Team Report - CINCINNATI BENGALS

[Arkansas Bengal]

Team Report - CINCINNATI BENGALS

15 hours ago The SportsXchange

 

The Cincinnati Bengals officially signed Pro Bowl linebacker Vontaze Burfict on Wednesday to a contract extension running through the 2017 season.

Burfict's original contract ran through this season, and had that contract run out, he would have been a restricted free agent for 2015.

As previously reported, the contract is for four years and worth $20.05 million. The deal has a $19 million in base salaries and additional incentives for Pro Bowl appearances. His 2014 salary will be $7.6 million

Bypassed by NFL teams in the 2012 draft, Burfict has established himself as one of the most productive college free-agent signees by any NFL team in recent years. He has led the Bengals in tackles in each of his two seasons.

Burfict has played outside linebacker but had a breakout season in 2013, leading the NFL in tackles with 171 as a middle linebacker. He has started 30 of 32 regular-season games in the past two seasons.

Burfict signed a three-year, $1.441 million rookie contract in 2012 with the Bengals after he was undrafted because of concerns about his character and a subpar combine performance.

Burfict was credited by the Bengals coaching staff last season with 204 tackles, 94 more than the second-place player, and he was voted to the Pro Bowl and to a second-team spot on the Associated Press All-Pro team.

"Vontaze is a special talent; he has shown us that from his first day here," head coach Marvin Lewis said in a statement. "He is a load physically (6-foot-1, 255 pounds) and he's extremely competitive, but what really makes him stand out is the instinct and feel he has for the game. It's something born in him; you can't coach a player to naturally react the way he does in all situations. This signing is a great move for the future of our defense."

Burfict also led the Bengals last season in tackles-for-loss (eight), and he tied for the front-seven lead in passes defensed (10). He had 3.0 sacks, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.

"It's great to have this deal done and know I'm going to be here beyond this season," Burfict said. "We can have a great defense again this year, even better than the last couple years."

Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn said, "It's unusual to sign a player this early in his career to a contract extension, but Vontaze is a player who merits this. He has proven to be an exceptional find for us, and we are happy to reward him now for his accomplishments. It's good for him and good for our team."

--Jeremy Hill isn't going to supplant Giovani Bernard as the Bengals starting running back, but when the rookie entered the game after four unproductive series Sunday night in Arizona, he made an immediate impact.

And a prolonged one, which was even more encouraging for the Bengals.

Not only were Hill's 30 snaps nearly double the 16 he had the week before, but quarterbacks Andy Dalton and Jason Campbell put the ball in his direction on more than half of those plays with 12 handoffs and five targets.

Hill finished with 48 yards on 12 carries and two catches for 10 yards.

"He played well," Dalton said. "We moved the ball well and were able to get some runs there that helped keep the chains going, and he did a good job."

Following the offense's 0 for 4 start on third-down attempts, Hill entered the game and converted a third and 1 with a powerful 5-yard run behind right tackle Kevin Zeitler. The play enabled the Bengals to continue a 13-play, 73-yard drive for the offense's first points of the game on a Mike Nugent 48-yard foal.

Then with the Bengals backed up at their own 4, Hill kick-started the next possession with 5- and 10-yard runs on back-to-back plays, leading to another field goal following a 10-play, 88-yard march.

"There were some plays that I remember that were pretty decent, and some that I wish I could take back," Hill said. "All in all, I think it was an OK performance."

One he definitely wishes he had back was a drop in the fourth quarter. Crossing the middle wide open, Hill would have had time to turn his head after the catch and move into an open field.

"He had a couple of chances on balls he caught tonight, or that he didn't catch, that could've been big plays," Lewis said. "We've got to keep working on that."

The five targets were an indication the Bengals want Hill to be involved in the passing game the way Bernard is, but it's not something the rookie did much of at LSU with only 26 receptions last year.

Hill was denied another chance to make a play as a receiver when Arizona defensive end Alex Okafor batted down a screen at the line of scrimmage.

Bengals quarterbacks have targeted Hill eight times in the last two games to try to get him work as a receiver.

It was worth noting, however, that the Bengals re-entered Bernard when they got close the red zone on each of the long field-goal drives at the end of the first half.

That could be an indication that offensive coordinator Hue Jackson plans to use more of a play-by-play rotation to exploit matchups rather than giving Bernard entire series off at a time.

Bernard took the entire second half off against the Cardinals, and Hill had eight of his carries for 25 yards in the second half while running behind the second string offensive line.

"I really didn't put too much stock into that," Hill said. "I just wanted to go out there and do my job whether it was the first, second or third team. I just have to go out there, do my job and let everything else take care of itself. I want to go back and watch the film to see the good things I did, the bad things, and just work from there and keep getting better."

NOTES, QUOTES

--Wide receiver A.J. Green is making the most of his limited reps this preseason with 10 catches for 184 yards, which ranks third among all NFL receivers. Green has been targeted once for every three routes he has run and owns an NFL-best 5.11 yards per route run.

--Linebacker Vontaze Burfict has yet to officially sign the four-year, $20 million contract extension that was reported by various media outlets last Wednesday. It's unclear what the holdup is, and Burfict isn't talking. He made a request for no interviews through the team's media relations department in the first days after reports surfaced. Tuesday he agreed to talk to reporters about football, but repeatedly said "no comment" any time the contract subject was broached.

--Wide receiver Cobi Hamilton continues to impress ... and frustrate, which should make for an interesting decision on cutdown day. The Bengals waived Ryan Whalen on Monday, which means the final spot on the roster will go to either Hamilton or rookie James Wright. Hamilton had a chance to put a clench on the role Sunday night in Arizona when Wright was called for his third special-teams penalty in three games before leaving with a head injury. Hamilton caught three passes for 42 yards, but had two more big drops on third-down passes, and the question remains whether he is someone Andy Dalton can trust.

--Right tackle Andre Smith was hoping to break a sweat Sunday night and see his first action of the preseason against Arizona, but he couldn't clear the final hurdle of the league's concussion protocol. With the starters not expected to play more than a series or two in the preseason finale Thursday against Indianapolis, it will be interesting to see what the Bengals do with Smith.

The six-year veteran with 63 career starts isn't worried about showing up rusty for the season opener in Baltimore, but he is concerned about how he will hold up if there is long drive early in the game, saying, "You need to get tired at least one time in a preseason game to really blow your lungs out. That's going to be one of the key things to take out of the preseason is just getting really tired to know what to expect in the regular season during a 13-, 14-play drive. There's nothing like game reps."

--Linebacker Sean Porter, whom the Bengals drafted out of Georgia in the fourth round in 2013, is finally giving the team a glimpse of what he can do, but it may be too late. Porter suffered a season-ending torn labrum a few days after the preseason opener last year, and a knee injury sidelined him for most of training camp this year. Porter made his preseason debut Sunday night in Arizona and was on the field for 17 snaps. He had one tackle and was the recipient of a gift interception on the final play of the game when the ball bounced off the hands of Arizona wide receiver Kevin Ozier and fell into Porter's arms. The last linebacker spot on the 53-man roster is likely between Porter and rookie sixth-round pick Marquis Flowers, who has been impressive this summer.

"With Vontaze (Burfict) being sick this week, it's been a great opportunity for Sean because I made them put Sean in at Vontaze's spot with the first group," Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said. "If we were playing real games, it may be not what we would do, but we can afford to do it right now. And I want to see him do it because he keeps growing. The light's on. You can see the smile. He needs to have positive things happen to him."

BATTLE OF THE WEEK: Assuming the Bengals keep four halfbacks, there are three guys battling for the final two spots, and all three are dinged.

Rex Burkhead, BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Cedric Peerman were on the sideline Tuesday for the team's last practice before the preseason finale Thursday night against Indianapolis. Burkhead is the most seriously hurt of the group with a right knee injury suffered in the second preseason game Aug. 16 against the New York Jets. Peerman left Sunday night's game in Arizona with an apparent hip injury. Green-Ellis did not play against the Cardinals or practice at all the week leading up to the game with the combination of a hip injury and a stomach virus.

The assumption early in camp was that Burkhead and Peerman would make the 53 because of their play on special teams, but Burkhead's injury complicates that. It's doubtful the Bengals would use their injured reserve-return designation on a player who contributes almost solely on special teams, but they can't afford to carry him on the 53 if he isn't going to be ready soon. Green-Ellis is a valuable insurance policy not just as a ball-carrier but as a mentor, a role he performed last year when Giovani Bernard was a rookie and would be asked to handle again with rookie Jeremy Hill.

There is an outside chance the Bengals could retain all five and not keep a fullback, but the way undrafted rookie Ryan Hewitt has performed in the hybrid fullback/H-back/tight end role makes that unlikely.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

PLAYER NOTES

--LB J.K. Schaffer was waived with the injured designation, which means if he clears waivers he will be placed on the Bengals' injured reserve list.

--CB LaVelle Westbrooks was waived with the injured designation, which means if he clears waivers he will be placed on the Bengals injured reserve list.

--TE Kevin Brock was waived.

--WR Jasper Collins was waived.

--LB James Davidson was waived.

--QB Matt Scott was waived.

--CB R.J. Stanford had his contract terminated and was released immediately to free agency.

--WR Ryan Whalen was waived.

--DT Larry Black was waived.

--K Quinn Sharp was waived.

--S Isaiah Lewis was waived.

--G Chandler Burden was waived by the Bengals Monday (Aug. 18). Burden, a Cincinnati native (La Salle High School), spent time on the Miami and Kansas City practice squads as a rookie last season. He was signed by the Bengals as a free agent on June 3 of this year and played in the club's first two preseason games.

--Rookie CB Darqueze Dennard, the team's first-round pick, left Saturday's game with a hip injury.

--Rookie RB Jeremy Hill, the team's second-round pick, left Saturday night's game with a shoulder injury.

--RB Rex Burkhead left Saturday's game with a knee injury.

--Rookie LB Marquis Flowers, the team's sixth-round pick, left Saturday's game with an ankle injury.

--Rookie WR James Wright, the team's seventh-round pick, left Saturday's game with a hip injury.

 

 

https://sports.yahoo.com/news/team-report-cincinnati-bengals-151208588--nfl.html

[ValleyBengal]

That's why I put no stock in Yahoo sports. They report Tez signed, then in the Notes still refer to him being not being signed yet despite reports. Proof-reading and content checking is your friend...

[bubba]

"Vontaze is a special talent; he has shown us that from his first day here," head coach Marvin Lewis said in a statement. "He is a load physically (6-foot-1, 255 pounds) and he's extremely competitive, but what really makes him stand out is the instinct and feel he has for the game. It's something born in him; you can't coach a player to naturally react the way he does in all situations. This signing is a great move for the future of our defense.

That's why if we didn't sign him as an undrafted rookie. Another team would have at least gave him a tryout. And saw the same thing and signed him.