Bengals Bytes (9/16): How to make $1 million in the NFL

TDBH:Palmer’s six TDs not enough while Chad passes Ike as Bengals all-time receiver
After the most prolific game ever by a Bengals quarterback and Chad Johnson has the third best day ever by a Bengals wide receiver, Carson Palmer is left to explain why his six touchdown passes and 401 yards passing aren’t enough in the Browns’ chaotic 51-45 victory today. It’s a stunning loss for the Bengals, six days removed from a thrilling Opening Day win over Super Bowl contender Baltimore on Monday Night Football at Paul Brown Stadium.

Bill Lazor conference call transcript
When you’ve been in this league long enough, you see a whole bunch of different things happen. Not many of them are shocking anymore. It’s a day when you come in after a tough loss, and you try and figure out how you’re going to make it better. Obviously it took some different turns, but we’re still just trying to focus on how we can make it better.

Lazor focus on balance
Bill Lazor, who coordinated a Dolphins offense in 2014 that had a 4,000-yard passer and 1,000-yard rusher, is keeping Ken Zampese’s playbook and his own pledge to be balanced that he picked up from the notebooks of Dan Reeves, Joe Gibbs, Mike Holmgren, and Chip Kelly. That’s a little bit of everything. Don Coryell. West Coast. Fast-break-21st-century.

Lewis News Conference Transcript 9/15
It’s not a spot where we thought we would be, but we are. It’s where we are and where we’ve put ourselves. We have to right our ship, and do it one play and one week at a time. We only get an opportunity to play one game at a time. We have to get better, figure it out and do things better. (It’s about) our execution, being consistent with it, and giving us an opportunity to productively move the football down the field and put it in the end zone. That’s the overlying message of everything.

The long-snapper: How to anonymously make $1 million in the NFL
Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick was heading out of a meeting one day when he spotted long-snapper Clark Harris chatting with the other specialists. Kirkpatrick started to wonder what kinds of things a long-snapper would discuss in a meeting.

If Bengals' offense wanted to move forward, Ken Zampese had to go
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green is the quiet, lead-by-example type. In seven seasons, he's rarely aired his grievances. If he's unhappy, it's unlikely many people are going to know about it. So when Green voiced his frustration with the offense after the Bengals failed to score a touchdown for the second straight game, it probably made an impact.

Cincinnati Bengals change coordinator, not quarterback, to address offensive struggles
After becoming the first NFL team in 78 years to open the season with two home games and fail to score a touchdown in either, the Cincinnati Bengals made a change on Friday - but it wasn't at quarterback. Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis fired offensive coordinator Ken Zampese and replaced him with Bill Lazor, who is the Bengals' quarterbacks coach. In a conference call with Cincinnati reporters on Friday afternoon, Lazor gave no hint of entertaining the idea of replacing Andy Dalton with backup AJ McCarron at quarterback.

“Near mutiny” forced the hand of Marvin Lewis
So why did Bengals coach Marvin Lewis fire offensive coordinator Ken Zampese? Lewis basically had no choice. After two home games only four days apart and zero touchdowns and nine total points scored, Lewis was facing a “near mutiny,” a league source tells PFT. The normally quiet A.J. Green publicly sounded off, and plenty of other players had plenty of pointed things to say privately, we’re told.

AFC North Bytes

Ryan Shazier Reportedly Fined $25,000 for Hit on DeShone Kizer
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier has been fined by the NFL for a hit on Cleveland Browns quarterback DeShone Kizer in Week 1. Shazier told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler he was fined $25,000 for hitting a defenseless player, but the 25-year-old said he's appealing because he didn't know Kizer "was going to slide" when he made contact with the Browns quarterback.

Hue Jackson says Kenny Britt won’t be benched this week
After a key drop by wide receiver Kenny Britt in the fourth quarter against the Steelers last Sunday, Browns coach Hue Jackson suggested that the veteran wideout’s role could change when they play the Ravens this week. Jackson talked specifically about Britt being part of the starting lineup and the question came up again at the coach’s Friday press conference. Jackson said that Britt will play a normal number of snaps in the game, although the question of starting will be determined by the call on the first offensive play.

Kenneth Dixon suspended another two games, this time, for substance abuse policy
Though Kenneth Dixon is on injured reserve, after suffering a meniscus tear, he has received another suspension from the NFL. Before the injury, Kenneth Dixon received a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s Performance Enhancing Drug Policy. After sustaining the injury, and undergoing surgery to repair the torn meniscus, he’s received yet another suspension; this time, for violating the NFL’s Substance Abuse Policy.

Random Bytes

A Mess Grows in Indy: With Luck Concerned, NFL Execs Say He Should Demand Trade
Around the NFL, when teams look at the Indianapolis Colts, they see one thing. A waste. A waste of fan support. A waste of potential. A waste of talented receivers. And mostly, a waste of a quarterback in Andrew Luck. Ask a handful of front office personnel around the league, and they'll tell you what has happened in Indianapolis is one of the greatest wastes of quarterback talents they've ever seen.

Sam Bradford's Knee Injury Reportedly Causing Concern for Vikings
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford suffered a knee injury that required an MRI this week and also kept him to limited participation in practice Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday, Chris Mortensen of ESPN (via Adam Schefter) reported the Vikings are concerned about the ailment but still have "guarded optimism" about his status for Sunday's Week 2 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

J.J. Watt's Hurricane Harvey Fundraiser Closes with over $37M in Donations
Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt ended his hurricane relief fund Friday, with donations reaching more than $37 million. The YouCaring page Watt set up to aid those affected by Hurricane Harvey finished with a total of $37,097,298—an exponentially higher figure than the $200,000 he initially hoped to raise. More than 200,000 people donated to the cause.