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January 27, 2012

STATEMENT FROM THE BENGALS ON THE DEATH OF GREG COOK

The Bengals organization wishes to express its sadness over the loss of former QB Greg Cook, who died last night in Cincinnati at age 65, after an illness.

Cook was one of the brightest prospects in Bengals history, but he saw significant playing time only as a rookie in 1969. His career was derailed by a shoulder injury during that season, when he had joined the Bengals as the fifth overall pick in the NFL/AFL draft. Cook was from Chillicothe, Ohio, and was a nationally recognized college star at the University of Cincinnati.

Cook was declared by the American Football League as its 1969 passing champion, based on average league ranking over several categories. Particularly gifted on long passes, he posted a league-leading average of 9.41 yards per attempt, a figure which remains a Bengals record. He was named AFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by Associated Press and United Press International.

But in Game 3 of 1969, on Sept. 28 at Kansas City, Cook suffered a shoulder injury while helping lead the second-year Bengals to a win that brought their profile to a new height in Cincinnati. The Bengals triumphed 24-19 over a Chiefs team that would go on to win Super Bowl IV, and Cincinnati moved to a 3-0 record.

Cook missed the next three games but returned to action later in the ’69 season. He totaled 11 games, passing 106-for-197 for 1854 yards with 15 TDs and 11 interceptions. But his injury later required several surgeries, beginning with the 1970 offseason, and he never was able to return to full action. He remained a member of the Bengals through 1974, but his only action after ’69 was a brief appearance in one game in 1973.

“Greg was the single most talented player we’ve ever had with the Bengals,” said Bengals president Mike Brown. “His career was tragically short due to the injury. Had he been able to stay healthy, I believe he would have been the player of his era in the NFL.

“Greg was a personal friend to me,” Brown added. “He was a good person whose company I enjoyed over all his years as a player and after that. I feel a great loss at his passing.”

At the time the Bengals drafted Cook, general manager and head coach Paul Brown said, “We believe this young man is the best quarterback prospect in the country.”

Cook was born in Dayton, Ohio, but identified his hometown as Chillicothe, Ohio, where he spent most of his growing-up years. He was a multi-sport star at Chillicothe High School. He left the University of Cincinnati football program with 15 outright school records and a share of two others.

January 22, 2012

BENGALS' DALTON, ATKINS AND GRESHAM JOIN AFC ROSTER FOR PRO BOWL

Three Bengals -- QB Andy Dalton, DT Geno Atkins and TE Jermaine Gresham -- have been added to the AFC squad for next Sunday’s Pro Bowl, the NFL announced today.

Dalton and Atkins were both first alternates in last month’s voting, and Gresham was a third alternate. All three will replace New England players who were removed from the squad today when the Patriots won the AFC Championship and qualified for Super Bowl XLVI. Dalton will replace New England QB Tom Brady, Atkins will take the spot of Patriots DT Vince Wilfork, and Gresham will replace Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski. Two alternates voted ahead of Gresham are not available for the game, the league announced.

The Bengals now have four players headed for the Pro Bowl, as WR A.J. Green was voted to the AFC team last month. The four players have a total of only six years’ NFL experience, as Atkins and Gresham were second-year players in 2011 while Dalton and Green were rookies.

Dalton and Green form the first rookie QB-WR duo from the same team ever to be in the Pro Bowl.

The last time the Bengals had as many as four players in the Pro Bowl was the 2005 season. Five players made it in '05 -- OT Willie Anderson, K Shayne Grahan, WR Chad Ochocinco, CB Deltha O'Neal and QB Carson Palmer.

Dalton is the first rookie QB to make the Pro Bowl since Vince Young of Tennessee in the 2006 season. A second-round draft choice from TCU, Dalton in 2011 led the Bengals to a playoff berth and became the first rookie QB in NFL history to start as many as eight wins and also throw 20 or more TD passes. Dalton also became the first NFL rookie to start every game of a 16-game regular season, much less start 16 and lead his team to the playoffs.

Dalton’s 20 TD passes were a Bengals rookie record, and in four of the nine victories he started, he led the team back from a fourth-quarter deficit.

Dalton and A.J. Green are the first Bengals rookies to make the Pro Bowl since WR Cris Collinsworth in the 1981 season.

Atkins is the first Bengals defensive lineman to make the Pro Bowl since NT Tim Krumrie in the 1988 season.

Atkins led the Bengals in sacks (7.5) in the ’11 regular season, and he tied for the NFL lead among interior linemen. He was the first interior lineman to lead the Bengals in sacks since 1996, when DT Dan Wilkinson led with 6.5.

Atkins tied for the team lead in combined fumbles forced/recovered (four), and he had a fumble return for a touchdown.

Gresham finished second on the Bengals in the regular season in receptions (56), and he was tied for second in touchdowns (six). He was third on the team in receiving yards (596). He is the first Bengals TE to make the Pro Bowl since the 1990 season, when Rodney Holman qualified.

This year’s Pro Bowl will be played in Honolulu, with kickoff next Sunday at 7 p.m. EST. The game will be televised by NBC.

January 20, 2012

Bengals training camp moved to Paul Brown Stadium

The Bengals’ 2012 training camp will be conducted at the team’s facility at Paul Brown Stadium. The club will offer fan access not available in-season at PBS, and sessions will run from late July through mid-August.

The Bengals will end a 15-year run of conducting training camp at Georgetown (Ky.) College, and this will be the first time the team has ever trained at its home facility.

“Georgetown has been a great place for us, but this is the best way for our team to get ready for the 2012 regular season,” said head coach Marvin Lewis. “We are going to be right in our home, and that’s where you’re best suited with the way the (NFL) rules have changed. We also hope to see some fans who maybe haven’t had a chance to see us at camp before, and we’re excited to join all the great activities that are happening in the summertime in our downtown.”

The Bengals will work to create open environments at PBS, incorporating the training camp tradition of greater access for fans to interact with players. Special events and attractions not available away from PBS are also in the works. The camp’s practice schedule will be released at a later date, well in advance of opening day.

“Some very positive opportunities both for fans and the local economy will now be available, and we are excited to bring the benefits to Greater Cincinnati,” said Katie Blackburn, Bengals vice-president. “We think fans will like what we have to offer.”

Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory added, “It’s great to have the Bengals’ training camp as a major addition to the downtown summer scene. With all of the excitement from last year’s playoff finish, the timing couldn’t be better.”

Greg Hartmann, Hamilton County Commission president, said, “Everything is coming together at The Banks, and the addition of Bengals training camp will provide just one more reason for people to come downtown. This is another example of converting the promises of The Banks into a reality.”

The decision to train in Cincinnati was influenced by the NFL’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement agreed to last summer, which significantly reduces the number of on-field practice sessions allowed during the training camp period. By staying at PBS, Bengals coaches will now have the advantage of the team’s home facilities, weight and training facilities, and technology for working with players between practices, assets in which the Club has invested more than $1 million in recent years.

“The new rules bring an aspect that the Bengals and Georgetown College must adjust to,” said Bengals president Mike Brown. “But people who know me know that I will personally miss going away to camp very much. Georgetown is a special place for the Bengals and will remain so. I thank Bill Crouch (Georgetown College president) for working with us to make the arrangement happen. The people we have worked with over the years have been unfailingly helpful and knowledgeable. They have become our dear friends and will remain so.”

For the Bengals’ first 29 seasons (1968-96), the team conducted training camp at Wilmington (Ohio) College. 

January 9, 2012

DALTON, CROCKER HONORED BY PRO FOOTBALL WRITERS

The Cincinnati Chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America today named QB Andy Dalton as the Bengals’ 2011 Most Valuable Player FS Chris Crocker as recipient of the organization’s annual “Good Guy” award.
           
The voters are the beat writers who cover the team on a daily basis.
Dalton is the first rookie MVP in the 10 seasons the organization has handed out the award. He is the third quarterback to do so, joining Jon Kitna (2002-03) and Carson Palmer (2005).
           
Besides Palmer and Kitna, other past MVP winners were HB Rudi Johnson (2004), OT Willie Anderson (2006), WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh (2007-08), CBs Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph (2009) and OT Andrew Whitworth (2010).
           
Dalton was the Bengals first rookie starting quarterback in an opener since Greg Cook in 1969 and has broken all of Cook’s records this year. Dalton is also the first quarterback since the merger to pass for 20 touchdowns and lead his team to at least eight wins.

“In a year where there was no offseason coaching due to the lockout and in which he had to replace one of the pillars of the franchise, Dalton’s development and poise under pressure has been extraordinary,” said PFWA spokesman Joe Reedy, Bengals beat writer for The Cincinnati Enquirer. “Since the early part of the season, players have remarked how Dalton has the poise of a four- or five-year veteran in the huddle. In a season like this, it is hard to separate Dalton and A.J. Green, since you can’t mention one without the other, but in the end Dalton’s leadership and ability to lead a new offense won out.”
           
Crocker is the 10th recipient of the organization’s “Good Guy” award, given for excellent relations with local media.
           
“Chris has always been one of the go-to guys in the locker room and has set an example as a team leader to help us bring our readers the information that they so strongly desire,” Reedy said. “His candor and perspective during the week and following games has been much appreciated. As a nine-year veteran, ‘Crock’ has also been an invaluable resource on league matters during the season and when the lockout was taking place.”
           
The chapter also expressed its appreciation to OT Andrew Whitworth and NT Domata Peko for their help during the lockout.

“During a time when not many players were talking and very few allowed access to their workouts, both players understood how important it was to allow readers to see how they were trying to prepare for the season when it started,” Reedy said.
           
Past “Good Guy” winners have been FB Lorenzo Neal, OT Willie Anderson, HB Brandon Bennett, LB Brian Simmons, DT John Thornton, WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, DT Bryan Robinson, G Bobbie Williams, QB Carson Palmer and HB Cedric Benson.
           
Anderson, Houshmandzadeh and Palmer are the only players to win both the MVP and the Good Guy awards.

January 9, 2012

BENGALS ROSTER MOVES

The Bengals today signed seven players to the team’s offseason roster. All seven were on the Bengals’ Practice Squad or Practice Squad/Injured list as the 2011 season concluded. The seven are:

* FB James Develin (Brown)
* LB DeQuin Evans (Kentucky)
* WR Vidal Hazelton (Cincinnati)
* LB Micah Johnson (Kentucky)
* CB Rico Murray (Kent State)
* OT Matthew O’Donnell (Queens, Canada)
* QB Zac Robinson (Oklahoma State) 

Decemer 29, 2011

AS BENGALS SEEK SECOND PLAYOFF BERTH IN THREE YEARS, MORE THAN 14,000 SEASON TICKET PRICES ARE REDUCED FOR 2012

NO GENERAL ADMISSION SEASON PRICES WILL BE RAISED FOR ’12

The Bengals ticket office announced today a new season ticket pricing model for 2012 for the general admission seats. No prices will be increased, and multiple sections of Paul Brown Stadium will see price reductions.

“We have a young team trending in the right direction,” said Katie Blackburn, Bengals executive vice-president, “and we are pleased to share this new price structure with our fans in an attempt to make some seats more affordable. We have a great home schedule in 2012 and look forward to it being an exciting season that builds upon this year’s success.”

The Bengals host Baltimore this Sunday and can clinch a 2011 playoff berth with a victory. Cincinnati will have two first-round draft picks for 2012, and next season’s home schedule will include dates against the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders, as well as the annual games against division rivals Baltimore, Cleveland and Pittsburgh.

Season tickets for 2012 will be available for as low as $40 per game. The $40 locations for 2012 are being decreased from a $60 price point in 2011, a 33 percent reduction.

More than 14,500 seats will have a reduced price in 2012, representing more than 27 percent of stadium seating.

Season tickets will be less expensive per game than single-game tickets, which will go on-sale at a later time.

A stadium diagram is attached to this release. The seating areas where season ticket prices will be reduced from 2011 are:

SEASON TICKET PRICES (per game)
--Zone J (Rows 13 and higher, Canopy) ... $40, previously $60
--Zone H (Rows 13 and higher, Canopy) ... $50, previously $68
--Zone G (Rows 13 and higher, Canopy) ... $60, previously $68
--Box H (Rows 1-12 Canopy) ... $65, previously $68
--Zone F (Rows 13 and higher, Canopy) ... $65, previously $68

The seating areas where prices will remain unchanged from 2011 are:

SEASON TICKET PRICES (per game)
--Zone K (North Club Level) ... $60
--Box J (Rows 1-12 Canopy) ... $60
--Boxes F and G (Rows 1-12, Canopy) ... $68
--Zones D, E (Corners / End Zone, Field Level) ... $72
--Zones A, B, C (Sidelines, Field Level) ... $80
--Zone CC (Convertible Club, Club Level ... $80

Season tickets for the 2012 season go on sale beginning at 9 a.m. tomorrow (Dec. 30) and can be purchased by calling the Bengals Ticket Hotline at (513) 621-TDTD (8383) or by going to the Ticket section of Bengals.com for more information. 

December 27, 2011

BENGALS WR A.J. GREEN VOTED TO PRO BOWL;

FIRST NFL ROOKIE WR VOTED IN SINCE 2003 SEASON

Bengals rookie WR A.J. Green has been voted to the AFC team for this season’s Pro Bowl game, the NFL announced today. The game will be played on Sunday, January 29, televised nationally on NBC beginning at 7 p.m. EST.

Green, from the University of Georgia, was the Bengals’ first-round selection (fourth overall) in the 2011 draft. He is the first rookie WR voted to the Pro Bowl since the 2003 season, when Anquan Boldin of the Arizona Cardinals made the list, and he is the first Bengals rookie at any position voted to the Pro Bowl since WR Cris Collinsworth in the 1981 season.

The Bengals also had seven players voted as Pro Bowl alternates. DT Geno Atkins, QB Andy Dalton and K Mike Nugent were voted first alternates, OT Andrew Whitworth is a second alternate, TE Jermaine Gresham is a third alternate, and HB Cedric Benson and NT Domata Peko are fifth alternates.

The alternates are selected for the Pro Bowl when roster replacements are needed due to injuries or other reasons. This year’s Pro Bowl will be played a week in advance of Super Bowl XLVI, so Pro Bowl selections on the two Super Bowl teams will be replaced from the alternates’ ranks.

Green has played in 14 of the Bengals’ 15 games, missing one due to injury, and he leads the team in receptions (63), receiving yards (1031) and touchdowns (seven). He ranks tied for 12th in the AFC in receptions, and he ranks seventh in receiving yards, but his performance has transcended those numbers. As he did in college, he has made spectacular plays on a regular basis, using his size (6-4, 207), speed and superior hands to frequently beat double coverage for contested catches. He leads the NFL this season in catches of 35 or more yards (11).

“As I’ve said before, A.J. is the best first-round draft pick that I’ve ever been around,” said Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. “He has shown the other players in this league, and the fans, that he deserved this honor. I have not seen a receiver better than he is at getting to the ball.”

Pro Bowl spots are determined based on voting by players, coaches and fans, with each group’s vote having equal weight.

Besides Cris Collinsworth in the 1981 season, other Bengals rookies in the Pro Bowl have been WR Isaac Curtis (1973) and CB Lemar Parrish (1970). Additionally, four Bengals rookies were in the American Football League All-Star Game -- LB Bill Bergey (1969) and C Bob Johnson, RB Paul Robinson and TE Bob Trumpy in 1968.

December 13, 2011

BENGALS K MIKE NUGENT NAMEDFOR ED BLOCK COURAGE AWARD

The Bengals have named K Mike Nugent as the recipient of this year’s Ed Block Courage Award.

The award honors players who demonstrate commitment to the values of sportsmanship and courage. Each NFL team selects one player as its representative. Nugent will be honored with other teams’ recipients at the annual awards banquet in Baltimore after the 2011 season.

Nugent’s 2010 season was cut short after nine games by a serious knee injury (torn anterior cruciate ligament). He made a full recovery from the injury in time for the start of 2011 training camp in late July and has played in every game for the Bengals this season. Through Week 14, he leads the NFL in field goal accuracy (92.6 percent on 25-of-27).

“Mike showed focus and tenacity as he rehabilitated his knee following his torn anterior cruciate injury on his kicking leg from 2010,” said Paul Sparling, the team’s Head Athletic Trainer.

Adding to the complexity of an already-difficult recovery was last offseason’s NFL lockout, which prevented contact between players and teams until late July and left Nugent to rehab on his own.

“The lockout added an additional degree of difficulty, which required him to be fully in charge of his recovery,” Sparling said. “In what had the potential to be a career-impacting injury, Mike showed courage and commitment, and as a result returned to pre-injury form at the start of training camp.”

Nugent this season has converted two game-winning FGs late in the fourth quarter – Oct. 2 vs. Buffalo and Nov. 27 vs. Cleveland. His 25 total field goals rank tied for fifth in the NFL.

Nugent entered the NFL in 2005 as a second-round draft pick of the New York Jets, where he spent four seasons. He then briefly spent time with Tampa Bay and Arizona in 2009, before joining the Bengals as a free agent in the spring of 2010.