WEEKLY NEWS RELEASE sept. 2, 2014 CINCINNATI BENGALS (0-0) AT BALTIMORE RAVENS (0-0)

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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 sept. 2, 2014 CINCINNATI BENGALS (0-0) AT BALTIMORE RAVENS (0-0) Kickoff: 1 p.m. Eastern. Television: CBS broadcast with Spero Dedes (play-by-play) and Solomon Wilcots (analyst). The game will air in the Bengals home market on WKRC-TV (Channel 12) in Cincinnati, WHIO-TV (Channel 7) in Dayton and WKYT-TV (Channel 27) in Lexington, Ky. Radio: Coverage on the Bengals Radio Network, led by Cincinnati flagship stations WCKY-AM (ESPN 1530) and WEBN-FM (102.7). Broadcasters are Dan Hoard (play-by-play) and Dave Lapham (analyst). Also, the game will be aired to a national audience on affiliates of Westwood One. Broadcasters are Kevin Lee (play-by-play) and Mark Malone (analyst). Setting the scene: Pick your angle... Season opener. Division opener. On the road. Fourth straight playoff berth on the to-do list. Head coach and his quarterback in a bright spotlight. Opponent who won it all in 2012 but missed postseason last year. Two franchises and fan bases who approach their rivalry with a bit of an edge. Cincinnati vs. Baltimore at M&T Bank Stadium. It s a high-intensity first step on a road the Bengals have designed to end in that fourth straight postseason berth. Of course that s not the end goal not after three straight first-round playoff losses but the chance to snap such a streak is not guaranteed to anyone in September. I d call this season the most challenging one in my 12 years here, says head coach Marvin Lewis. Our team is as talented as any we ve had, and expectations have never been higher. But we have a tough schedule, and we can take nothing for granted. We don t get to start where we left off, as division champions. We ve got to earn it all again before we can take those next steps. So our first goal was to have a very productive training camp and preseason, and I think we ve done that. The Bengals first units retired to the bench with leads in each of the first three preseason games, and Lewis put a wordless stamp of approval on their August effort by giving every starter except rookie C Russell Bodine the night off for the Aug. 28 preseason finale vs. Indianapolis. In each of Lewis past 11 seasons, the first units had played at least one series in the finale. The Bengals second and third units had a big night, defeating their Colts counterparts 35-7 for a 2-2 team finish in preseason. Now, said Lewis, with the regular season starting, we have to be great each day in making ourselves better. Our standards individually and as a team must be the highest they ve ever been. There are going to be ups and downs, but we have to keep our eyes always on the target. We ll have to overcome injuries and bad plays. We ll also make good plays, and when we do, we put them quickly behind us and go on to the next good play. Starting QB Andy Dalton had a quite sharp preseason, with a passer rating of But with preseason ended, the big eye of Football Universe will be trained in part on the quest of Dalton and his head coach to lead the Bengals from the ranks of the very good to the elite. Andy and I both, we know what we re up against, Lewis says. We ve set a high standard. Andy helped start it by leading us to the playoffs as a rookie (in 2011), when everyone said we d finish last. And he s led us there two more years, and now the expectations are to win everything. That s the good thing. Winning is just not good enough any longer. Winning the division is no longer GAME NOTES REGULAR-SEASON OPENER SUNDAY, SEPT. 7 AT M&T BANK STADIUM NEXT WEEK: WEEK 2, GAME 2 SEPT. 14 VS. ATLANTA good enough. The opportunity to win enough to get to the playoffs and become world champions is the goal. That s what our fans feel, and we accept that. We re excited to meet that challenge. The Bengals return essentially the same starting units that led the team to an 11-5 record last year, and the two groups should be getting better, as most players are in their career primes in age. New starters on defense, as compared to last year s season opener, are DE Wallace Gilberry and OLB Emmanuel Lamur. Gilberry is a highly motivated player who tied for the team sacks lead (7.5) last year despite not getting a starter s snaps. So the team is not too worried about filling in for departed free agent Michael Johnson. Lamur doesn t have the five Pro Bowls of the starting LB he s replacing James Harrison but Harrison played limited snaps last season, at age 35, despite his official starter s designation. Lamur, with LB size (6-4, 240) and a safety s athleticism, has a world of potential to overcome his limited experience. The only truly new starter on offense is Bodine, the rookie center, who didn t really need to win the job in preseason. He needed just to confirm his coaches draft-day evaluation, and he has done that. Giovani Bernard is a new listee as the No. 1 HB, but Bernard was a huge factor last year as a rookie, sharing time with the recently released BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Though now the top man, Bernard will be in a time-share again, as rookie HB Jeremy Hill is tabbed to fill Green-Ellis power back role, only with more power and speed. Besides Hill, players not yet in the starting lineup but expected to give the team a fresh boost include DE Margus Hunt and CB Darqueze Dennard. Baltimore rolls into the opener after a 4-0 run through the preseason. The Ravens averaged rushing yards per game. Baltimore dipped to 29th in the NFL in net offense last season, en route to an 8-8 finish, but the Ravens won Super Bowl XLVII in 2012, defeating San Francisco. Looking ahead to home opener: The Bengals will look to tie the franchise record for consecutive home wins in their 2014 home opener, Sept. 14 vs. Atlanta. Cincinnati has won nine straight at home in the regular season the finale in 2012, and all eight games in 13. The record is 10, set in the full 1988 season and the first two games of 89. The Bengals also will look to extend their home dominance of NFC teams. Cincinnati is in its last 22 home games against NFC teams, dating back to That s a winning percentage of.705. The record under head coach Marvin Lewis is The Falcons, however, are 1-0 at Cincinnati during this stretch. They won in their last visit, in The Falcons, led by QB Matt Ryan, are trying to rebound from an unexpected plunge to 4-12 last season. In the three previous campaigns, they were 36-12, with one top NFC playoff seed, two AFC South titles and three playoff berths. The series: The Ravens lead, 20-16, including 13-5 as the home team. The Bengals have won two of the last three meetings overall and eight of the last 15, but the Ravens have won the last four games in Baltimore, including a overtime decision last season. It was the first overtime game in series history. Complete Bengals-Ravens series results are on page 210 of the 2014 Bengals Media Guide. 1

2 (Game notes, continued) Team bests from the series: Bengals MOST POINTS: 42, in a win in 2005 at Paul Brown Stadium. LARGEST VICTORY MARGIN: 17, in the most recent meeting, a win at Paul Brown Stadium in the 2013 regular-season finale. FEWEST POINTS ALLOWED: 7 (three times), most recently in a 17-7 win in 2009 at Paul Brown Stadium. Ravens MOST POINTS: 44, in a win at M&T Bank Stadium in LARGEST VICTORY MARGIN: 37, in a 37-0 win at Baltimore in FEWEST POINTS ALLOWED: 0 (three times), most recently in a 16-0 win at Baltimore in The last meetings: Summaries of last season s two Bengals- Ravens meetings are on page 14 of this news release. Takeaway terrors: During the term of Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis (2003-present), the Bengals rank fifth in the NFL in turnover differential, at plus-37. But the Ravens, Lewis former team, rank tied for third at plus-40. Last season, the Bengals were plus-1, and Baltimore had an uncharacteristically bad year at minus-5. Prior to Lewis tenure, the Bengals had posted a minus turnover differential for five straight years ( ). Since 2003, NFL teams with just a plus-one differential have won 69.3 percent of their games. At plus-two the percentage has been Teams with any plus from one to five have won 79.9 percent of the time. TEAM TAKEAWAYS GIVEAWAYS DIFFERENTIAL New England Indianapolis Baltimore Atlanta Cincinnati Since 2003, the Bengals rank fourth in the NFL in most takeaways (328) and third in points off turnovers (1025). Records vs. Ravens: Shayne Graham kicked a Bengals-record seven field goals for all of Cincinnati s scoring in a 21-7 win at Baltimore in Graham did not have a missed attempt. Graham is one of five NFL players to kick seven field goals in a game. Only one player, Rob Bironas of Tennessee, has kicked eight. Also: The Bengals record for kickoff return yardage in a game (228 yards) was set at Baltimore by Brandon Bennett in Bennett had a 94-yarder for a TD. The longest punt return by a Bengals opponent was Lamont Brightful s 95-yarder in 2002 at Baltimore. The longest interception return by a Bengals opponent was Chad Williams 98-yarder in 2002 at Baltimore. The Bengals were flagged for a club-record 134 penalty yards (on nine penalties) in last season s overtime loss at Baltimore. Individually vs. Ravens: Though the Ravens lost at Cincinnati in the 2013 season finale, they managed to sting Bengals QB Andy Dalton for four interceptions, the most allowed by Dalton in his 48 NFL games. Dalton also passed for two TDs in that game, and the Bengals won, The win raised Dalton s W-L record as a starter vs. Baltimore to 2-4. Dalton s six-game passing totals against Baltimore are 123-for-228 (53.9 percent) for 1459 yards (243.2 yards per game), with six TDs and 10 INTs (passer rating of 64.2). Other current Bengals offensive performances while playing for Cincinnati against Baltimore include: HB Giovani Bernard: Two games; 27 rushes for 80 yards (3.0); 13 receptions for 88 yards (6.8) with one TD. Bernard had an 18-yard TD catch at Baltimore last season. HB Cedric Peerman: Eight games; Nine rushes for 36 yards (4.0); One reception for 11 yards. WR A.J. Green: Five games; 21 receptions for 334 yards (15.9), with two TDs. In last season s first Bengals-Ravens meeting, on Nov. 10 at Baltimore, Green had 151 yards on eight receptions, including a 51-yard TD on a Hail Mary pass at the end of regulation that sent the game into overtime. In that game, Green logged his fifth consecutive 100-yard game and his sixth on the season, both feats setting franchise records. On Dec. 29 of last season vs. Baltimore, Green had a 53-yard TD. WR Marvin Jones: Four games; 11 receptions for 108 yards (9.8), with two TDs. Jones scored his first NFL TD in the 2012 season finale vs. Baltimore. WR Mohamed Sanu: Three games; Four receptions for 38 yards (9.5). WR Brandon Tate: Six games; Four receptions for 56 yards (14.0). WR Dane Sanzenbacher: Two games; One reception for seven yards. TE Jermaine Gresham: Five games; 14 catches for 165 yards (11.8). Gresham missed two games last season due to injuries, and both were against the Ravens. TE Tyler Eifert: One game; Three receptions for 55 yards (18.3). Eifert missed last season s second game due to injury. TE Alex Smith; Two games; Two receptions for 10 yards (5.0) Historically, it seems to help: No one will be calling a season opener a must-win game. The last two seasons, the Bengals have made the playoffs despite a loss in Game 1. In 2012, the loss was at Baltimore. But history still says that in eight of their 12 seasons of qualifying for postseason play, the Bengals did win the opener. Here are the season opener results from Bengals playoff years: YEAR OPPONENT RESULT BENGALS FINISH 1970 OAKLAND Cin., Won AFC Central at 8-6 Den., Won AFC Central at CLEVELAND Cin., for best-ever win pct. (.786) 1981 SEATTLE Cin., Went 12-4 and reached SB XVI 1982 HOUSTON Cin., in strike-shortened season 1988 PHOENIX Cin., Went 12-4 and reached SB XXIII 1990 NY JETS Cin., Central title at 9-7; went 1-1 in playoffs Cin., finish for AFC North crown 2009 DENVER Den., 12-7 Won AFC North (10-6); swept division Cin., Earned Wild Card berth at 9-7 Bal., Earned Wild Card berth at 10-6 Chi., Won AFC North at 11-5 For openers: Marvin Lewis is 4-7 in season openers as Bengals head coach, including 3-5 on the road. The Bengals franchise has posted a mark in season openers, including 7-15 on the road. The Bengals are opening on the road for the fifth straight season, the longest such stretch in franchise history. The Bengals are 1-2 in past season openers against the Ravens, with a home win in 2007 and road losses in 08 and 12. Back-to-back: This week s game marks the third time in franchise history for the Bengals to open a season against the same team they faced in the previous year s regular-season finale. Cincinnati defeated the Ravens in the 2013 finale at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals lost to the Ravens in the 2011 finale at Cincinnati and the 2012 season opener at Baltimore. Cincinnati lost on the road to Kansas City in the 2005 finale and defeated the Chiefs at Kansas City in the 2006 season opener. BENGALS-RAVENS FINAL 2013 NFL RANKINGS BENGALS RAVENS SCORING (AVERAGE POINTS): Points scored... T-6th (26.9) 25th (20.0) Points allowed... T-5th (19.1) 12th (22.0) NET OFFENSE (AVERAGE YARDS): Total... 10th (368.4) 29th (307.4) Rushing... 18th (109.7) 30th (83.0) Passing... 8th (258.7) 18th (224.4) NET DEFENSE (AVERAGE YARDS): Total... 3rd (305.5) 12th (335.5) Rushing... 5th (96.5) 11th (105.4) Passing... 5th (209.0) 12th (230.1) TURNOVERS: Differential...13th (plus-1) 22nd (minus-5) Bengals-Ravens connections: Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis was Ravens defensive coordinator from and earned a Super Bowl ring with the 2000 World Champions... Ravens head coach John Harbaugh is from Perrysburg, Ohio, played DB at Miami (Ohio) and coached at 2

3 (Bengals-Ravens connections, continued) Morehead State (1988) and the University of Cincinnati ( )... Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson was on the Ravens coaching staff from Ravens safety Jeromy Miles played for the Bengals from and one game in Ravens OLB Elvis Dumervil played at Louisville... Bengals HB Cedric Peerman was drafted by the Ravens (sixth round) in 2009 but was waived in final preseason cuts... Ravens LB John Simon (practice squad) played at Ohio State... Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther coached at Western Maryland in Bengals special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons entered NFL coaching with the Ravens in Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees is from Dunkirk, Ohio, attended Bowling Green and coached in college at Findlay ( ), Miami-Ohio ( ) and Toledo ( )... Ravens assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg was on the University of Cincinnati staff from Bengals defensive backs coach Mark Carrier was on the Ravens staff from Bengals strength and conditioning coach Chip Morton was assistant S/C coach for the Ravens from Bengals assistant strength and conditioning coach Jeff Friday was on the Ravens staff from Ravens assistant special teams coach Chris Hewitt played at the University of Cincinnati from Ravens inside linebackers coach Don Martindale is from Dayton, Ohio, played at Defiance College from , and coached at Defiance (1986- Marvin Lewis in 2014 extends his Bengals record for head coaching tenure to 12 seasons. He has led the team to the postseason in four of the last five years, including three straight. The Bengals are one of only five NFL teams to be in the playoffs every year since 2011, and they are one of only six clubs to qualify as many as four times in the last five years. In total, Lewis has coached five Bengals playoff teams, also a franchise record. Paul Brown is second in the category, with three. Lewis will open the 2014 regular season with 90 career victories, most in Bengals history by a margin of 26 over Sam Wyche (64). Lewis record is in the regular season and including postseason. The Bengals went 11-5 in the regular season in 2013, winning the AFC North Division championship by three games over both Baltimore and Pittsburgh. Cincinnati lost in the first round of the playoffs, however, falling to San Diego at Paul Brown Stadium. Last year s division title was Cincinnati s third under Lewis. In a 2009 title season in which the Bengals swept all six division games, Lewis was the consensus choice as NFL Coach of the Year. Lewis also led Cincinnati to an AFC North title in Lewis ranks second in the NFL in longest current tenure with one team, trailing only Bill Belichick, who is in his 15th straight season with New England. In the category of most seasons as an NFL head coach with one or more teams, Lewis in 2014 ranks sixth among active coaches, behind Belichick (20th season in 2014), Jeff Fisher (20), Tom Coughlin (19), the Chiefs Andy Reid (16) and John Fox (13). 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 , Dalton avoids any August missteps: Bengals QB Andy Dalton posted a robust passer rating over the first three preseason games, earning a night off from head coach Marvin Lewis in the preseason finale. I feel very confident with what we have on this team, Dalton said. I like the guys we have and the way we ve been playing. I think we re in a good state of being ready to go for the opener. To Dalton s coaches, his preseason game performance was gratifying but not particularly surprising. The coaches also have viewed 25 or so practices, live and on tape, and were practice performance expressed numerically, Dalton s 2014 preseason wouldn t be far from the perfect passer rating he logged in preseason game two against the Jets. I know he s better, says quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese. I can see it in his decisiveness, his details, the ball placement, the confidence. What strikes me THE HEAD COACHES BENGALS NOTES 3 87), University of Cincinnati ( ) and Western Kentucky ( )... Ravens senior offensive assistant Craig Ver Steeg was on the University of Cincinnati staff from BENGALS 2013 RED-ZONE REPORT OFFENSE DEFENSE Inside-20 poss.: 46 Inside-20 poss.: 36 Total scores: 39 (84.8%) Total scores: 30 (83.3%) TDs: 34 (73.9%) TDs: 18 (50.0%) FGs: 5 (10.9%) FGs: 12 (33.3%) TD% rank: 2nd TD% rank: T-8th No scores: 7 (15.2%) No scores: 6 (16.7%) RAVENS 2013 RED-ZONE REPORT OFFENSE DEFENSE Inside-20 poss.: 52 Inside-20 poss.: 41 Total scores: 45 (86.5%) Total scores: 38 (92.7%) TDs: 24 (46.2%) TDs: 20 (48.8%) FGs: 21 (40.3%) FGs: 18 (43.9%) TD% rank: 30th TD% rank: 7th No scores: 7 (13.5%) No scores: 3 (7.3%) 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 John Harbaugh is in his seventh season as Ravens head coach. His record is 71-38, including 9-4 in postseason. The Ravens missed the playoffs in 2013, but it was the first failure to qualify in Harbaugh s previous six years. In 2012, his Ravens captured the Vince Lombardi Trophy, defeating San Francisco in Super Bowl XLVII. The Ravens won at least one playoff game in each of Harbaugh s first six seasons. Since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, Harbaugh is the only coach to have won a postseason game in each of his first five seasons. A graduate of Miami (Ohio) and former coach on the University of Cincinnati staff, Harbaugh spent 10 seasons ( ) with the Philadelphia Eagles before joining the Ravens. He was Philadelphia s secondary coach in 2007, following nine seasons as special teams coordinator. From , Philadelphia was the only team to earn annual top 10 spots in the Dallas Morning News widely respected special teams report. In 2001 and 03, the Eagles ranked first. In 2001, Harbaugh was voted by peers as the NFL s Special Teams Coach of the Year. A native of Perrysburg, Ohio, Harbaugh played defensive back for four seasons ( ) at Miami (Ohio), while earning a degree in political science. His eight-year stint ( ) on the University of Cincinnati staff included two seasons ( ) as assistant head coach. Harbaugh s younger brother, Jim, played QB in the NFL for 14 years and is now head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. Lewis vs. Ravens: Lewis leads, Lewis vs. Harbaugh: Harbaugh leads, 7-5. Harbaugh vs. Bengals: Harbaugh leads, 7-5. is the consistency. Something may not be right, but we bounce back quickly. Nothing lingers from one bad play to causing another bad one. If there was any kind of a transition period with Dalton moving into new coordinator Hue Jackson s offensive scheme, it didn t last long. I think we have a bond, which is important, Jackson says. Andy s getting to know me and I m getting to know him. I like everything about him. What I m most proud of is, he has allowed me to coach him. I ve seen some guys bristle when change happens. He hasn t blinked, and none of the guys on offense have, and that s been good to see. Says Dalton: It s been a really easy transition. Hue and I started this with a good relationship, him being on the staff (in other roles) the last two years. Hue has made it clear that I m his guy, that I m going to be running everything, and that s

4 (Dalton avoids any August missteps, continued) great. Everything with Hue is about the quarterback position, that he s the leader of this team. Dalton signed up through 2020: Two weeks into preseason, the Bengals signed QB Andy Dalton to a contract extension running through the 2020 season. His original contract had run through A second-round Bengals draft choice in 2011, Dalton has led the Bengals to the playoffs in each of his three previous seasons, including an AFC North Division championship in 13. In 13, he set franchise season records for passing yards (4293) and TD passes (33). Andy is being rewarded for his accomplishments with a significant contract, said Katie Blackburn, Bengals executive vice-president, and we are pleased to have a deal that will make him a key part of our team for a number of years. Dalton in 2013 won two AFC Offensive Player of the Week awards and was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for October. He joined S David Fulcher as the only Bengals to win three AFC weekly or monthly awards in a season. It s stating the obvious that this is a key move for the ongoing success of our team, said Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, I congratulate our front office, and Andy and his representatives, for coming together to make this happen in a constructive way for the football team. Andy is still a young player (26), he has led us to the playoffs three straight years, and by far we have not seen the best of him yet. It s great that the Bengals have shown this confidence in me, Dalton said. This is only a beginning. We have higher goals than just making the playoffs, and it s my job to lead us there. The Bengals and Dalton have received praise for structuring a contract that preserves the team s ability to retain other key players under the salary cap while still rewarding the quarterback handsomely. That s important to Andy, said OT Andrew Whitworth. He understands the game. He understands what makes it go. He won in college at a place (TCU) where not many people won as much as he did. He understands that he needs other guys that help him win. He came in as a rookie and played on a team when it lost its franchise quarterback and was supposed to go Whitworth s reference was to 2011, when the Bengals opened the season with QB Carson Palmer holding out. The team was widely forecast as a lastplace finisher, but Dalton, a second-round draft choice, led a 9-7 playoff season and earned a Pro Bowl berth. A parallel for Dalton? Bengals QB Andy Dalton hasn t yet won a playoff game, but he has led the team to three berths in three seasons, and that s a far better start than most including one Peyton Manning, Denver s Hall-of-Fame lock of a QB. Manning needed his first five seasons ( ) to lead the Indianapolis Colts to three playoff berths, and the Colts were eliminated in the first round all three times ( 99, 00, 02). Manning led his first playoff wins (two) in 2003, his sixth season as a Colt. Dalton s playoff passer rating is not a point of pride at 56.2, but head coach Marvin Lewis points out that Cincinnati s highly rated defenses allowed opposing QBs to post an aggregate 94.9 rating in the three postseason contests. So obviously it s not all on Andy, Lewis says. We all know the way it works, how the pressure falls on the quarterback, but that doesn t mean it s always valid. The pressure is on us as an entire team to improve. Dalton has had no bigger backer than Bengals president Mike Brown. Prior to the Aug. 4 completion of Dalton s new contract, Brown said: I like him on the field; he s steady Eddie, Brown said. He competes. He doesn t do stupid things. He keeps us focused. He makes us a winning team. He s won nine games, then 10, then 11. That s pretty good. Everybody knows we didn t win in the playoffs, and we have to get over that hump. And we are counting on Andy to get us to that point. Dalton has a history of earning statistical comparisons with the biggest names among NFL QBs. For example, he has thrown more TD passes (80) over his three seasons than anyone except Manning and Drew Brees. But Brown takes the comparison with the best to off-field matters as well. I think he is an exceptional person, Brown said. Nobody has more respect in our building than he. I would tell you that of all the quarterbacks we have had, he is respected by his teammates as much as any of them. Apprised of Brown s remarks, Dalton said: It means a lot to hear him say that. To know I have support from the top down, that is exactly what you want. And saying how everyone in the organization respects me... not that I doubted that, but it s really good to hear. Andy by the numbers: More of the reasons why QB Andy Dalton draws such high praise from his bosses. Career: His W-L record as a starter gives him a.625 winning percentage, best in Bengals history for a QB with 10 or more starts. He is one of only five starting QBs in NFL history to lead a team to the playoffs his first three seasons. His 80 TD passes are third-most in NFL history for a player in his first three seasons, trailing only Dan Marino (98) and Peyton Manning (85). He has been on the throwing end for the vast majority of A.J. Green s 260 receptions, most in NFL history for a player in his first three seasons. Last season: He joined Peyton Manning and Cam Newton as the only QBs in league history to pass for 3000 yards in their first three seasons. He broke Bengals season records set by Carson Palmer for touchdown passes (33) and passing yards (4293). He finished the season with a passer rating of 88.8, improving that mark for the third straight season. He ranked fifth in the AFC. He joined S David Fulcher as the only Bengals to win three of the NFL s weekly or monthly AFC offensive player awards in a season. He became the first Bengals passer to throw for 300 or more yards in four consecutive games. Radar in the red zone: Bengals QB Andy Dalton ranks third among active NFL passers in ratio of red-zone TDs to INTs (minimum of 25 redzone TDs). He has thrown for 56 TDs and just three INTs, a ratio of 18.7-to-1. The leader in the category is Russell Wilson of Seattle, and Aaron Rodgers of Green Bay is second. Andy s performance in this area is the type of thing we ve come to expect from him, said Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. He s not only a fine talent, but a smart player who is going to avoid the big mistake. We ve got a lot of confidence in Andy when we get the ball into scoring range. Here are the active NFL leaders in the category of TD-INT ratio on red-zone plays (minimum 25 TDs): PLAYER, CURRENT TEAM TD INT RATIO Russell Wilson, Seattle to-1 Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay to-1 Andy Dalton, Cincinnati to-1 Tom Brady, New England to-1 Kyle Orton, Buffalo to-1 Here comes Jeremy: Slowly but steadily through the preseason and then with a bang in the preseason finale Bengals rookie HB Jeremy Hill has shown he can be a big part of the 2014 offense, just as the team envisioned when it drafted him in the second round. Playing with reserve offensive units on Aug. 28 vs. Indianapolis, Hill plundered Colts defensive reserves for 160 yards from scrimmage 20-for-90 rushing and six-for-70 receiving. For the first time in preseason, he fully showed that he indeed has great speed for a 238-pounder, turning a short reception into a 41-yard gain. The following day, Hill s depth chart spot reservation was stamped with the Bengals release of veteran big back BenJarvus Green-Ellis, the team rushing leader the last two seasons. Hill is now listed as the No. 2 HB behind the quick and explosive Giovani Bernard, and their contrasting styles promise to provide Bengals offensive play-callers with the right man for any HB job. Hill is is the biggest back on whom the Bengals have spent a high draft pick since 248-pound Pete Johnson in 1977 (also second round). He has plenty of power for crucial short-yardage plays, and he set an LSU career record for yards per carry (6.25). Last season, he had six rushes of 50 or more yards. He capped his career with 216 rushing yards in the Outback Bowl vs. Iowa. Also last season, he averaged 9.8 yards on 26 receptions. Hill didn t really need a big preseason finale to claim his spot, and head coach Marvin Lewis surprised some onlookers by giving Hill as much action as he did in the preseason finale. Hill had some hearts in throats at the end of the first half, when he had trouble getting up after a dive for extra yardage. But his injury proved nothing more than a painful tweak of the funny bone, and Lewis sent him back for significant second-half action. Well, Jeremy has to understand what it s like to be an NFL running back, Lewis said. We aren t five deep. When we get to Sundays and we go down to 46 guys, and if he s going to be the guy, then he s going to have to be able to shoulder the load. He has to run with his pads down and protect the football on 4

5 (Here comes Jeremy, continued) every snap, even when he s tired. They were good snaps for him to learn from. Regarding Hill s 41-yard scamper with the short pass, Lewis said: Part of the reason we brought him here was his ability and potential as a receiver. We feel really good about that. Another signature Hill play in preseason was a five-yard gain into the teeth of the Arizona defense on a third-and-one play in week three. I want to know who we are, Jackson said of that play call. There were other things on the sheet I could have called. But I wanted to find out who we are, and I think I m beginning to know who we are. Since taking over as coordinator, Jackson has made no secret of a priority to improve a Bengals ground game that last year ranked 18th in yards per game (109.7) and 28th in yards per rush (3.6). Hill finished preseason as the team s scrimmage-yards leader (283), rushing 41-for-190 (4.5) and catching 10 passes for 93 yards. Run hard and speak softly: Bengals HB Jeremy Hill, whose football accomplishments are detailed in the previous item, has been a winner with fans and news media as well. Throughout his early time as a Bengal, he has shown an appealing blend of confidence and rookie humility. I m glad Coach Hue (Jackson) is trusting me with responsibilities, like making those key short-yardage plays, Hill says. I pride myself on being a 100 percent guy on short yardage and around the goal line. I want to earn his trust. I ve got to do a better job as a receiver. I didn t make a couple catches I should have earlier in the preseason. Hill also has acknowledged torturing himself over a fumble in an early August practice drill. In the rough Southeastern Conference, he fumbled only once in 371 career touches, and his offense recovered it. It s common knowledge; you just can t fumble, Hill said. The coaches didn t really come down hard on me, but it s the kind of thing you really don t need to say anything about. Those things happen, but it s a very serious matter. I just want to make sure that I don t make the same mistake twice. Hue J. pushes A.J.: Entering his fourth NFL season, Bengals WR A.J. Green has the most catches (260) and second-most yards (3833) of any receiver in NFL history for his first three seasons. But when his name came up No. 2 in the NFL Network s rating of WRs from 2013, behind Calvin Johnson of Detroit, Green received a text message from new offensive coordinator Hue Jackson that was more of a prod than a pat on the back. It said, Now, let s go be (number) one, Green recalls. One thing about Hue J., he s never satisfied with where I am. Which is more than fine with Green. I knew that text was coming, Green says. He s pushing me to be better. I want that. No matter what I do or how much I ve accomplished these first three years, there s always more I can do, and it s a coach s job to push you to that. I feel like I haven t reached my peak yet. When you get to the point when you feel like you have done everything, it s time for you to hang it up. Green had a productive 2013 preseason. In brief action with the first offense, he managed team-leading totals of 10 catches and 184 yards. Last season, Green set Bengals records for 100-yard receiving games in a campaign (six) and for most consecutive 100-yard games (five). He joined Hall of Famer Tom Fears for fewest games played (38) to hit the triple benchmark of 200 receptions 3000 yards and 20 receiving TDs. In 2012, he became only the second NFL player in what is now a 49-year span to catch a TD pass in nine straight games, joining Hall of Famer Jerry Rice. But for motivation purposes, Green chooses to take a painful look at his totals from Cincinnati s 0-3 postseason record of the last three years. He has averaged only 53.9 yards with no TDs. If I play well, the team plays well, Green says. I ve got to give them that spark in the playoffs, and I haven t done that the whole three years. I ve got a lot of regrets about my play in those games, but you can t live in the past. Best for first four? As noted in the previous item, Bengals WR A.J. Green is first in NFL history for receptions in a player s first three seasons and second for that span in receiving yards. So what numbers does Green need to reach in 2014 to end the year with the top totals for a receiver s first four seasons? In receptions, he ll need 83. That would move him from 260 to 343, ahead of Anquan Boldin, the current four-year leader at 342. Certainly that appears within range. Green has had 97 and 98 catches the past two seasons, after grabbing 65 as a rookie. In receiving yards, Green will need 1564 to overtake Randy Moss, the only 5 player Green has not topped for seasons 1-3. Moss had 5396 yards over his first four seasons, and Green enters his fourth at A total of 1564 would be a Bengals record, easily topping Chad Johnson s mark of 1440, but that s not to say Green couldn t do it. To stay behind Moss in second place when the fouryear total is in, Green would need That would push him to 5089, ahead of second-place Torry Holt (5088). Green has had more than 1256 receiving yards each of the last two seasons, logging 1350 in 2012 and 1426 last season. Tacklin Tez signs up through 17: On Aug. 27, the Bengals signed LB Vontaze Burfict 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 Bypassed by NFL teams in the 2012 NFL 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 by wide margins in each of his two seasons, and he led the NFL in tackles in 2013 according to leaguewide press box statistics. He 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, said head coach Marvin Lewis. He is a load physically (6-1, 255) 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. On Nov. 17 vs. Cleveland, he scored a TD on a 13-yard return of a fumble that he forced, and he also had 18 tackles, winning AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. 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. The Bengals could likely have retained Burfict for 2015 through restricted free agency, and he could have been retained for 2016 as a designated franchise player, at club option. But the club chose instead to work with Burfict on the extension. It s unusual to sign a player this early in his career to a contract extension, but Vontaze is a player who merits this, said Katie Blackburn, Bengals executive vice-president. 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. The Burfict bandwagon: Bengals LB Vontaze Burfict, with just two seasons under his belt, has emerged not only as a Pro Bowl player physically, but as the defense s emotional leader. Here s a sampling of kudos from teammates and coaches: Defensive coordinator Paul Guenther: I love the kid. I really do. I ll coach very few guys like him in my career. I realize that. 11th-year DE Robert Geathers: He s intense, and everybody feeds off of his energy. He s a football-smart guy, and when you re prepared like that and have his energy, it doesn t matter how old you are. S Reggie Nelson: If you don t want to play with a guy like that next to you, I don t know what to tell you. I love playing next to him. LB Jayson DiManche: He s as confident as any player I ve ever seen at any level, and that s what really impresses me. You ll never know if and when he makes a mistake out there, because he s always going so fast and playing so hard. His attitude and effort level are off the charts. That s something as a young linebacker that you try to emulate. It s crazy because Vontaze is actually younger than me. CB Darqueze Dennard: All of the great ones pretty much have that personality, that combative edge that Vontaze does. Lawrence Taylor... Ray Lewis... you see the passion in all of that barking and hollering, and you see that in Vontaze. I love it, and I think the rest of the guys appreciate that. He motivates guys and gets them going. When you see a player who is running around having fun and screaming and hollering after he makes plays, it makes you want to go out there and have fun with him. Burfict is known for taking his edge to practice as well as games, giving teammates some verbal and physical jabs. You have to have fun, said Burfict. Preseason is like 40 days, and it gets old around day five. So you want to make it competitive and have fun with it and talk crap. When I talk to Andy (Dalton) or Gio (Bernard), it spices things up. You

6 (The Burfict bandwagon, continued) don t think about the reps, you just think about competing and trying to win that rep. I feel like bringing a bit of an edge and talking a little trash makes us play better and faster. Feet wet, Atkins ready for plunge: DT Geno Atkins, one of the NFL s premier defensive linemen, returned to game action in preseason week three at Arizona. He started with the base defense in the first two offensive series, then played in nickel fronts for the remainder of the first half. Atkins sat out the Aug. 28 preseason finale along with the other defensive starters, but the two-time first-team All-Pro selection (2013 by Sports Illustrated and 2012 by Associated Press) has been priming to be ready for the Ravens. Atkins missed the last seven games of last season with a knee injury (ACL tear) suffered Oct. 31 at Miami. It was the first serious injury of his football career. He was cleared to return to practice early in training camp, but was held out of the first two preseason games. Atkins had 6.0 sacks in his limited action last season, and in 2012 he led NFL interior linemen by a wide margin with 12.5 sacks. In 2011, he tied for the sacks lead by NFL interior linemen with 7.5. Geno has developed into one of the better inside pass rushers in the game, said head coach Marvin Lewis. He creates an issue for one-on-one matchups, and he s done a real good job of growing and really playing well in the run game. Hopefully we continue to create issues in the middle of the line, which makes it better for your outside rushers. Geno is one of the best defensive tackles in the game, said his first-team interior line mate, NT Domata Peko. It s going to uplift everybody. We re excited to have him back, back. I m sure the entire city is glad he s back. Not only is he a hell of a pass rusher, one of the best inside pass rushers in the game, but he s a hell of a run stopper, too. Especially in our zone scheme. He can blow a guard back and destroy plays. Teams are always going to have to respect him because he can change the whole game. A lot of teams game plan just for (No.) 97. Defensive line coach Jay Hayes said: We are always trying to get Geno in one-on-one situations. Sometimes on a double team they have trouble with him, and if you can get him in one-on-one situations, people are going to have a long day. Whoever that guy is, he s going to have a bad day. Two ways to build a defense: The Bengals were the thirdranked defense in the NFL last season. They had strong play at linebacker and in the secondary. But the pre-nfl pedigrees of the LB and DB units were strikingly different, and they remain so in The LB corps has a majority of players who entered the NFL undrafted, as college free agents, and the secondary is laden not only with draft choices, but first-round draft choices. Pro Bowler Vontaze Burfict of course heads the LB group. His story is now widely known. Early in his college career at Arizona State, he was touted as a possible NFL first-round draft choice. But he later acquired the tags of being undisciplined and out of shape, and he was bypassed in the draft. He has disproven those raps with the Bengals, however, and the WLB now stands among the most productive CFA signees of any NFL team in any year. Emmanuel Lamur, opening the preseason as the No. 1 SLB, and Vincent Rey, a strong contender for playing time at MLB or OLB, also were originally college free agent signees with the Bengals. Third-year pro Lamur, big and athletic at 6-4 and 240 pounds, had been tabbed for a significant role last season but was lost for the year to a preseason shoulder injury. Not only was Lamur a college free agent in 2012, he had to earn that by starting rookie minicamp as an unsigned tryout player. Rey, a fourth-year pro, broke out last season with 54 tackles, 4.0 sacks, and two INTs (one for a TD). He started three games as an injury replacement at MLB and saw considerable action otherwise in the defensive rotation. College free agent LB Jayson DiManche found a significant role as a rookie last season, finishing second in special teams tackles (12) and blocking a punt that the Bengals returned for a TD. Among seven LBs presently on the roster, the only drafted players are No. 1 MLB Rey Maualuga (second round, 2009), OLB Sean Porter (fourth round, 13) and WLB Marquis Flowers (sixth round, 14). All nine DBs on the roster were drafted, and six of those were first-round selections. Among the six are five CBs and one safety. The CBs are Leon Hall (Bengals, 2007), Terence Newman (Dallas, 03), Adam Jones (Tennessee, 05), Dre Kirkpatrick (Bengals, 12) and Darqueze Dennard (Bengals, 14). The safety is Reggie Nelson (Jacksonville, 07). Another DB, safety Taylor Mays, was a second-round NFL draft pick. On the Cincinnati defensive line, eight of the nine players were drafted, but none in the first round. The only undrafted player among the linemen is starting DE Wallace Gilberry, a CFA signee by the New York Giants in Aggressiveness calls for a fine line: The Bengals aren t out to beat each other up during practice, but neither will they risk getting beaten up on Sundays for having prepared in too soft a manner. So when contact occurs in practice that goes a bit beyond the design of the work, defensive coordinator Paul Guenther looks the other way to some extent. We re not playing against the Bengals, they re not on our schedule, and we never want our guys doing stupid things, Guenther says. But some things happen in practice. You can t tell a dog not to eat red meat. Tough but smart is the defense s goal. There s one time when it s OK to be a bully when you re out to establish your physical dominance during a game, and that concept is one of the ones driving the defense to not rest on its laurels after finishing third in the NFL s 2013 yardage rankings. Until we re No. 1, there s always room for improvement, says starting strong safety George Iloka, and this year we want to be smart bullies. Our mentality is to play aggressive and physical, but we ve got to be smart. We ve got to know when to take chances. We ve got to know if it s third-and-1, we ve got to know if it s fourth-and-1, we ve got to know if we re backed up that they re going to try to give you a hard count. Little things like that. You don t want to be too aggressive where you re hurting yourself. Last year the Bengals were a bit on the high side in defensive penalties, ranking 11th with 41 infractions. You want to cut down on penalties, Iloka says. You want to cut down on mistakes. But it s not even those things. There are other aspects to playing smart. Let s say it s third-and-4, and all week we ve practiced that this team in this formation is going to run a seam route. Why are you going to be overaggressive and jump the out route? Just be a smart bully. You re smart, and when the time comes to make the hit... you bully them and you make the play. Adds Guenther: I like how passionate these guys are, how smart they are and how flexible they can be. I m just really hammering home being a smart football team. Call him Unsinkable : Leon Hall has made such progress in his rehab from a right Achilles tear suffered in Game 7 last season, he has reclaimed the starting RCB position he has held since Thus, he is a viable candidate for an unofficial NFL first first player to return to a prominent lineup position with two Achilles tears in his history. He started the first three preseason games before being rested with other starters in the preseason finale. Hall suffered a left Achilles tear in Game 9 of 2011 and returned for the 12 season opener. And when head coach Marvin Lewis was asked whether he could recall another player putting two such injuries behind him, Lewis said he could not. I don t know that there s been history of that, Lewis said. All I can say is that Leon again has been very, very diligent and worked very, very hard. His goal was to make it back to practice Day 1 of training camp, and he did it. Hall could log his 100th Bengals game and 100th Bengals start in He enters the season at 92 and 86. He has 23 career INTs, fifth in Bengals history. He s two short of fourth-place Lemar Parrish and eight short of third-place David Fulcher (31). I m confident my Achilles is where I want it to be, where it should be at this point, Hall says. Really, there was never really a doubt in my mind. It was just trying to be patient enough to go through that long process again. The long days of (repetitive) calf raises, every day of coming in and seeing Nick (trainer Nick Cosgray) in the morning, being with him for hours day after day, not letting it get to me and mentally staying into it. I knew the physical part of it as far as my strength and running would come in time. Who said T-New was old? Bengals CB Terence Newman will turn 36 three days before the Baltimore game. He missed the last three games of last season, plus the Wild Card playoff, due to a knee injury. His competition among Cincinnati s CB corps includes four first-round NFL draft picks (Adam Jones 2005, Leon Hall 07, Dre Kirkpatrick 11 and Darqueze Dennard 14). But Newman himself was a No. 1, selected by Dallas in 2003, and no one is budging him from the starting lineup. Newman, along with other veterans, was rested for last week s preseason finale. But in preseason games two and three, his performance made clear that he is still a key player on a defense that has been among the NFL s best in recent seasons. 6