Bengals Bytes (2/24): Significant sit-downs

Memories of the Ben-Gals: Lauren

I've been dancing since I was 3 years old, and after I graduated from college I knew that I wanted to continue on a professional level. NFL cheerleading was something that I had considered pursuing, and when I moved to Cincinnati in 2011 I decided to try out. Not only did I want to continue dancing, but I thought it would be a great way to get involved in the local community.

Sitdowns more important than situps at combine

Back at the turn of the century when the combine was a wild, wild West fenced off to only the honchos of NFL personnel departments instead of the suits of today’s "media event," things weren’t quite as organized. When it came to interviews there were no schedules, only anarchy and it was the same with media interviews.

What does an interview look like at the Combine?

NFL Network's Charley Casserly discusses the interview process for college football players participating in the combine.

Will Bengals make a splash in free agency?

Everyone wants excitement in March. When the new league year begins on March 9, the race will commence to crown who wins the offseason. Then the next offseason, a vast majority of the players who helped a team "win" will be cut.

AFC North Bytes

Le'Veon Bell Reportedly Hasn't Scheduled Groin Surgery

In what may be a positive sign in his recovery from a groin injury, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell has yet to schedule a surgical procedure to address the problem, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday.

The Baltimore Ravens desperately need wide receivers

Before the 2017-2018 season, the Baltimore Ravens must add a receiving threat. According to Spotrac, there are only five wide receivers under contract for 2017, and two names most Ravens fans wouldn’t recognize. Right now, the Ravens receiving corps include Mike Wallace, Breshad Perriman and Chris Moore.

Mahomes welcomes opportunity to play for Browns

Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes II welcomes the opportunity to play for the Cleveland Browns and head coach Hue Jackson. "I want to get drafted as high as possible and I want to get drafted to the right team, and I feel like Hue Jackson has a great thing going there.I feel like they'll keep it going in the right direction in the near future," Mahomes told cleveland.com during Super Bowl week.

Random Bytes

Ryan Tannehill Reportedly Won't Require Surgery on Injured Knee

Even after missing the end of the 2016 season with a knee injury, Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill will not need surgery before returning to action in April, per Chris Perkins of the Sun Sentinel. Tannehill sprained both his ACL and MCL in his left knee, causing him to miss the final three games of the regular season and the team's wild-card game.

Jim Harbaugh Says 4 Years Spent Coaching 49ers May Warrant Endurance Medal

Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh won an NFC championship as coach of the San Francisco 49ers, but he thinks he should have been given a medal as well. Harbaugh appeared on the Mercury News' Tim Kawakami's podcast Thursday and talked about how he endured under the front office (h/t Kevin Jones of KNBR): "I think we did set a record for coaching there the longest under the present ownership. I take pride in that. Maybe there should be an endurance medal, a courage medal, for that."

Vikings GM: Everybody hopes Bridgewater plays again

The GM added that Bridgewater is still not doing any football activities. The 24-year-old suffered a gruesome knee injury in which he dislocated his knee and tore his ACL in practice in September.

Young wants to trademark 'Make Vince Great Again'

The phrase, of course, is a play on the notorious Donald Trump campaign war cry and red cap unit shifter. One could argue that Young was never great in the NFL, though that descriptor neatly described his legendary run at the University of Texas.