Bengals Bytes (7/7): Keeping up with the players’ offseason adventures

Bengals Describe Offseason Adventures
Remember the first day of school when you were a kid and the teacher would ask everybody to stand up and tell the class what you did over the summer? I enjoy basically doing that each year in the Bengals locker room. Here are some of the interesting adventures that Bengals’ players have had in the offseason.

Bengals 2017 Season in Review: Week 1
Now that it has been almost 10 months since the beginning of last season, we have forgotten a lot of the storylines from last year’s team. Reviewing the box scores, game flows, and workload distributions from last season should provide some context for the projections for this upcoming year. Each article will deal with one week from the 2017 season. This pilot article will focus on Week 1, which was the Bengals’ first game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Bengals Open at +400 to Make the Playoffs This Season
The Bengals sit at +400 (or 4/1) to make the playoffs, according to Vegas. Those aren’t terrible odds, but they are among the worst in the NFL. For comparison, division rivals Pittsburgh and Baltimore have odds of -550 and +125, respectively.

Chad Johnson says he’s ready to join FC Cincinnati
Chad Johnson might not be done with the city of Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Bengals legend now has his eye on the city’s next big thing: FC Cincinnati. In a joking (we think) Twitter post, Johnson laid out his plans

Cordy Glenn hailed as a newcomer about to make a big impact
The Cincinnati Bengals admitted a mistake this offseason, aggressively trading for a new left tackle by the name of Cordy Glenn. The Buffalo Bills were more than happy to get Glenn’s massive contract off the books and avoid his shaky injury history, as well (he’s missed 15 games over the past two seasons).

AFC North Bytes

Jabrill Peppers brings enhanced perspective to familiar position
The position coach who has lauded how Peppers performed in a relatively unfamiliar spot believes the experience, which threw plenty of adversity at the first-round rookie, will benefit him greatly as he transitions into a comfort zone of sorts at strong safety.

Jon Bostic sounds focused on making the Steelers’ defense better
One of the most interesting additions to the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason has been linebacker Jon Bostic. He is one of several players brought in to try and fill the void left by Ryan Shazier. He sat down and spoke with Teresa Varley of the team’s official site and made sure to point out that nothing scares him.

Random Bytes

NFL Teams with the Most Work Left to Do This Offseason
In a matter of days, rookies will report to early-starting NFL training camps in places such as Owings Mills, Maryland (Baltimore Ravens); Bourbonnais, Illinois (Chicago Bears) and Metairie, Louisiana (New Orleans Saints). Soon after, the 2018 season will arrive.

Andrew Luck Sends Autographed Football to Fan Who Returned His Wallet
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck recently showed appreciation for a good Samaritan who found his wallet. Haleigh Hoffman of RTV6 in Indianapolis tweeted that her friend's father found Luck's wallet while on a bike ride before returning it to the Colts' practice facility.

Hunter S. Thompson Told Jim Irsay to Draft Ryan Leaf over Peyton Manning in 1998
Hunter S. Thompson is a legendary writer and pioneered his own form of journalism. When it came to NFL talent assessment, Thompson was decidedly less legendary. Former San Diego Chargers quarterback Ryan Leaf shared a letter from Thompson to Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay. Thompson informed Irsay he wouldn't provide a $30 million loan if the Colts were to select Peyton Manning but would do so if the team committed to taking Leaf first overall in the 1998 draft