Training camps have wrapped up, the NFL season is right around the corner, and it's still hot as sin outside. But instead of cooling you off with a warm island song, FanHouse break out ye old heat check for our 2009 NFL Season Previews. " We'll rate each club in 5 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.
They don't allow you to take a mulligan in pro football. If they did, one has to believe the Cincinnati Bengals would take it for the whole 2008 season. An injured quarterback, problems on defense, and a controversial and somewhat unproductive wide receiver conspired to take Cincinnati down. After a 4-11-1 campaign, the Bengals are ready to (sort of) start over.
Cut-N-Go is Fantasy FootballFanHouse's daily gathering of links from around the web, covering the goings-on in NFL Training Camp which have an impact on fantasy value.
One of the common draft trends I've noticed in fantasy football over the years is how even the slightest injury can scare people away. Take Knowshon Moreno, for instance, who suffered an MCL sprain just over two weeks ago. Since that time, Moreno's draft stock has sunk from a fourth-round pick to an average draft position of 67.04, according to Mock Draft Central.
Before, many considered Moreno a draft risk because of the hype. Now? We have a big value opportunity.
There were all kinds of red flags about Andre Smith before the draft. The Bengals picked the beefy Alabama tackle sixth overall anyway, betting on his skills against his drawbacks. But that doesn't mean they had no concerns about him at all, and Smith's rookie contract addresses one of the most significant.
According to a source familiar with the contract, Smith's deal (which guarantees him $21 million and could be worth as much as $42 million over six years) includes a weight clause that would allow the Bengals to fine Smith up to half his weekly game check every time he fails to appear on the 45-man active roster and weighs in at 350 pounds or more.
Offensive tackle Andre Smith became the 31st 2009 first-round draft pick to sign, coming to terms with Cincinnati. Find all the signed picks' contract details below:
The number of unsigned 2009 first-round draft picks dwindled from two to one on Sunday, as offensive tackle Andre Smith finally agreed to terms with the Cincinnati Bengals. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The No. 6 overall pick missed all of Cincinnati's training camp and the Bengals' first three preseason games. Smith is basically locked into a starting tackle spot once he gets up to speed -- his challenge now will be accelerating that process with the regular season two weeks away.
Smith's signing also means that Michael Crabtree's San Francisco mess is the lone top pick not under contract yet.
Assuming Jackson joins Kansas City's training camp immediately (and stays healthy), he's a near-lock to be the Chiefs' starting left end in Week 1.
The situation is not as rosy for the Bengals' top choice, offensive tackle Andre Smith. The No. 6 pick in 2009, Smith is reportedly miles away from signing with Cincinnati.
While the offensive line might not represent a direct draft day decision for your roster, few areas of knowledge can offer a competitive advantage in fantasy football like having a good grasp of the various units of trench soldiers around the league. So with that in mind, each year at FanHouse we break down every NFL team's offensive lines into five tiers: the crème de la crème, the highly competent, the serviceable, the grim, and the bunk.
LOS ANGELES -- Carson Palmer is certain about two things: Electing not to have invasive "Tommy John" reconstructive surgery on his damaged throwing elbow was a wise decision.
And the Bengals quarterback will not allow Twitter-loving, attention-grabbing wide receiver and teammate Chad Ochocinco to move into his Southern California home so that the two can do some male-bonding and work out in the backyard before Cincinnati's rookies and veterans report to training camp on July 30.
It's July, the slowest month of the year for the NFL, and it's driving you nuts. You need a fix. A hit. Anything NFL to pull you through the dog days. FanHouse is here to help with an in-depth look at each division that should have you plenty prepared for training camp. We're calling it the Summer Scramble. Today we look at some burning questions in the AFC North and offer a ridiculously early prediction for how the division will finish.
If you're HBO, it's hard to think of a team you'd rather have on "Hard Knocks" more than the Cincinnati Bengals. You're guaranteed to have at least one Chad Ocho Cinco meltdown, it might explain what Mike Brown does, or doesn't do, for his general manager's bonus and with this roster there's likely to be some Andre Smith man-boob action. And that doesn't even count the possibility of a Bengals' arrest--which is always a pretty good possibility.
But it's hard to figure out why the Bengals would want to get the Hard Knocks treatment, because you're guaranteed at least one Ocho Cinco meltdown, it might explain what Mike Brown does, or doesn't do, for his general manager's bonus and with this roster there's likely to be some Andre Smith man-boob action. And that doesn't even count the possibility of a Bengals' arrest--which is always a pretty good possibility.
Training camps have wrapped up, the NFL season is right around the corner, and it's still hot as sin outside. But instead of cooling you off with a warm island song, FanHouse break out ye old heat check for our 2009 NFL Season Previews. " We'll rate each club in 5 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.
There were all kinds of red flags about 
The number of unsigned 2009 first-round draft picks dwindled from two to one on Sunday, as offensive tackle 
The biggest domino amongst the remaining group of unsigned 2009 first-round picks has toppled. No. 3 overall pick 
While the offensive line might not represent a direct draft day decision for your roster, few areas of knowledge can offer a competitive advantage in 
LOS ANGELES -- 
If you're HBO, it's hard to think of a team you'd rather have on "Hard Knocks" more than the Cincinnati Bengals. You're guaranteed to have at least one 
