WEEKLY NEWS RELEASE AUG. 19, 2013 CINCINNATI BENGALS (2-0) AT DALLAS COWBOYS (1-2)

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1 Cincinnati Bengals One Paul Brown Stadium Cincinnati, Ohio (513) administrative offices (513) administrative fax (513) 621-TDTD (8383) ticket office WEEKLY NEWS RELEASE AUG. 19, 2013 CINCINNATI BENGALS (2-0) AT DALLAS COWBOYS (1-2) Kickoff: 8 p.m. Eastern. Television: Live coverage on the Bengals Preseason Network with Brad Johansen (play-by-play), Anthony Munoz (analyst) and Mike Valpredo (sideline reporter). The network is led by flagship WKRC-TV (Ch. 12) in Cincinnati. Also on the network are WRGT-TV (Ch. 45) in Dayton, WSYX-TV (Ch. 6) in Columbus, WLIO-TV (Ch. 35) in Lima and WDRB-TV (Ch. 41) in Louisville, Ky. Radio: Coverage on the Bengals Radio Network, led by Cincinnati flagship stations WCKY-AM (ESPN 1530; all sports) and WEBN-FM (102.7). Broadcasters are Dan Hoard (play-by-play) and Dave Lapham (analyst). Setting the scene: The Bengals have been dominant in their first two preseason games. They had only a couple mildly anxious moments in last week s win over Tennessee, following a success in the opener at Atlanta. All of which is good, as long as something carries through the next two games and into the Sept. 8 regular-season opener at Chicago. This week brings a road test at Dallas. Let s get this thing really going the right way, head coach Marvin Lewis exhorted his troops after the Tennessee game. There was a lot of good stuff on the field, but oh yes, a lot of things to learn from. We ll look em over on film and eliminate em. We ve got to get rid of some things and make sure they never trip us up once the season begins. But the effort and the energy were there all night, and nobody can take that away from you. You played with a passion, and let s keep that rolling all the time. In a first half played mostly by the No. 1 units on each side, the Bengals hit the final gun leading Starting QB Andy Dalton played three series, and on the last two of those, he led TD drives of 72 and 61 yards. He tossed a perfect lob over coverage for a two-yard TD to WR Mohamed Sanu, and prior to that connected with Sanu for 24 yards to the Titans one, setting up a TD. Dalton s two series in the Atlanta game had not produced scores. I think we were a little bit hungry tonight, Dalton said. After last week, we really wanted to put some points on the board with the ones in there. So we go out of this game feeling a little better than last week, not that we were lacking any confidence in ourselves. Besides Dalton and Sanu, the offense got good efforts last week from rookie HB Giovani Bernard and from WRs Marvin Jones and Bernard Tate. The offensive line led pass protection that allowed only two sacks, and the rushing game averaged 6.2 yards per carry. The Titans gained a healthy 182 yards in the first half, but it was bend-nobreak for the Bengals defense. Tennessee was forced to settle for four field goal attempts and missed three of them. One of those missed attempts came when the Titans went three-and-out after gaining a first down at the Cincinnati 27 on a defensive takeaway. It s always great to turn a team away without points when you ve given up a turnover in your end, said veteran CB Terence Newman, who stopped one Tennessee drive with a third-down pass defensed. It s good that we held them to all those field goal tries. But they moved the ball downfield on us a little bit, so we can t feel totally good about our performance. Lewis had one parting shot for his troops as they headed for an off day and then the Dallas practice week. GAME NOTES 1 PRESEASON GAME 3 SATURDAY, AUG. 24 AT AT&T STADIUM NEXT WEEK: PRESEASON GAME 4 AUG. 29 VS. INDIANAPOLIS Let s go down to Dallas and attack from the very first play, he said. Let s start fast and not let up. We ve kind of oozed into the game in these last two, not starting very fast. (The Bengals trailed 3-0 in each game.) We can t be doing that when this all starts to count. We can t be putting ourselves in a hole. The series: This week s contest is only the second preseason meeting between the Bengals and Cowboys. Dallas won the first one, 16-7 in the 2010 Hall of Fame Game at Canton, Ohio. Dallas leads 7-4 in the regular-season series, including 5-1 at home. This week s game marks the Bengals first visit to five-year-old AT&T Stadium. The previous six Bengals games in Dallas, all during the regular season, were at Texas Stadium. A complete series recap is on page 187 of the Bengals 2013 Media Guide. BENGALS-COWBOYS 2012 NFL RANKINGS BENGALS COWBOYS SCORING (AVERAGE POINTS): Points scored... 12th (24.4) 15th (23.5) Points allowed... 8th (20.0) 24th (25.0) NET OFFENSE (AVERAGE YARDS): Total... 22nd (332.7) 6th (374.6) Rushing... 18th (109.1) 31st (79.1) Passing... 17th (223.6) 3rd (295.6) NET DEFENSE (AVERAGE YARDS): Total... 6th (319.7) 19th (355.4) Rushing... 12th (107.2) 22nd (125.2) Passing... 7th (212.5) 19th (230.3) TURNOVERS: Differential...11th (plus-4) T-27th (minus-13) BENGALS 2012 RED-ZONE REPORT OFFENSE DEFENSE Inside-20 poss.: 57 Inside-20 poss.: 41 Total scores: 50 (87.7%) Total scores: 35 (85.4%) TDs: 31 (54.4%) TDs: 21 (51.2%) FGs: 19 (33.3%) FGs: 14 (34.1%) TD% rank: 16th TD% rank: T-10th No scores: 7 (12.3%) No scores: 6 (14.6%) COWBOYS 2012 RED-ZONE REPORT OFFENSE DEFENSE Inside-20 poss.: 49 Inside-20 poss.: 55 Total scores: 44 (89.8%) Total scores: 49 (89.1%) TDs: 25 (51.0%) TDs: 30 (54.5%) FGs: 19 (38.8%) FGs: 19 (38.8%) TD% rank: 20th TD% rank: T-18th No scores: 5 (10.2%) No scores: 6 (10.8%) Bengals-Cowboys connections: Bengals QB Andy Dalton is from Katy, Texas, and played at Texas Christian University... Bengals CB Terence Newman was a first-round pick (fifth overall) of the Cowboys in 2003 and played in Dallas from Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer

2 (Bengals-Cowboys connections, continued) coached for the Cowboys from , including as defensive coordinator... Cowboys G Nate Livings was a college free agent signee of the Bengals in 2006 and played for Cincinnati from Bengals CB Adam Jones played for the Cowboys in Cowboys S Will Allen is from Dayton, Ohio and played at Ohio State... Bengals DE Margus Hunt played at Southern Methodist University... Bengals QB John Skelton is from El Paso, Texas... Cowboys LB Alex Albright is from Cincinnati (St. Xavier HS)... Bengals OT Dennis Roland entered the NFL with the Cowboys in 2006 as a college free agent, and spent the 06 preseason with Dallas... Bengals HB Bernard Scott (PUP) is from Vernon, Texas, and played at Abilene Christian University... Cowboys CB Brandon Underwood is from Hamilton, Ohio and played at the Marvin Lewis in 2013 extends his Bengals record for head coaching tenure to 11 seasons. He has led the team to the postseason in three of the last four seasons, making the Bengals one of only seven teams to make three or more playoff trips in that span. Lewis opens 2013 with 79 career victories, 15 more than any other Bengals head coach. (Sam Wyche ranks second at 64). The Bengals went 10-6 in the regular season in 2012, tying eventual Super Bowl champion Baltimore for best record in the AFC North. Cincinnati was a Wild Card playoff entry for the second straight year, rocketing into the playoffs with a 7-1 record in the season s second half. The resilient outfit stands as one of only nine of 131 teams since 1990 to rise to the playoffs after a 3-5 start. Lewis was the consensus choice as NFL Coach of the Year in 2009, when the Bengals won the AFC North title while sweeping all six division games. Lewis also led Cincinnati to an AFC North title in Lewis record is , including postseason. Lewis record in preseason games is Lewis has risen to second in the NFL for longest current head coaching tenure with one team, trailing only New England s Bill Belichick, who is in his 14th Patriots season in In the category of most seasons as head coach with any team, Lewis in 2013 ranks seventh among active coaches. Lewis was named the ninth head coach in Bengals history on Jan. 14, In 2002, he directed the NFL s fifth-ranked defense with Washington, serving as assistant head coach in addition to his role as defensive coordinator. Prior to his year with the Redskins, he was a record-setting defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. His six seasons ( ) with the Ravens included a Super Bowl victory following the 2000 season. In the 2000 regular season, Lewis Baltimore defense set the NFL record for fewest points allowed in a 16- game campaign (165), and the 2000 Ravens are always included in discussions of the best single-season NFL defenses of all time. Lewis entered the NFL as linebackers coach with Pittsburgh from , They re No. 1: Preseason is just preseason, but it s always better to win than lose, and the Bengals are 2-0. In reaching 2-0, Cincinnati s offense has posted the NFL s best averages for yards per game (431.5) and rushing yards per game (211.5). The Bengals also lead the AFC in yards per play (6.3) and third-down efficiency (51.7 percent). The No. 1 rankings stand as current through all but one game of the NFL s preseason Week 2. The only Week 2 game not played at press time for this release was the Monday, Aug. 19 contest pitting Pittsburgh and Washington. A.J. s back, almost: WR A.J. Green has a chance to make his 2013 preseason debut in the Dallas game. He was held out for a second straight game in last week s Tennessee contest, but he did return to practice prior to the Titans game. He had been out of practice since suffering a knee bruise in the first training camp practice, on July 25. The reviews of Green s brief practice work were, to no one s surprise, encouraging. It speaks for itself; words can t explain it, CB Adam Jones said after watching Green make several impressive catches on Aug. 15, his first full practice. A.J. is A.J. The real deal. He picked up where he left off, said QB Andy Dalton. He said he s 100 percent now, and he looked 100 percent out there. It s good to see him making big catches again. That s what he does. Green sustained his knee bruise while diving full-out for a deep pass in practice. That sparked some discussion over whether he d be better off not trying to make every last catch in every practice. But No. 18 won t hear of it. They tried (telling me not to dive), but I practice just like it s going to be in THE HEAD COACHES BENGALS NOTES 2 University of Cincinnati... Bengals OT Anthony Collins is from Beaumont, Texas... Bengals S George Iloka is from Houston... Cowboys TE Colin Cochart played for the Bengals in Bengals LB Sean Porter is from Schertz, Texas and played at Texas A&M... Cowboys DE Thaddeus Gibson played at Ohio State... Bengals RB Rex Burkhead is from Plano, Texas (Plano HS)... Bengals WR Cobi Hamilton is from Texarkana, Texas... Cowboys C/G Kevin Kowalski and S Barry Church both played at the University of Toledo... Bengals LB Brandon Joiner is from Killeen, Texas... Cowboys DE Landen Cohen played at Ohio University... Bengals K/P Quinn Sharp is from Mansfield, Texas... Bengals offensive quality control/assistant offensive line coach Kyle Caskey is from Daingerfield, Texas, and played at Texas A&M from Cowboys linebackers coach Matt Eberflus is from Toledo, Ohio, and played ( ) and coached ( ) at the University of Toledo. guiding the careers of Pro Bowl selections Kevin Greene, Chad Brown, Levon Kirkland and Greg Lloyd. Born Sept. 23, 1958, in McDonald, Pa., near Pittsburgh, Lewis played linebacker at Idaho State and earned All-Big Sky Conference honors in each of his three seasons ( 78-80). He began his coaching career as an assistant at Idaho State University in Jason Garrett is in his fourth season, and his third full season, as Cowboys head coach. He directed the last eight games of 2010 as interim coach, taking over for Wade Phillips, and he was given the full reins of the team for His record is A Dallas QB from , he is the first former Cowboys player to coach the team. Garrett entered coaching in 2005 as quarterbacks coach with the Miami Dolphins. In 2007 he joined the Cowboys, where he served as offensive coordinator until moving up to head coach. His 2009 offense set a Dallas club record for total offense (6390 yards) en route to an NFC East championship. A QB in college at Princeton, he was named Ivy League Player of the Year in He s a native of Abington, Pa. Garrett is a younger brother of John Garrett, who was with the Bengals as a WR in 1989 and who was a Bengals assistant coach for six seasons ( and ). John Garrett is currently WRs coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Lewis vs. Cowboys: Cowboys lead 1-0 in preseason; Cowboys lead 2-1 in regular season. Lewis vs. Garrett: Garrett leads 1-0 in both preseason and regular season. Garrett vs. Bengals: Same as Lewis vs. Garrett. the game, Green said. What I do in practice translates to the game. What I don t do in practice, it s hard to do in the game. If I ve got to dive, I m just going to dive. If injuries still occur, it s going to happen anyway. It s the game of football. You can t have fear, and I have no fear. Green has been an instant standout since being selected No. 4 overall by the Bengals in the 2011 draft, and he enters his third season ranked unquestionably among the NFL s elite wideouts. His list of accomplishments to date include: His 162 career receptions are second-most in NFL history for a player in his first two seasons. Only Marques Colston of New Orleans caught more (168). Green s 2407 receiving yards rank sixth among NFL players in their first two seasons. In his first 20 games, running through Game 5 of last season, Green became the only player in NFL history to reach the triple benchmark of 100 receptions (he had 101), 1500 yards (he had 1550) and 10 TDs (he had 11). Green had a streak last season of nine straight games with at least one TD, a Bengals record for within one season and only the second nine-game single-season NFL streak in 48 years. The only other instance since 1964 was a league-record 12-gamer by Hall of Famer Jerry Rice in Is Sanu A.J. s main man? The Bengals since last season have believed they have plenty of young talent at WR besides the nearly incomparable A.J. Green. But as the 2013 preseason opened, no one had clearly staked a claim to being the established No. 2 wideout, starting alongside Green in the base offense. The goal is to develop a No. 2 threat similar to what T.J. Houshmandzadeh

3 (Is Sanu A.J. s main man?, continued) became during the years when Chad Johnson was the team s most prominent wideout. Over seven seasons ( ), Houshmandzadeh rose to third all-time in Bengals career receptions (507), setting a team record with 112 in 2007, when he went to the Pro Bowl. Two games into this preseason, the overall talent still looks good, but the mantle for Houshmandzadeh II currently rests with second-year pro Mohamed Sanu. Strong and tough at 6-2 and 210 pounds, Sanu was a catch machine at Rutgers (Big East-record 210 catches in just three seasons), and he blended his strength with a good show of speed to set up Cincinnati s first TD last week vs. Tennessee. On a third-and-10 play, he took a short throw from Andy Dalton, stiffarmed his way past two defenders and turned the corner for a 24-yard gain to the Titans one. In the second quarter, he attained perfect positioning on lanky 6-3 CB Tommie Campbell and showed great concentration in catching a twoyard TD lob from Andy Dalton that dropped just beyond Campbell s arms. He had very good coverage on me, Sanu said. I was able to use my hands and my big body and hold my line, and Andy dropped a dime in the back of the end zone. I had no choice but to catch that for him. Dalton has spoken repeatedly about how Sanu inspires a QB s confidence by consistently running the right route, finding seams in coverage and winning contested balls. After the win over Tennessee, offensive coordinator Jay Gruden said much the same: He finds the soft spots in zones, Gruden said. There s nobody better at that than Mo, Gruden said. He played some quarterback (in college) and he was also a safety. He knows all the holes. Knows man-to-man. Knows how to beat coverage. He s got a size advantage and strength advantage. Sanu scored four TDs in nine games as a rookie last season, but his rise was abruptly delayed by a Nov. 29 practice injury that cost him the last five games. Sanu is not the only receiver who has played well, however, with Green resting a knee injury the past two games. Marvin Jones, a fellow 2012 draftee with Sanu, is more of a stylish and graceful receiver and has also gotten consistent praise from Dalton for always being at the right place with the right route. Jones caught three-for-28 vs. Tennessee after missing the preseason opener with an injury. Also not to be counted out is Brandon Tate, a fifth-year pro. Now in his third Bengals season, Tate has made his mark with Cincinnati mostly as a kick returner. He has used his great straight-line speed to rank as the team s career punt-return average leader (10.1). But he leads the team in preseason in receptions (five) and receiving yards (84). He has shown good hands and moves, and he had a 21-yard TD reception at Atlanta. Backup QB battle: The Bengals have two NFL-tested performers battling for the No. 2 QB spot behind Andy Dalton. Both have posted good numbers in the first two preseason games, and the Dallas game will provide another important test for both. Fifth-year pro Josh Johnson has posted a 98.6 passer rating, completing 14- of-23 (60.9 pct.) for 173 yards with one TD and no INTs. He is also a dangerous rusher, having gained 91 yards on nine carries (10.1), but he fumbled twice in the Tennessee game, the Bengals losing one. The former Tampa Bay signal caller (26 games with five starts over ), was arguably the MVP of Cincinnati s win at Atlanta. The athletic 6-3, 205-pounder, signed as an unrestricted free agent for 2013 after seeing only token NFL action in 2012, led the team in both rushing yards (64) and passing yards (100). He moved the second-team offense to two TDs and two FGs on six possessions, leading the team from a 3-0 deficit to a lead. Against Tennessee, he led the offense to a TD and a field goal in the fourth quarter. Fourth-year player John Skelton has logged a passer rating over the first two games. He is nine-for-15 passing (60.0 pct.) for 131 yards, with no TDs or INTs. A mountain of a QB at 6-6 and 250, Skelton has 17 career starts for Arizona. He led wins in his first six home starts. He was acquired on waivers this past April after the Cardinals acquired former Bengal Carson Palmer. Second-year pro Zac Robinson, who has been Cincinnati s No. 3 QB the last two seasons (on practice squad), still hopes to get in the competition, but he has been sidelined for all of training camp with an elbow injury suffered during offseason work. The Hunt for a superstar: There s no question the Bengals feel they are sitting on a true diamond-in-the-rough with Margus Hunt, their 26-yearold rookie DE from the northern European nation of Estonia, by way of Southern Methodist University. The 6-8, 280-pound Hunt grew up as a world-class track and field athlete (discus and hammer), and he migrated to Texas to pursue those 3 skills at SMU. But when the SMU track program was discontinued, Mustang football coaches noted Hunt s physical prowess and urged him to join the program no gridiron experience necessary. Hunt became a constantly improving FBS-level performer, good on defense and exceptional as a special teams kick blocker. He blocked 17 place kicks, including an NCAA-record 10 field goals. Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis says Hunt has unbelievable measurables. Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer says, He s strong and can run like a gazelle. Zimmer goes on: We have a good defensive line and we re not counting on him this year, necessarily. Football-wise, he s about 12 years old. But we saw this pick as somebody we can hit a home run on in the long term. He s an exceptionally hard worker. You watch this guy on tape, and he s running all over the field. I don t want us to sound like he s just learning the game, because he s a good prospect. But he s just learning more and more about it. Watching tape of him in college, his acceleration to the quarterback was as good as I ve seen from anybody. And now, with the preseason proceeding, Hunt is going about the hard and sometimes frustrating work of becoming a quality NFL player. It s tough enough to be a rookie, said defensive line coach Jay Hayes, but it s even more difficult when you re going up against guys who have been playing the game for 15-plus years and from the time they were 6-years old. Some days it comes to him and other days he is in a cloud. A little too much is going on, and he has relayed that to me. He knows what to do, but he freezes sometimes. But he s getting taught some things, and experience is the best teacher. Hunt has played in the first two preseason games. He has three tackles, and he applied pressure to Atlanta QB Dominique Davis on a play that resulted in an interception by Cincinnati CB Brandon Ghee. Radar in the red zone: In two seasons with the Bengals, QB Andy Dalton has thrown for 35 touchdowns with no interceptions on plays with snaps inside the red zone (inside opponent s 20-yard line). That s the most TD passes without throwing an INT among active quarterbacks. That s a great performance, says head coach Marvin Lewis, but it s the kind of performance we ve come to expect from Andy. He s not only a fine talent, but a smart player who is not going to hurt you with the big mistake. We ve got a lot of confidence in Andy when we get the ball into scoring range, and that statistic bears that out. Dalton has nearly twice as many red-zone TD passes without an INT as any other active QB. Tied for second in this category are Russell Wilson of Seattle (18-0) and Seneca Wallace of New Orleans (18-0). The Bengals don t expect Dalton to go his entire career without getting picked in the red zone, of course, and two of the NFL s established elite QBs have career marks worthy of shooting for. Among active players besides Dalton, Wilson and Wallace, the best ratios of TD passes to INTs are held by Aaron Rodgers of Green Bay (36.3-to-1) and Tom Brady of New England (21.0-to-1). Rodgers has thrown for 109 red-zone TDs with three INTs, and Brady has thrown for 231 scores with 11 INTs. Third time would be a rare charm: If Andy Dalton can lead the Bengals back to the playoffs in 2013, he ll become only the fifth starting QB in NFL history to reach the playoffs in each of his first three seasons. To date, the only starting QBs to achieve the feat have been Pat Haden of the Rams ( ), Dan Marino of the Dolphins ( ), Bernie Kosar of the Browns ( ) and Joe Flacco of the Ravens ( ). In Haden s case, the three seasons were not his first three seasons as a pro, because he played in the World Football League prior to joining the Rams. More on Dalton and history: While shooting to become only the fifth starting QB to take his club to the playoffs in his first three seasons (see previous item), Andy Dalton already has some brushes with history on record: In 2011, he became the first NFL rookie QB to start as many as eight wins and throw for 20 or more TDs (started nine wins and had 20 TDs.) Also in 2011, he became the first rookie QB not drafted in the first round to start every game in a 16-game season. He is one of just three QBs to throw 43 or more TD passes in his first two seasons. The No. 1 spot is held by Hall of Famer Dan Marino (68). No. 2 is future Hall of Fame Peyton Manning (52), and Dalton is third (47). In fourth place behind Dalton is Jeff Garcia at 42. Best Bengals D-line ever? The nickname Fearsome Foursome has long ago been taken, but pundits may be challenged to find another moniker if Cincinnati s 2013 defensive line fulfills its potential.

4 (Best Bengals D-line ever?, continued) Last year s line was arguably among the strongest in franchise history contributing 43 of a team-record 51 sacks and helping the defense rank sixth in fewest yards allowed. This season, DT Pat Sims is the only significant 2012 line member not returning, and the group should have a shot at establishing itself as the best ever for Cincinnati. Start with fourth-year DT Geno Atkins, who has wildly exceeded the outside expectations he brought as a 2010 fourth-round draft choice. He was first-team Associated Press All-Pro in 2012, his 12.5 sacks leading all NFL interior linemen by a margin of 4.5. And he s far more than just a sacks guy. His brief action in preseason has included smothering top NFL rusher Steven Jackson of Atlanta for a three-yard loss on a third-and-two play from the Bengals 16, forcing the Falcons to settle for a field goal. Alongside Atkins, in the NT spot, is veteran leader Domata Peko, the line s leading tackler four times in five seasons. At DE, ever-improving Michael Johnson (6-7, 270) and Carlos Dunlap (6-6, 280) present as imposing a young pair as the NFL has to offer. Johnson, just entering his fifth season, had 11.5 sacks last season. Dunlap, entering year four, needs a fully healthy year to unleash all his potential. He s missed chunks of time over his first three seasons. But he clearly has the ability to exceed his sacks average of 6.7 per campaign, and on July 16 the Bengals stamped him with a big seal of approval a fiveyear contract extension through In addition to 6.0 sacks last season, Dunlap led the team in fumbles forced/recovered, with seven. Johnson and Dunlap both missed the Tennessee game, Johnson to rest a minor injury and Dunlap while still rehabbing from a concussion. Dunlap also missed the Atlanta game. Both, however, could return to action at Dallas. Without pegging a specific year, the best Bengals starting line group before this one was likely the one whose heyday was roughly 1979 through the early 80s, with Eddie Edwards, Ross Browner and Gary Burley manning the DE spots and Wilson Whitley holding down the NT. (For most of those years, the line had just three linemen on the field at the time, in a 3-4 scheme). The 1976 line was also formidable, with DE Coy Bacon logging a club-record 22.0 sacks, massive Bob Brown teaming with Ron Carpenter inside, and Burley at the other end. I ll leave the comparisons to the media, says Bengals defensive line coach Jay Hayes, but we liked what our group did last year and we ve got only the highest expectations for them this year. It s up to us as coaches to get the most out of them. There s a lot there to get. More on the D-line: The previous item on the potential of the 2013 defensive line covers on the four biggest names. But there is also plenty of talent in reserve, and all players are likely to see action in the line rotation. At DE, 10th-year Bengal Robert Geathers serves as a mentor and still has plenty of gas in his own tank. He started every game last year at LDE, though sharing time with Carlos Dunlap. Also at DE, Wallace Gilberry was a big plus last year after being signed as a free agent in September. He logged 6.5 sacks and tied for second on the team in fumbles forced and/or recovered (four). A prime new talent is 6-8, 280-pound rookie Margus Hunt, who blocked 17 kicks in four seasons at SMU, including an NCAA record 10 field goals. At DT, a pair of high 2012 draft picks stand ready to up their contributions. Devon Still of Penn State and Brandon Thompson have all the strength and tools to build on their rookie seasons. Rookie stakes SS claim: Another featured position battle in the 2013 preseason is No. 1 strong safety, alongside incumbent FS Reggie Nelson, and rookie third-round draft pick Shawn Williams of Georgia raised his stock in the Tennessee game. Williams led the team with 10 tackles, with no other Bengal logging more than five. Williams also had a special teams tackle. I had a feeling I was going to get to play more, Williams said. I was just out there having fun and playing football and running to the ball. Still running atop the depth chart at SS, however, is second-year pro George Iloka, a 2012 fifth-round draft choice from Boise State. Iloka did not play vs. Tennessee due to an injury, but he may be able to resume action at Dallas. Iloka saw only limited action as a rookie, playing in seven games and logging two special teams tackles. But the coaching staff loves his size (6-4, 217) and range, and he was among the top five tacklers for all four of his college seasons as Boise State compiled a 50-3 record. A year ago, George did a lot of good physical things in practice and showed that he deserved an opportunity to be a contributing player in the NFL, said head coach Marvin Lewis. Being on the 53-man roster all year and not getting an opportunity to suit up a whole lot, he worked very hard every day during the week. He constantly took the coaching and the critiquing and continued to get better. 4 Also seeking the No. 1 position are veterans Taylor Mays and Jeromy Miles. Mays had four tackles vs. Tennessee, and Miles had a special teams stop. Gresham gets ready his way: By standard measures, Bengals TE Jermaine Gresham has had a very successful career since being drafted by Cincinnati in the first round in He is the only Bengals TE to record three seasons of 50 or more receptions, and he has played for the AFC in the last two Pro Bowls. But the 6-5, 260-pounder is not one to feel satisfied with his exploits. At least not yet. Gresham opened last training camp by telling media he was disappointed in himself for not matching the receiving numbers of some other TEs drafted in 10, most notably Rob Gronkowski of New England and Jimmy Graham of Miami. He didn t excuse himself even after head coach Marvin Lewis and offensive coordinator Jay Gruden noted that he was doing an apples-tooranges comparison of offensive schemes, and that he was doing just fine with what the Bengals wanted him to do. And this year, despite posting career highs of 64 catches and 737 yards last season, Gresham is self-motivating by pointedly confronting the memory of passes he dropped in last season s Wild Card playoff loss at Houston. My whole intent during the offseason was to make up for where I left off in the playoff game, Gresham said. There s no doubt about it, I cost my team the game. My mindset since then has been about getting back to playing the position and catching passes on the field consistently, instead of looking not so healthy out there at times. I had to get my mind right. Gresham has seen brief action with the No. 1 offense in both preseason games, with two catches for 21 yards. Gresham trained in Texas during the offseason with four-time Olympic gold medal sprinter Michael Johnson, looking to improve his overall athleticism. It s all about me being a professional, he said. I owe it to the fans and people who got me here to do better, because being a disappointment is not what I am. I m just trying to make up for it. I m another year wiser and know what s expected of me. I just have to do my job and not let my teammates down. It s sad that it has taken so long, but I m really starting to figure some things out. Things will be different this year. Polian plugs Eifert: Bill Polian, former Indianapolis Colts president, visited Bengals training camp in his new role as an analyst and broadcaster for Sirius NFL Radio. He left singing the praises of TE Tyler Eifert, Cincinnati s firstround selection in the 2013 draft. Polian agrees that Eifert, a pass-catcher extraordinaire at Notre Dame, has the potential for a career like that of one of Polian s former Colts players, Pro Bowl TE Dallas Clark. Absolutely, Polian said. (Eifert) was one of the few guys in this draft that I said is can t-miss, and I think he ll have a spectacular effect on this offense. Maybe not this year, maybe not early because it takes times for rookies. But once he gets his legs under him and understands the National Football League, he ll be a big factor in this offense. The Bengals already have a two-time Pro Bowl TE in Jermaine Gresham (see previous item), but Eifert is envisioned as more of a complement to Gresham than a competitor, based mostly on those exceptional receiving skills. (Eifert) has excellent hands, an excellent feel for route-running, Polian said. His speed is comparable to Dallas. The hands are in the same ballpark. He s more of a rebounder than Dallas in his style of catching. But he makes as many spectacular grabs. By rebounder, Polian means Eifert uses his body to win contested balls. He ll go up and fight DBs for balls and out-jump them, Polian said. He s got long arms and a long body. He s a good jumper and he can make catches in the air, which is hard for people to do. Dallas could do that, too. He can get off the ground and catch the ball exceptionally well. At the college level he won the vast majority of contested balls that were thrown to him. He s unique in that way. Eifert has started alongside Jermaine Gresham in each of the first two preseason games, and it seems clear that Cincinnati will operate with two TEs on the field more often than last season. Eifert did not have a catch in the preseason opener, but he had three for 32 yards vs. Tennessee. Who needs the draft? The Bengals were the NFL s No. 6 defense last season. Expectations for the 2013 defense are even higher. And the linebacker corps obviously is expected to play a big role. And as the Bengals prepare to open the preseason, nine of the 11 LBs on the roster are players who entered the NFL as college free agents, passed over in the draft. Two are presently running in No. 1 spots on the depth chart: SLB James Harrison, signed this year as a free agent, is widely known as a Pittsburgh Steelers standout who made five Pro Bowls and is a former NFL

5 (Who needs the draft?, continued) Defensive Player of the Year. But some may have forgotten, or never knew, that Harrison was undrafted out of Kent State in He played in only one game over 2002 and 03. He spent much of those two years on the Pittsburgh practice squad, and he was not in the NFL at all in the second half of 03, having been released from the Steelers practice squad in October. He was re-signed by the Steelers just before 2004 training camp, after having been signed and later cut by Baltimore in the offseason. He finally won the confidence of Steelers coaches in the 04 camp and played in every regular-season game in 04. WLB Vontaze Burfict was a Bengals college free agent signee last year and went on to lead the team in tackles (174). He beat a rap from his Arizona State career that said despite having great talent, he was too undisciplined and out of shape to be worthy of a draft selection. Burfict last year set a Bengals record for most starts (14) in a rookie season by a college free agent. Original college free agents currently running in No. 2 spots on the depth chart are second-year pro Emmanuel Lamur (SLB) and third-year player Vincent Rey (MLB). Lamur was not even an immediate post-draft signee by the Bengals last year. He had to participate as a tryout player in rookie minicamp before being offered a contract. He wound up playing in the last nine regular-season games, and he was given a starting nod in the Wild Card playoff at Houston. When a reporter recently noted to head coach Marvin Lewis that Lamur seems to be a guy who has just worked his tail off, Lewis responded: He s matured into the body he had. He s a 6-4 guy and he had the frame, and now he s up to 240 pounds. He s just got to continue to mature as an athlete. There s no special thing that he did. He just continues to work. We know that he can run and do things athletically, and he s got great strength as well. Other original college free agents on the LB roster are first-year players J.K. Schaffer and Brandon Joiner, and rookies Jordan Campbell, Jayson DiManche and Bruce Taylor. The only Bengals LBs who entered the NFL through the draft are starting MLB Rey Maualuga (second round, Bengals, 2009) and WLB Sean Porter (fourth round, Bengals, 2013). More on the LB corps: Two-time Pro Bowl CB Terence Newman joins the chorus singing the praises of a Bengals LB corps with only three players who were drafted by the NFL out of college (detail in previous item). The linebacking corps is phenomenal, Newman says. They make plays in the passing game and the running game. They re big and can run. They can hit and they cover. When you talk football, they re all smart as hell, too. You listen to ask them ask questions, and when Zim (defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer) asks questions, they rattle off the answers like nothing. It s impressive. Head coach Marvin Lewis seconds the brainy part. They ve got so much upside, Lewis says. They re not only physically good. They re very good mentally. Very, very good that way. On-site inspiration: The success of former college free agents with the Bengals LB corps (see previous items) serves as fuel for the roster bids of college free agents such as rookie LB Jayson DiManche of Southern Illinois. You see the guys who are established here, like James (Harrison) and Vontaze (Burfict), DiManche says, so it s more than just saying you have a chance. It holds true from the people you are seeing. DiManche, 22, grew up watching the exploits of Harrison, 35, who has been to five Pro Bowls and was once named NFL Defensive Player of the Year. It s crazy, DiManche says. For the longest time, he was one of my favorite linebackers ever to play the game. I ve followed him since I started watching football. I try to model a lot of moves after him. The way he plays with that leverage. That power and speed around that edge. And the physical force he is. A lot of guys look up to him. It s an honor to be on the team with him. Huber runs the table: Bengals fifth-year P Kevin Huber opted not to test the unrestricted free agent market this past offseason, re-signing with Cincinnati just before the new league year began. It was great news for Cincinnati s special teams. Huber set Bengals season records last year for gross punting average (46.6 yards) and net average (42.0), and in so doing he qualified for the franchise s career leads of 44.0 gross and 38.9 net. The Bengals made Huber the first kicking specialist taken in the 2009 draft (fifth round, 142nd overall). He is only the second Bengals draftee who attended both high school and college in the Queen City. He attended McNicholas High School before moving on to the University of Cincinnati, where as a junior he won the national punting title (46.9-yard gross average). The other Bengals 5 draftee to attend both high school and college in Cincinnati was RB Clem Turner, a fourth-round 1969 selection who had attended Woodward High School and the University of Cincinnati. The Georgia connection: Seven Bengals DT Geno Atkins, G Clint Boling, TE Orson Charles, DE Robert Geathers, WR A.J. Green, OT Dennis Roland and S Shawn Williams played at the University of Georgia. All seven are players with a good-or-better chance of making the 53-player roster for the regular season, and if they do, it s believed they ll establish a Bengals franchisehigh for most players on the roster at one time from one school. Six of the above seven were on the Bengals roster last season all but current rookie Shawn Williams and quite notably, all six played in all 16 games plus the Wild Card playoff. Asked about the team s Georgia connection, head coach Marvin Lewis said: I would just say that the coaching staff there, under Coach Mark Richt, has done a great job teaching their guys to play aggressive, attacking football. Whether it be offense or defense, they re all no-nonsense guys. So we really like their work ethic, how they handle and carry themselves as people, and that says a lot about the program. I think you guys (media) would agree that they re personable players. They re always approachable, they ve been trained the right way, and the Georgia people just do a great job of that. It was good to get another Bulldog in the draft, with Shawn Williams, and we have a good group of Bulldogs here, so he has been able to become comfortable right away with guys he knows and has played with. Georgia s pipeline to the Bengals has been a relatively recent connection. On the Bengals Alumni List, Georgia ranks only tied for ninth among schools in most players to have made the Cincinnati all-time roster. The Bulldog total is 13. The runaway leader for producing Bengals is Ohio State, at 26 entering this season. The University of Florida is second at 18, and third place at 16 is shared by the University of Cincinnati, Michigan and West Virginia. Only two of the seven current Bengal Bulldogs are natives of the state of Georgia. Clint Boling is from Alpharetta, and Shawn Williams is from Damascus. Hard Knocks a hit: Reviews are in for the first episodes of HBO s Hard Knocks: 2013 Training Camp with the Cincinnati Bengals: ESPN W: The return of the NFL season also means the return of one of the best shows on television, Hard Knocks. Over the past seven seasons, the documentary series, produced by HBO and NFL Films, has proven to be mustsee reality TV... This rare look at how any given moment can be the end of a season or even a career for an NFL player this is what makes Hard Knocks special. ProFootballTalk.com: Hard Knocks, the great HBO show, chronicles training camp for superstars and for marginal players trying to make a roster. The new season introduced the cast of characters on the Bengals some of whom are NFL stars, and some of whom will be out of work a month from now. Grantland.com: Hard Knocks is when it really feels like we re getting football back in our lives. AwfulAnnouncing.com: Hard Knocks...is always insightful, in depth and relentlessly professional. NFL.com: It just so happens to be the greatest football program in the history of the television medium. ESPN s Bill Simmons: How great was that Gresham/Atkins showdown on Hard Knocks? They could have shown that entire drill as its own show - I would ve watched. Episodes 3-5 in the five-part series will originally air at 10 p.m. ET on each of the next three Tuesday nights (Aug. 20 and 27, and Sept. 3). Turnover tables are turned: During the tenure of head coach Marvin Lewis (2003-present), the Bengals rank sixth in the NFL in turnover differential at plus-36. Prior to Lewis tenure, the Bengals had posted a minus turnover differential for five straight years ( ). Here are the top six teams in differential since 2003: TEAM TAKEAWAYS GIVEAWAYS DIFFERENTIAL New England Indianapolis Atlanta Baltimore Green Bay Cincinnati Since 2003, the Bengals rank fourth in the NFL in most takeaways (297) and fifth in points off turnovers (922).

6 (Bengals notes, continued) A stat that matters: For the Bengals term of coach Marvin Lewis (2003-present), a plus-differential in turnovers reflects a big plus in the win column. And the reverse has gone for a minus. The Bengals are in the regular season under Lewis with a plus, for a.781 winning percentage. In contrast, the Bengals are under Lewis when posting a minus differential. When the differential has been even, the results have been nearly even, with the Bengals at under Lewis. The Bengals overall experience with turnovers under Lewis is backed up by overall league numbers. Since the start of the 2003 season, here are the records of teams with varying turnover differentials (minus differentials are not included because they are the exact reverse of the plus figure for the same numbers): DIFFERENTIAL W-L-T PCT. Plus Plus Plus Plus Plus-5 or more Since 2003, NFL teams with any plus have a combined winning percentage of.799. The combined W-L record is yards good, 25 carries better: The Bengals are 35-2 under head coach Marvin Lewis when a rusher records 25 or more carries. That is a.946 winning percentage. HB BenJarvus Green-Ellis had four games of 25 or more carries in Games under Lewis with a 25-carry rusher have been less frequent and slightly more successful than games with a 100-yard rusher. In the Lewis era (2003-present), the Bengals are 36-7 with a 100-yard rusher (.837 winning percentage). In Green-Ellis case, the record in his 100-yard games matches the 4-0 the Bengals posted in his 25-carry games. Green-Ellis had one game last year in which he hit 25 carries but not 100 yards (26-for-82 in a win at Head coach Marvin Lewis, on the preseason to date and the state of the team entering the Dallas game: We ve encountered a number of game situations in the first two games that should be very helpful from a teaching standpoint. The first half of the Tennessee game played out a little more like a normal NFL game than some preseason games do. There are a few things we have to correct, but overall it was a lot of positive things happening. We had some stops on defense and were able to move the ball on offense. All in all, we achieved some things we were looking forward to. We have to continue to play while making a few adjustments in the running game. It was a good effort, and we are getting a lot of different guys in to play, and I am pleased with that. It has been a successful second week. Now we move into the third week, and we are looking to get some of our injured guys back when we go to Dallas next week, some key guys who haven t played much yet and who can use some work as we get ready for Sept. 8 (regular-season opener at Chicago). HB Giovani Bernard, on logging his second straight productive preseason game in the Tennessee contest: I want to be an every-down back. I don t want to be a guy that s just shifty or a guy that can just run outside or catch balls out of the backfield. I want to be able to be a guy who can do it all. That s the thing I bring to the table, as a person that s able to do it all. If I can add that to my game, it s going to be awesome. Benny (BenJarvus Green-Ellis) is going to come back real strong (after being rested vs. Tennessee), and we re just excited for this entire thing going on and seeing how it plays out. Offensive coordinator Jay Gruden, on 5-9, 208-pound HB Giovani Bernard: He s not afraid. He may not run over people like Adrian Peterson, but he ll make some people miss. He s hard to find in there. Sometimes those smaller backs get in there and they get low, and linebackers and safeties can t find them. They pop out the back door. He s got great feet. He s short (5-9), but strong. He ll bounce around; make a lot of people miss. If he gets in the open field, he s dangerous. He catches the ball very fluidly. BENGALS QUOTES Jacksonville) and one game in which he hit 100 yards without getting 25 carries (19-for-129 in a win vs. Oakland). Lewis, however, notes that the overall numbers still favor the 25 carries over the more iconic 100 yards. It s not always the yardage total that s most important, says Lewis. When your back is carrying 25 times, it means that even though the yardage will vary, you re controlling the ball, controlling the clock, and keeping your defense off the field. As it shows for us that is very likely going to be a winning combination. By player, the Bengals won-lost totals under Lewis with a 25-carry rusher have been 18-1 with Rudi Johnson, 11-1 with Cedric Benson, 2-0 with Kenny Watson and 4-0 with Green-Ellis. By player, Lewis totals with a 100-yard rusher have been 15-4 with Rudi Johnson, 2-0 with Kenny Watson, 13-2 with Cedric Benson, 1-0 with Corey Dillon, 0-1 with Bernard Scott, 1-0 with Larry Johnson, and 4-0 with Green-Ellis. Bengal bites: Cincinnati s all-time preseason record is Last season, LB Vontaze Burfict became the first Bengals rookie since LB Odell Thurman in 2005 to lead the team in tackles, and Burfict was the fifth rookie overall to lead the team. Others have been LB Takeo Spikes (1998), LB James Francis (1990) and LB Reggie Williams (1976)... In DT Geno Atkins (12.5 sacks) and DE Michael Johnson (11.5), the Bengals last season had their first doubledigit sack duo since 1981, when LB Reggie Williams had 11.0 and DE Eddie Edwards had A total of 131 NFL teams started a season with a 3-5 record from 1990 through last season, and last season s Bengals are one of only nine of those teams to have rallied to reach the playoffs... The Bengals 7-1 record in the second half of last season tied the 1981 Super Bowl team for best second-half record by a Cincinnati club in the second half of a 16-game season... Bengals K Mike Nugent tied the club record for longest field goal with a 55- yarder on Nov. 25 of last season vs. Oakland. The only previous 55-yarder in club history came 33 years before, by Chris Bahr on Sept. 23, 1979 vs. Houston... In each of the last 121 Cincinnati TV ratings weeks that have included a Bengals regular-season or postseason broadcast, the Bengals have been the No. 1-rated show among all programming in the market. The streak began in Bernard, with more self-evaluation: For me, my biggest thing is yards per carry, and it still wasn t as high as I wanted it to be (5.3 per rush vs. Tennessee). But it just leaves room for getting better. I m always trying to get better at everything. I m always going to critique myself real hard, no matter if I have 300 yards in a game. I m still going to try to find that one play or two plays where I messed up. That s just how I am. That s what s gotten me here, being a tough critic on myself. DT Geno Atkins, on entering his fourth Bengals season: This is the strongest I ve been going into a training camp. I remember what (former Bengals DT) Tank Johnson told me when I was a rookie: Get as fast and as strong as you can going into training camp. Each year my goal is to make sure I m stronger and faster than I was the year before. ESPN NFL analyst and six-time NFL Executive of the Year Bill Polian, speaking on ESPN s NFL Insiders : Marvin Lewis is one of the great developers of young people and the characters of young people in this game. He s in the mold of Tony Dungy. He s a terrific role model, as well as a terrific coach.... This is the best team that nobody knows. Lewis, on QB Andy Dalton: He s going into his third year, the cast around him gets nothing but better, and we all feel his leadership, spreading his wings. He s maturing. A lot was cast on him as a young guy, which was kind of the same thing he had in college, and like then, he s just kept growing into it and kept getting better and better. He knows there are certain things that are asked of him. We ve all collectively got to do better, and I think he s excited to lead us in that direction. HB BenJarvus Green-Ellis, on the H-back/FB battle between Orson Charles and John Conner: For that position, there s no fair dodging, no ducking, or anything of that matter. When they go in there, they re trying to go lay wood. John, as everyone has seen, has done a real good job of that. Orson is learning to stay low. He s 6