to stop bullying among children in schools across the country. Dunlap is the second Bengals player to receive this award this season. Andy Dalton was the Week 8 NFLPA Community MVP for his work raising funds to provide financial relief for seriously ill, physically challenged and mentally disabled kids.

Carlos Dunlap Named Week 9 NFLPA Community MVP
Carlos Dunlap has been named Week 9 NFLPA Community MVP for his ongoing, six-stop campaign to stop bullying among children in schools across the country. “It’s an extreme honor to be named as the NFLPA’s Community MVP,” the Cincinnati Bengals defender said. “My foundation focuses on education, healthy living and being a role model in the community, so along with our school supply drives, breast cancer events and tutoring, our anti-bullying literacy program fits right in with the mission and is very timely.”

Matchup of the Game: Green-Dalton look to break out as LeBeau looms
Old friend Charles Richard LeBeau, 80 years young, is dialing up another game plan against the Green-Dalton Bengals when his Titans host them Sunday (1 p.m.-Cincinnati’s Channel 19) in Nashville in a matchup of three significant figures in Bengals history. In his 59th season, he’s got the edge in years of experience by just a tad. Add up the pro years of the 11 starting Bengals on the depth chart and it comes out to 55.

Injury look: Hill, Sims out, Bullock questionable; Sunday's weather
The Bengals still don’t know who is kicking Sunday in Tennessee (1 p.m.-Cincinnati’s Channel 19), so Marshall Koehn is still here and Randy Bullock is listed as questionable with his back still iffy after Koehn kicked for him last week in Jacksonville.

AFC North Bytes

'It's Time to Get Money': JuJu Smith-Schuster Talks End-Zone Dances, What's Next
JuJu Smith-Schuster likes to arrive in style. So when he fought his way into the end zone for the first time as a professional football player, on a shovel pass from Ben Roethlisberger in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ second game of the season, he knew exactly what he wanted to do. Had he come into the league a year ago, he would have been forced to mark the momentous occasion of his first professional points with a simple spike or a few high-fives.

Second half of season could help young Browns players: Quick hits
The Browns are an incredibly young team and they have thrown a number of young players into the fire on both sides of the ball. That can be a shock to the system for any rookie. "The first half, no matter how much you do it in training camp and how much you do it in preseason, it is still a shock to these guys," defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said, "that all of the sudden everybody in this league can play and how fast everybody else in this league is."

Baltimore Ravens: Tale of the Tape - Flacco Keeps Leaving Yards on Field
Last Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans felt like Groundhog Day for the Baltimore Ravens offense. After an impressive showing in the previous game against the Miami Dolphins, the offense resorted back to its typical ways, filled with three-and-outs, dump-off throws, and missed opportunities.

Random Bytes

The Mad Scientist of the NFL
He's the coach of the year, but he's got something to prove. He's a quarterback fixer, but they're growing up together. Rams head coach Sean McVay is a perfectionist in pursuit—and there's no stopping him now.

Martellus Bennett: Choosing Surgery on Shoulder Injury Led to Packers Release
New England Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett said Friday he was medically cleared by the Green Bay Packers before signing with the team in March and claimed the organization only elected to let him go after he decided to undergo surgery on a shoulder injury.

Every NFL Team's Biggest Subplot for the Rest of 2017
The standings are always the main story in the NFL at midseason. We're busy labeling Super Bowl favorites, throwing dirt on teams that won't make the postseason and looking up and down those massive "in the hunt" lists. The NFL is often a mess, and in 2017 the confusing stockpile of mediocre teams in the middle means hoping, dreaming playoff life is being clung to even more.