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USA Today
2 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Bengals started over at key spots, still get friendly ESPN FPI outlook
Bengals started over at key spots, still get friendly ESPN FPI outlook Most years, the Cincinnati Bengals stress continuity as one of the biggest factors for the team going into a new season. But as fans know by now, that's not the case across the board in 2025. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor reworked multiple spots this offseason, getting fresh eyes on his offensive line and across the defense. That's something actually working to their strength in the mind of ESPN's Seth Walder, who says based on FPI, the Bengals have the fourth-best shot at making the playoffs in the AFC: "But the lack of year-to-year continuity that happens with good defenses also happens with weaker units. Cincinnati replaced defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo with Al Golden this offseason, which increases the FPI's uncertainty on that side of the ball. Ultimately, the model forecasts the Bengals to have an average defense, which moves them to No. 7 in the overall rankings." RELATED: Bengals UDFA is already turning heads at OTAs ESPN's FPI model puts the Bengals behind only the Bills, Ravens and Chiefs. Baltimore, of course, has the best odds to then win the AFC North, which should be just fine by everyone in Cincinnati after last year's slow start and bad defense still only resulted in 41-38 and 35-34 losses to those Ravens. The Bengals dashed continuity in key spots in the name of better performances, but also in the name of better player development, something that has sorely lacked on the defensive side of the ball for years and in the offensive trenches for even longer. Now, the new faces just have to meet expectations to prove the FPI model right. RELATED: Cincinnati Bengals players missing OTAs list ahead of training camp
USA Today
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Opinion: Jack Brennan was closeted as Bengals PR head. He's out now and has a lot to say
Editor's note: This story is a part of a series by USA TODAY Sports called Project: June. We will publish at least one NFL-themed story every day throughout the month because fans know the league truly never sleeps. This story is also part of our Pride Month coverage. Jack Brennan was like a handful of powerful people in the NFL: He was a team PR person. In this case, for the Cincinnati Bengals. And as a PR person he was, in many ways, the front person for the team. If you wanted to talk to then coach Marvin Lewis one-on-one, you went through Brennan. Brennan was always professional, kind and did whatever he could to make your job easy. He was, in other words, a pro. He was also gay. The latter fact almost no one knew. Brennan kept it a secret throughout his 23-year Bengals career which ended in 2017. Brennan's story remains one of the most fascinating in recent league history because while the NFL and media has (understandably) focused on players coming out, there have been few team and league officials who have done the same. That's because, even in an NFL environment that is allegedly more acceptable now, it's been historically hindering to be LGBTQ+ in the NFL, either as a player or team official. When asked if he felt the NFL was an unwelcoming place to come out when he was with the Bengals, Brennan said during an interview with USA TODAY Sports: "I didn't come out until I left the NFL, so I guess I felt that way." There are many different types of heroes in what is the continuing battle for the LGBTQ+ community to keep its rights and protect itself. Brennan is one of those heroes. He wasn't vocal as the PR chief for the Bengals, but he's speaking out now, and Brennan has a lot to say. He does some of the talking in a new book Football Sissy: A Cross-Dressing Memoir from Belt Publishing which is scheduled to be released in September. The book is a striking piece of work. In many ways it's an historical document because Brennan gives you an inside look at a man who had a secret passion for wearing dresses while working for an extremely conservative league. Brennan didn't share his secret until he spoke with The Athletic in 2021. 'I feel like I want to become more genuine to people around me and not hide anymore. And maybe, I don't know, someone else will see this and it will help them,' Brennan told journalist Joe Posnanski then. "I wanted to write something good and informative," Brennan says now. "I also wanted to write something that would help people. I think one thing I wanted to say was if you're in the LGBTQ community, and you want to help other people in it, you can do so by coming out." One thing Brennan makes clear during our interview was how he felt the league office itself was tolerant of the LGBTQ+ community and for the most part, he said, so were the Bengals. However, Brennan explained that on occasion around the Bengals' complex: "Sometimes people would make slurs or insensitive comments in the office, or in the locker room." What concerned Brennan the most about possibly coming out while with the Bengals? That he would be reassigned. "Would the Bengals think it was inappropriate for me to be walking around the locker room," Brennan said during his interview with me, "around players not always wearing clothes?" Brennan believes the NFL is a better place now for the LGBTQ+ community than when he was with the Bengals. Not greatly better, he said, but better. There's just one thing that concerns him. Brennan explained he's watched as some institutions have buckled to pressure from the Trump administration which has been anti-LGBTQ. "I just hope the NFL doesn't," said Brennan. If the league has the bravery of Brennan, it won't.
USA Today
5 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase gets a lofty target goal from Kay Adams
Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase gets a lofty target goal from Kay Adams Cincinnati Bengals wideout Ja'Marr Chase has moved beyond specific stat goals, other than winning a Super Bowl, of course. He's instead turned his attention to other things, such as changes to his leadership style. Chase, after all, arrived and indeed broke Bengals franchise records like he said he wanted to, then one-upped himself last season with the Triple Crown triumph while catching 127 passes for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns. But not everyone is willing to let Chase off the hook for on-field goals. Kay Adams, for example, just threw down a lofty one for Chase: 1,800 receiving yards in a season. RELATED: Bengals UDFA is already turning heads at OTAs Adams was pointing out that current odds seem to range around the 1,320-yard mark for Chase in 2025. A quick comparison of Chase's first four weeks of the season last year compared to the rest of the campaign hints that maybe a 1,800-yard season isn't that outlandish. With Chase, at this point, fans can't really put it past him. Either way, the quick look at the topic is worth a watch: RELATED: Cincinnati Bengals players missing OTAs list ahead of training camp
New York Times
5 hours ago
- Business
- New York Times
Inside the Bengals' offensive line reset: Scott Peters ‘brings a breath of fresh air'
Even during the May OTA malaise, few drills draw the eye more than the athleticism and advanced drill work of the Bengals' skill players. Joe Burrow slips and slides through tackling dummies before leaping to uncork off-platform throws. Ja'Marr Chase goes airborne and casually snags a one-handed pass over his head. Tee Higgins accelerates, then toe-taps on the sideline with the same ease as he did catching the game-winning touchdown against the Broncos in December. Advertisement Off in the distance, however, away from the star spotlight, you can see the offensive line group. The action looks, well, different. In the early portions of practice, they can be seen merely standing, each with an arm extending into a partner's chest, seemingly holding each other up and keeping that pose for extended stretches. Not exactly advanced athleticism theater. Yet, that's 100 percent the point for this group under new offensive line coach Scott Peters. He's tasked with installing a new set of techniques designed to improve consistency across one of the most inconsistent units in football last season. For now, that has Peters dedicating valuable time and resources to the most foundational details. Sometimes it's as simple as recalibrating the expected body positioning of a Bengals offensive lineman. 'It's a drill we'll use to test someone's posture because if you have a bad posture, you won't be able to sustain that,' Peters said. 'You won't be able to hold them up. If your arm gets broken down, you shouldn't fall forward. If someone is leaning on them, I should be able to stop you with one arm and just breathe and relax. If you knock my hand down, I shouldn't fall.' Center Ted Karras calls Peters' approach a 'huge refresh' that finally formalizes what he's been trying to explain to young linemen for years regarding his hand technique and the importance of posture. But even he's still learning rather than teaching these days. 'A lot of it is brand new for me,' he said, 'so, Year 10, that's pretty unique.' Unique, indeed. The entire process achieves a rare accomplishment during the non-contact portion of the NFL schedule in making the Bengals' offensive line one of the most interesting position groups on the field. 'It gives a chance to build the fundamentals, then we talk about when and where you apply those things,' Peters said. 'You are building a toolbox.' Peters arrives in Cincinnati with a background in jujutsu, but his philosophy fills with baseball and boxing metaphors. He talks about throwing strikes, changeups, counter-punches and approaches. Embracing the sweet science and cerebral nature in this battle of the big boys is the essence of his coaching style. Advertisement When fans or even trained eyes watch the Bengals' offensive line this fall, there won't be a noticeable difference in what pass protection looks like. 'Maybe to the nuanced eye,' Karras said. 'Hopefully, it translates to more one-on-one wins.' That's the bottom line here. Peters wants to increase the Bengals' batting average in protecting Burrow. That doesn't mean winning with dominating blocks. It means not whiffing. 'We have to bat a thousand,' Peters said. 'We are not trying to hit home runs. We are trying to get base hits and high averages.' The Bengals ranked dead last in the NFL in ESPN's Pass Block Win Rate last season, winning just 50 percent of the time. The Broncos led the NFL at 74 percent. The league average was 60 percent. The team's offensive line posted an average finish of 27th in PFF's offensive line rankings over the last five years and never above 20th. Out of 143 qualifying NFL offensive linemen last season, only Karras (6th) finished higher than 79th for the Bengals in blocking efficiency on true pass sets. How effectively the Bengals' linemen adapt, implement and self-correct Peters' more aggressive techniques can change those numbers. At least, that's the theory those charged with protecting the franchise quarterback are buying. That's why conversations about how the early days of this recalibration are going quickly go deep into the weeds. The specificity and detail with which these new tools are taught is 100 percent what makes them effective. 'It's not easy to start from zero,' Peters said. 'Some of the techniques are new, it's not just go out there and throw your hands out there. It's how you do it, from what platform, from what foundation your body operates from so your strikes are impactful and you are doing it without having to compromise posture. Guys will throw heavy hands and get beat and wiped and stuff. It is teaching them a foundation of how you throw a proper strike. You throw a proper strike and do it with good mechanics and ramp up the speed it looks like you have more pop in your hands, you have more length, you can play with better posture so if they did wipe your hands or knock you hands down you wont' be staggering forward and get beat.' Guard Cordell Volson perks up when the conversation turns to posture. Volson, too often over the last three years, would be doing just what Peters described and falling forward if his hands were wiped away. The same can be said for Cody Ford and seemingly everyone who played guard. There's a belief that merely mastering a posture that keeps the battle alive, even if the defender successfully wipes the hand away while simultaneously bringing more power to the punches that do connect, can shift those win-rate averages from league worst to something more manageable. Advertisement Half of that battle lives in the confidence to take the fight to the opponent and add different tools so the lineman isn't doing the same thing every snap. 'You want to be able to confidently throw hands,' Peters said. 'Some guys don't throw hands because they are nervous about getting wiped. It's like a boxer going into the ring and not throwing a punch because he doesn't want to get hit. You are going to have to throw. We know what they are going to try to do. We want to try to build them a way to respond as part of an automatic response.' Former offensive line coach Frank Pollack was in Cincinnati for four seasons after replacing Jim Turner, head coach Zac Taylor's first offensive line coach. Pollack is 57 and played with Jerry Rice. Turner is 59 and came from a military background. Peters, 46, retired after seven seasons in the NFL in 2009. His hands-on style, approachable mentality and new-school tactics have resonated. 'Scott is a really open guy,' said Volson, who accepted a pay cut rather than a release because he says he believed in what Peters could do for his career after being benched last season. 'You can bounce ideas off him and ask him questions. We can play more toward our skill set. He instills a lot of confidence in us. I think he brings a good energy. We enjoy talking to him. We enjoy going into meetings with him. I think that's really cool. It definitely makes my day way more enjoyable, that's for sure.' Left tackle Orlando Brown enters his eighth season on his third NFL team. As a captain last year, he saw the toll of the season and the battles many of his linemates faced wear on them as the season progressed. The difference, even at this point, has stood out. 'It's good for a lot of guys,' Brown said. 'Especially those that maybe struggled recently. He brings a breath of fresh air.' Advertisement Fresh air and resetting expectations are why they are easing through the motions. The 32-year-old Karras said he was anxious to view tape of the first Phase 2 practice because he was purposely slowing down to work on applying the new styles, even as the oldest player on the entire roster. This might not make the summer sizzle reel on Instagram, but those days will come. 'The first thing is making the guys aware that the things are possible that we do,' Peters said. 'And teaching them how to move and the mechanics, because you are not going full speed. You have to teach them the mechanics of how to move, the tools and all the components. Then, as we go forward, you just apply this particular technique.' Offensive line junkies love this stuff. They could debate all day the value of two-hand punches versus one-hand, reactionary versus aggressive, vertical sets versus jump sets. Those details are everything for Peters' crew. To everyone else just wanting Burrow upright, it's much more basic in the endgame. 'What he is teaching is all we are trying to do is increase our win-percentage chances on a one-on-one block because we are going to have more one-on-ones than anyone else in the league,' Karras said. 'Whatever increases that threshold of percentage chance to win.' (Top photo of center Ted Karras and guard Dylan Fairchild practicing at OTAs: Albert Cesare / Imagn Images)
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Bengals' worst trade of decade brings back nightmare scenario
The Cincinnati Bengals don't usually take big swings in the trade department, opting to stand on the assets and players they have invested in around coaches and overarching strategies. When the Bengals do get active with trades, the results are as scattered as one might expect. Some are notable successes, like that great trade for Reggie Nelson way back in 2010. so much. One prominent example just got dug up by Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report, who outlined each team's worst trade and came up with the infamous deal for Cordy Glenn that had a wicked ripple effect on the franchise: "The trade helped the Bills go up and get quarterback Josh Allen, while it was an all-around whiff for Cincinnati. By making the deal, the Bengals missed out on a solid left tackle in Kolton Miller, who has since started 107 games for the Las Vegas Raiders. They also missed on a Pro Bowl center in Frank Ragnow and settled on center Bill Price with the 21st pick." RELATED: So, not only did the Bengals fail to get quality production from the trade, it helped out a direct current AFC contender by giving the Bills the resources to go up and get Josh Allen. And it caused them to miss out on Frank Ragnow, prioritizing need and landing on Billy Price. Indeed, in terms of bad Bengals trades, this one is certainly high up the list. RELATED: This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals' worst trade of decade brings back nightmare scenario
