Category: Latest News

Bill Belichick details his great relationship with Mike Brown, Bengals

Bill Belichick stressed the good nature of his relationship with the Bengals.

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown have never been shy about their great relationship.

As the two teams get prepared to play each other again, Belichick touched on this with the media, including highlighting trades.

“Mike got the better of most of those trades. Like Ocho Cinco,” Belichick said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “I’ve got a lot of respect for Duke (Tobin) and Mike, the whole organization. They’re football people. They’re straight up. You get straight answers. They’re interested or they’re not. There’s not wasted time. I really respect that.”

It’s easy for these comments to get lost in all the drama surrounding the Patriots taping incident, which as of this writing doesn’t have a conclusion.

In the past, Brown has touched on how much he likes trading with the Patriots because of how straightforward Belichick is.

So if it seems like the Patriots are the most common Bengals trade partner, this might explain it.

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The Bengals must keep losing games

The Bengals need to have an eye on the long-term outlook.

Actively rooting against your favorite team seems to defy all notions of common sense when it comes to sports fandom. Herm Edwards told us that you play to win the game, and consequentially, you support your team in the hopes that they will experience success. I imagine you’d be hard-pressed to find many individuals who got into the ‘sports fan’ game to watch their beloved team crash and burn on a weekly basis, although at times it may seem as though that is what Bengals fans have signed themselves up for.

This season, however, is different. As the Bengals drearily hobble their way to the end of a depressing season, Bengals fans can and should be hoping that the team loses their remaining three contests.

It’s never a nice feeling to lose games. It’s been discouraging to see Zac Taylor struggle in his first year as a head coach, raising legitimate concerns about whether he is the man to guide this team into their uncertain future. The Bengals currently hold the worst record in the league, yet the talent on the roster suggests that this shouldn’t be the case. Winning games this year would make us all feel a lot more at ease with the direction of this team moving forward, both from a coaching and playing standpoint.

Truth is, the Bengals have been better than their 1-12 record suggests. Zac Taylor hasn’t exactly set the league alight in his rookie year as head coach, but with better quarterback play, this team could have collected 3 or 4 additional victories by now. If the team was a comprehensive catastrophe across the board, picking up a couple of wins to finish the year might help to ease concerns that all is lost. But injuries have cursed this team, the defense is starting to show signs of improvement, and there isn’t necessarily an overwhelming sense of hopelessness surrounding the organization. For this reason, picking up meaningless wins at the end of a lost season is a futile endeavor.

Joe Burrow looks like he has the potential to be a special talent at the next level. There’s still plenty of time between now and April 23rd 2020, when the first round of the draft will take place, but the LSU quarterback is the clear-cut No. 1 prospect at the position. The Bengals simply cannot afford to miss out on the opportunity to bring in the potential savior of the franchise next year. It will take a great deal to turn around the fortunes of this organization, and every college prospect comes with a certain degree of uncertainty, but this could be the shot in the arm that the Bengals need.

Winning a solitary game is less than ideal for a first-time head coach in their debut season, but there’s a hard cap on your success when forced to trot out Andy Dalton or Ryan Finley on a weekly basis. Taylor is deserving of criticism and skepticism, but it’s very difficult to judge him given the dire circumstances. With that in mind, the benefits of winning games to close out the season are far outweighed by the monumental change that could occur if the team were in a position to select Burrow in 2020.

If the Bengals can win a game or two and still end up with the top pick, great. If they must lose out to earn the right to draft Burrow, roll out the tanks. Be willing to sacrifice those sweet, brief dopamine hits that wash over you when the Bengals are victorious on a Sunday. The long-term outlook is far more important, and the high that this team will be on if they are fortunate enough to land the number one overall pick will be more than worth it.

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Steelers player weighs in on the Patriots-Bengals taping controversy

Ramon Foster has an interesting perspective on the latest Patriots taping drama.

It isn’t hard to find an opinion on the New England Patriots-Cincinnati Bengals taping drama continuing to unfold under the umbrella of an NFL investigation.

Pittsburgh Steelers guard Ramon Foster has talked openly about the issue. And his opinion is a little more notable than most when it comes to players because he is Pittsburgh’s player’s union representative.

He said the following on 93.7 The Fan (h/t KDKA 2):

“I really hope they’re not playing afoul like that because if that’s the case, I think that’s bigger than steroids, HGH or anything else like that. You’re slanting a game and you’re not giving both sides of the ball a fair competition. That’s ‘if.’”

If there is anything nefarious about the footage, the NFL investigation shouldn’t have any problems getting to the bottom of it quickly. The league confiscated the taps, which reportedly feature about eight minutes of Bengals sideline footage.

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2020 NFL salary cap could reach $201.2M, Titans will benefit

The Titans are projected to have more than $48 million in cap space, more than double the roughly $22 million from this year.

The Tennessee Titans and every other NFL team were informed on Tuesday that the league projects the 2020 salary cap to be set as high as $201.2 million, with conservative estimates at roughly $196.8 million.

That’s quite a jump from the 2019 salary cap, which stood at $188.2 million, and will likely mean more money for star running back Derrick Henry and Ryan Tannehill — who has been making quite the case to be the Titans’ quarterback of the future.

The Titans are projected to have more than $48 million in cap space, more than double the roughly $22 million from this year.

The analysts at Over The Cap have the Titans entering the new year with $175,841,686 worth of salary commitments in 2020, accounting for dead money.

2020 NFL salary cap: Ravens projected to have over $48 million in cap space

The Baltimore Ravens were already set to have a good deal of cap space in 2020 but with another large projected increase, it could be more

The NFL is set to see yet another massive increase in the salary cap for next season. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the NFL’s 2020 salary cap is projected to be between $196.8 million and $201.2 million. That would be an increase of at least $8.6 million up to $13 million from the 2019 salary cap.

While projections are far from the final number, it gives the Baltimore Ravens and the rest of the league a good foundation of where to base their offseason strategies.

After transforming their roster over the last few seasons to get younger and cheaper, Baltimore will enter the offseason with a good deal of cap space at this rate. If the upper projection holds true, the Ravens will have an estimated $52.7 million in 2020 salary cap space, according to Over The Cap.

This is a huge positive for general manager Eric DeCosta, who has done great work this season with far less available funds. In spite of entering the season with an estimated $13.3 million in cap space, DeCosta has been able to extend several players (Marshal Yanda, Justin Tucker, Willie Snead and others), sign impact free agents during the season and pull off a trade for cornerback Marcus Peters. The Ravens are doing so well, largely thanks to the work DeCosta has done to bolster the roster without breaking the bank.

However, Baltimore has a handful of key free agents they’ll be attempting to re-sign this offseason. Outside linebacker Matthew Judon, center Matt Skura and Peters will likely all command near top dollar for their respective positions, which will eat into some of the Ravens salary cap space. But with the magic DeCosta has pulled off on a budget, it’ll be interesting to see what he can make work with a fuller wallet.

Auden Tate’s promising season ends early with trip to IR

Auden Tate’s season is over.

The Cincinnati Bengals sent Auden Tate to injured reserve Tuesday, ending his breakout season.

While announcing the move, the Bengals noted Damion Willis will come back up off the practice squad to fill Tate’s spot.

Tate went down last Sunday with a knee injury. He finishes his breakout year with 575 yards and a touchdown over 12 appearances, earning a reputation as a big-play artist in the process.

It’s unfortunate Tate’s season is over early given the evaluation mode of the franchise right now. Luckily, it doesn’t sound like an overly serious injury and is far removed from the scary hit that had him carted off a few games ago.

Given the big developmental leap from Tate this year, it’s safe to presume he’ll be back next season. He did well in place of A.J. Green for a struggling offense.

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Titans QB Ryan Tannehill, RB Derrick Henry nominated for FedEx Air & Ground Awards

Both players have been nominated for FedEx Air & Ground Awards this week.

Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill and running back Derrick Henry were absolutely key to keeping the offense rolling as the team improved to 8-5 with a 42-21 road win over the Oakland Raiders.

Both players have been nominated for FedEx Air & Ground Awards this week.

Here’s a look at the complete list of nominees:

– QB Jimmy Garoppolo (49ers)

– QB Ryan Tannehill (Titans)

– QB Philip Rivers (Chargers)

– QB Aaron Jones (Packers)

– QB Derrick Henry (Titans)

– QB Nick Chubb (Browns)

Tannehill was 21-for-27 passing for 391 yards and three touchdowns. The is 140.4 passer rating he finished with was the second-best in a single game in which he attempted at least 20 passes.

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Running back Derrick Henry was sidelined for part of the game as he dealt with a hamstring injury, but was still highly effective, carrying 18 times for 103 yards and two touchdowns.

FedEx will donate $2,000 to the USO on behalf of each winner through FedEx Cares. The $4,000 donation will support USO Pathfinder, which helps to provide resources and personalized services to aid service members and military spouses in their transition back into a civilian lifestyle.

Titans stay put at No. 11 in NFL power rankings

The Titans didn’t move from last week’s spot.

The Tennessee Titans (8-5) are on a hot streak after defeating the Oakland Raiders, 42-21 on the road last week.

The win marks their fourth in a row, and the team will look to bring that number to five as they take on the Houston Texans in Nashville, Tennessee this week.

They head into that matchup ranked No. 11 overall in Touchdown Wire’s latest NFL power rankings — exactly where they were placed last week.

The Titans are ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and behind the Minnesota Vikings.

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Here’s what analyst Doug Farrar had to say about his placement of the team on the list.

“Since head coach Mike Vrabel made the switch from Marcus Mariota to Ryan Tannehill, the Titans have moved in record from 2-4 to 8-5. Only Lamar Jackson has a higher passer rating in the second half of the season than Tannehill’s 118.3, and few quarterbacks have been better with play-action in that time — Tannehill has completed 25 of 30 play-action attempts for 440 yards, four touchdowns and one interception since Week 9,” he wrote. “The Titans are now discussing making Tannehill their long-term starting quarterback, and it’s difficult to argue against it. Sunday’s 42-21 demolition of the Raiders, in which Tannehill completed 21 of 27 passes for 391 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, put the Titans on point with the Texans atop the AFC South with matching 8-5 records, and next Sunday marks the first of two games featuring Tennessee and Houston in the season’s last three weeks.”

Farrar makes a fine point about Tannehill making all the difference, as the offense has totally transformed under him and the team has lost just one game with the signal-caller at the helm.

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The Titans and Texans are set to kick off at noon CT on Sunday in Nissan Stadium.

Ravens likely to see Jets RB Le’Veon Bell in spite of flu-bowling session

In spite of going out bowling all night after being ruled out with the flu last week, the New York Jets won’t punish Le’Veon Bell in Week 15

While the Baltimore Ravens have a short week to get ready for the New York Jets in Week 15, they’ll have to spend some of that time preparing for running back Le’Veon Bell.

Bell’s status had been in some question in part because of a flu diagnosis that kept him out of last week’s game and because of what he chose to spend his free time on. On the same day Bell was ruled out of Week 14’s game against the Miami Dolphins, he apparently felt well enough to go bowling all night.

For obvious reasons, that’s generally frowned upon and could have earned discipline from the team in response. However, New York coach Adam Gase said the issue likely won’t earn Bell any punishment, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini.

This isn’t the first time Bell has been in the headlines for things other than football. He’s perhaps more infamous at this point for holding out all of last year with the Pittsburgh Steelers in a contract dispute. Though he’s been far less of a potential distraction with New York this season, Bell’s outing comes at a time when the Jets are struggling and questions are popping up about the future of everyone there.

But New York’s loss could have been Baltimore’s gain this week. While the Jets are 5-8 and considered one of the worst teams in the league right now, not having to face off against Bell would have been a big help for the Ravens. Baltimore has a chance to not only lock up the AFC North and a top-4 seed this week but potentially even clinch the No. 1 seed early. But all of the Ravens’ playoff scenarios revolve around beating the Jets in Week 15. Without Bell in the lineup, it would be a far easier job.

With the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bell was regularly a thorn in Baltimore’s side. Over nine career games against the Ravens, Bell put up 720 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground while adding another 348 yards and three touchdowns through the air. It looks as though Baltimore’s defense will have to find a way to slow down that pace this week.

USA TODAY Sports NFL power rankings: Ravens remain No. 1 but questions forming

The Baltimore Ravens took down the Bills to continue their dominance over the rest of the league but are cracks forming on offense?

The Baltimore Ravens marched themselves to a ninth-straight victory, this time over the Buffalo Bills in Week 14. Sitting at 11-2 and having beaten the best teams from both the AFC and NFC already, there’s absolutely no question Baltimore remains kings of the NFL for yet another week.

Nate Davis of USA TODAY Sports agrees with the sentiment, keeping the Ravens in the No. 1 spot on this week’s power rankings. While Davis made sure to note Baltimore is still easily at the top, he called into question the offensive output in recent weeks.

“Deservedly league’s darlings at this point, but is offense slowing? Just 44 total points last two weeks after scoring 40+ in three previous contests.”

Against the San Francisco 49ers and Bills, the Ravens struggled far more to move the football and sustain drives. After six games of blowing teams out of the water with their unique and physical misdirection offense averaging 426.5 yards per contest, Baltimore struggled to just 270 yards per game over the last two weeks.

However, it’s worth noting Buffalo sports the third-ranked defense while San Francisco is ranked second, so some decrease in production shouldn’t be very shocking. And as I wrote earlier this week, poor weather in both games effectively made the Ravens one-dimensional without any help from their opponents. With everything going against Baltimore in the last two weeks, they still managed to put up 44 total points and 540 combined yards to win both games.

With three games remaining and the New York Jets up in Week 15, it seems like the Ravens will get a chance to redeem themselves a little offensively and remind the rest of the league just how deadly they can be.

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