Bengals News (6/17): Zac Taylor brings a noticeable energy

A New DEY: Behind-the-Scenes at Media Day
Media Day included photo and video stations for team promotion and national television, in-game elements to be used on the Paul Brown Stadium video boards and content for the Bengals.com, the Bengals app and social media.

A.J. Green thinks Bengals have good chance to make playoffs if this one thing happens
The Bengals won six games last season -- their third straight losing campaign -- and they'll enter 2019 with a new coach and a new offense. But this group doesn't lack confidence even though they haven't made the playoffs since 2015. Veteran wide receiver A.J. Green not only thinks Cincinnati will improve, he's expecting a return to the postseason.

Check out the best images from Zac Taylor’s first Bengals minicamp
There, fans learned plenty about the team. The whispers about a new energy continued through a fun media day. Key players like A.J. Green received medical clearance and got back to work. Injuries occurred too, with a mystery issue afflicting Jonah Williams and forcing a shuffle along the offensive line.

Bengals enjoying atmosphere, energy under Zac Taylor
The first-year Cincinnati Bengals head coach wrapped up minicamp meetings Thursday morning with his own game show of sorts, breaking players into nine-person teams to see who came the closest to providing the correct answers to various sports-related questions.

Marvin Lewis doesn’t miss the NFL, may not watch games
Marvin Lewis coached the Bengals for 16 years. He worked as an assistant in the NFL for 11 years before that. With nearly three full decades in the NFL, has it been a difficult transition for Lewis to leave pro football?

Optimism Amongst Bengals Players is Striking
Marvin Lewis roamed the sidelines for 16 years. More than that, the franchise changed absolutely nothing during that time. Everything from the way the team put together an offensive game plan to the way the franchise approached free agency and the draft remained the same for 16 years. The only thing that made the Bengals feel somewhat different each year was the general player and coordinator movement that is unavoidable in NFL. The franchise tried to avoid even that as much as possible.

Around the league

The surprise offseason standout for all 32 teams
The NFL is officially on vacation and that means school's out for summer. Pencils down, we've learned all we can from organized team activities and mandatory minicamps, which came to an end this week. We won't get another live look at teams until training camps open around the league at the end of July.

Ravens DT Michael Pierce owns conditioning 'mistake'
"Throughout the offseason, I tend to lift more than run," Pierce told WNSP-FM radio in Alabama on Friday, via AL.com. "Being a nose guard, I want to be strong or what not. I, honestly, just mismanaged my running a little bit."

Ronald Jones ready to put disappointing season in past
"Last year, it was definitely disappointing for me for myself and from a team standpoint," Jones said during minicamp, via the Tampa Bay Times. "Definitely, for me, it's about getting on the right track. We have a new system, a new staff, we're trying to make our mark in here."

David Johnson forecasts success for Murray and Rosen
Realistically, myriad seasons will need to come to pass before the final verdict is read upon whether the Arizona Cardinals' decision to trade 2018 first-round selection Josh Rosen to the Miami Dolphins and start anew with another quarterback, 2019 first-round selection Kyler Murray, was the right move to make.

Time is now for Chargers' Mike Williams 'to step up'
"We lost a big weapon in Tyrell [Williams to the Raiders, so] a lot of people in the room have to step up," Mike Williams told reporters via the team website. "I feel like me being the player that I am, I feel like I can do that... I feel like the role is going to change. I feel I'm going to get a lot more opportunities than I did last year. A lot more balls coming my way. I'm looking forward to it."

Bears' Eddie Jackson: We're taking this whole thing
"Everything -- how short, and how far, we came," Jackson told the Chicago Sun Times' Patrick Finley when asked what will keep him motivated through the summer respite. "From the losing record to the winning record. How short we came, with the first-round playoff game with the field goal. Right now we just want to build off everything and let that be the fuel to our fire. We plan on taking this whole thing."

Saints RB Alvin Kamara still looking to 'prove' himself
Kamara will surely be tasked to do more for the Saints in Year 3 now that former running mate Mark Ingram is with the Ravens. What exactly his workload entails should be one of the league's more interesting storylines this season. Payton said he had sort of an epiphany earlier this week when Kamara switched practices jerseys with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.