A Cincinnati Bengals cheerleader and former teacher continues to maintain her innocence in the sexual abuse case involving one of her former students. Sarah Jones pled not guilty to sexual abuse charges. (David Stluka – AP) Sarah Jones, the captain of the Ben-Gals cheerleading squad, was indicted last week on claims that she had sex with a 16-year-old high school football player four or five times and exchanged numerous text messages with the student, as first reported by the Cincinnati Enquirer. Jones, who resigned from her job as an English teacher at Dixie Heights High in Kentucky in November, faces charges of first-degree sexual abuse and unlawful use of electronic means to induce a minor to engage in sexual or other prohibited acts. Her mother, Cheryl Jones, the principal at nearby Twenhofel Middle School, was also indicted on a charge tampering with evidence. Both appeared in court Monday and pleaded not guilty. Judge Patricia Summe lowered the bond for Jones and her mother to $15,000 each. Both must wear electronic monitoring bracelets as a condition of their release. A pre-trial date was set for June 11. “The student denies it. The parents of the student are upset that this has gone where it has. They don’t have anything bad to say about Sarah,” attorney Eric Deters said in December after the allegations surfaced. “Sarah denies it. There’s no victim. There’s nobody saying, ‘Hey, this happened.’” Deters is currently suspended for ethics violations but will return to the case when his suspension is lifted on April 24, according to MSNBC. Jones, 26, is no stranger to being in headlines. In 2009, she made national news when she sued TheDirty.com founder Nik Richie for posting a picture of Jones that claimed she had contracted a sexually transmitted disease and was having sex with Bengals players. Last June, Jones said the allegations — which she claimed were completely unfounded — had ruined life in an interview on ABC’s 20/20. “I literally broke down,” she said. “I worked my butt off to make sure I had a clean, great reputation and then it was ruined by one post.” Jones was rewarded an $11 million default judgment for defamation, but litigation in the case is ongoing. Five months after her appearance on 20/20, she resigned from her teaching position, citing “personal reasons.” National media outlets were in court on Monday to observe the proceedings as the case continues to generate more attention. Follow us:  MattBrooksWP | @CindyBoren More NFL news from Washington Post Sports: Ben-Gals cheerleader indicted on charge of sexually abusing student Joe Gibbs says Bill Parcells’s return to coaching “makes absolute sense to me” RGIII hysteria in Washington, D.C.

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POSTED: 11:26 am EDT March 28, 2012 CINCINNATI — Coach Marvin Lewis says the Cincinnati Bengals are open to offering receiver Jerome Simpson another contract even though he could be headed to jail and faces a suspension from the NFL for violating its substance abuse policy.Lewis told reporters at the NFL’s owners meetings on Tuesday that he wouldn’t “rule it out” that the club could offer the free-agent receiver another contract. Simpson has spent his four NFL seasons with the Bengals.Simpson pleaded guilty on March 1 to a drug-related charge resulting from 2 pounds of marijuana shipped to his home in September.Prosecutors recommended a 60-day jail stay. A judge will decide whether to lessen the punishment at a hearing on April 5.Simpson also faces a possible four-game suspension from the NFL. Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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By IRA KAUFMAN | The Tampa Tribune Published: March 27, 2012 Updated: March 27, 2012 – 7:12 PM PALM BEACH — In his first year as offensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals, Tampa’s Jay Gruden made quite an impression on head coach Marvin Lewis. Jon Gruden’s younger brother helped the Bengals to the AFC playoffs as Cincinnati went 9-7, with rookie quarterback Andy Dalton throwing for 3,398 yards and 20 touchdowns. “Jay’s done an outstanding job,” Lewis said Tuesday at the NFL owners meetings. “His ability to work with our young players and infuse them into our offense was awesome.” Gruden, a former Arena League standout as a quarterback and a head coach, spent seven seasons on his brother’s coaching staff with the Buccaneers. “Jay sees the offense through the eyes of the quarterback, — and that’s what I was looking for,” said Lewis. “To me, that makes the most sense. We teamed up his enthusiasm with a dynamic kid like Andy Dalton who can’t get enough and it was a great combination.” Jay Gruden was rumored to be a head coaching candidate in St. Louis and Jacksonville before he removed himself from consideration in January, declaring his intentions to remain in Cincinnati. “He has a bright future, we all know that,” Lewis said, “but Jay Gruden is a guy who has his head down, focused on what he’s doing. He’s not worried about what’s coming down the line. Jay also had a few opportunities with some major universities as well after the season, and he’s going to have opportunities to move on in the future. In my mind, he made a big statement about the city and the organization when he said he was staying with the Bengals.”

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PALM BEACH, Fla. — Coach Marvin Lewis says the Cincinnati Bengals are open to offering receiver Jerome Simpson another contract even though he could be headed to jail and faces a suspension from the NFL for violating its substance abuse policy. Lewis told reporters at the NFL’s Annual Meeting on Tuesday that he wouldn’t “rule it out” that the club could offer the free-agent receiver another contract. Simpson has spent his four NFL seasons with the Bengals. Simpson pleaded guilty on March 1 to a drug-related charge resulting from two pounds of marijuana shipped to his home in September. Prosecutors recommended a 60-day jail stay. A judge will decide whether to lessen the punishment at a hearing on April 5. Simpson also faces a possible four-game suspension from the NFL. Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press

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PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) Coach Marvin Lewis says the Cincinnati Bengals are open to offering receiver Jerome Simpson another contract even though he could be headed to jail and faces a suspension from the NFL for violating its substance abuse policy. Lewis told reporters at the NFL’s owners meetings on Tuesday that he wouldn’t ”rule it out” that the club could offer the free-agent receiver another contract. Simpson has spent his four NFL seasons with the Bengals. Simpson pleaded guilty on March 1 to a drug-related charge resulting from 2 pounds of marijuana shipped to his home in September. Prosecutors recommended a 60-day jail stay. A judge will decide whether to lessen the punishment at a hearing on April 5. Simpson also faces a possible four-game suspension from the NFL.

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The Cincinnati Bengals re-signed defensive tackle Pat Sims and signed defensive end Jamaal Anderson on Saturday. Sims registered 28 tackles and one sack in 11 games last season. He missed the last five contests with an ankle injury. Anderson was the eighth player taken in the 2007 NFL Draft and spent the first four years of his career with the Atlanta Falcons before joining Indianapolis last season. He played in 15 games for the Colts, recording 24 tackles and a career-high three sacks. ©2012 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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CINCINNATI – The Bengals on Monday announced two moves to help bolster the team’s secondary in 2012. Cincinnati re-signed safety Reggie Nelson and signed cornerback Jason Allen. Both were unrestricted free agents. Nelson led the Bengals in interceptions last season with four and continues to be one of the hardest hitting safeties in the NFL. Cincinnati acquired Nelson (the 21st overall pick in 2007 out of Florida) from the Jaguars in September 2010. He started every game for the Bengals last season. Several teams, including the New York Jets, were interested in Nelson this offseason. However, it was his relationship with head coach Marvin Lewis and defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer that led to his decision to re-sign with the Bengals, according to reports. Allen, a former first round pick of the Miami Dolphins in 2006, played in all 18 games with Houston Texans in 2011 Ironically, it was the Texans who eliminated the Bengals from the playoffs last season. He joined Houston during the 2010 season and had seven interceptions over 23 total regular season games with the Texans, tops on the team for that span and also tied for second among all AFC cornerbacks. News about Allen’s signing broke Saturday night, but the Bengals did not confirm the move until Monday. “These signings are obviously a huge plus for our secondary,” said head coach Marvin Lewis. “Reggie and Jason are physical players who have had success and are entering the prime years of their careers. Reggie helped us get to the playoffs last year, and Jason helped Houston get there and advance beyond us. They are good players who have the opportunity to keep improving.” On Saturday, the Bengals signed veteran guard Travelle Wharton, who spent his first eight NFL seasons with Carolina. In other Bengals news on Monday, the team visited with the following free agents: Tight end Joelle Dressen, cornerback Terrance Newman, running back Benjarvus Green-Ellis and defensive end Derrick Harvey. Mike McGlynn, who played in seven games with four starts on the Bengals’ offensive line last season, signed with the Indianapolis Colts on Monday. Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals have signed veteran guard Travelle Wharton, who spent his first eight NFL seasons with Carolina. The 6-foot-4, 312-pound Wharton started all 99 games in which he played with the Panthers. In 16 games in 2011, he started 15 at left guard and one at left tackle on an offense sparked by top overall draft pick Cam Newton. Newton won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. A third-round draft selection in 2004, Wharton could replace Nate Livings, who signed with Dallas.

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CINCINNATI (AP) The Cincinnati Bengals have signed veteran guard Travelle Wharton, who spent his first eight NFL seasons with Carolina. The 6-foot-4, 312-pound Wharton started all 99 games in which he played with the Panthers. In 16 games last season, he started 15 at left guard and one at left tackle on an offense sparked by top overall draft pick Cam Newton. Newton won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. A third-round draft selection in 2004, Wharton could replace Nate Livings, who signed with Dallas.

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The Cincinnati Bengals liked John Griffin enough during training camp last summer to tell the former T&G Super Team football player to stick around town for a few days after releasing him in September. The Bengals ended up going in another direction and didn’t bring back the rookie running back. But Griffin did hear from a few other teams and worked out for the New York Jets in November before they signed him Jan. 3. “They kind of made it clear I was pretty high on their list,” Griffin said recently. “I was under the impression I was going to get a call (after the season). If not, I had some other workouts lined up. “I’m definitely glad to be playing football. It’s a blessing. A lot of guys have moved on to other parts of their life.” Most of those guys have played football a lot, lot longer than Griffin, who really didn’t take up the sport until his senior year of high school. All of which makes the fact he has an opportunity to play in the NFL all the more remarkable. Griffin only weighed about 110 pounds when he was a freshman at Oakmont Regional. However, he was a tremendous athlete, one who decided to join the basketball and track teams. As for football, it just wasn’t something the thin teen ever had any interest in. “I stuck to my strong points,” Griffin, now 24, said. The strategy paid off as Griffin helped the Spartans reach the Division 2 state basketball final as a sophomore before winning the high jump at the Central Mass. track championships a few months later and the 100-meter dash at the state meet the following year. Prior to the start of his junior year in 2005, Griffin moved to Texas with his family. It wasn’t long before he found himself back in Massachusetts. It was then that Dave LaRoche, who coached Griffin in track and was in the first year of his second stint as the Spartans’ football coach, made his recruiting pitch. “I knew how fast he was, so I was always interested,” LaRoche recalled. The Hall of Fame coach and the would-be player had a chat. Griffin agreed to give football a go and got into a couple of junior varsity games that fall. “That was his first time playing football,” LaRoche said. “He had a little taste of it, and that was it. He certainly became a force for us.” Did he ever. Griffin returned for his senior year and spearheaded the Spartans to an 11-1 record and a Super Bowl victory while rushing for 1,215 yards, scoring a school-record 25 touchdowns and averaging nearly 30 yards a reception. “We knew how fast he was — knew we could run speed sweeps and reverses with him — but we had no idea how tough he was,” LaRoche said. “You don’t know how kids are going to react to getting hit. But he was exceptionally physical.” Griffin’s play drew the interest of numerous colleges, including Maine, New Hampshire and Northeastern. He ended up signing a scholarship with the Huskies, attracted to the Boston school by its co-op program. Griffin spent three years at Northeastern, where he was a first-team All-Colonial Athletic Association selection as a junior after rushing for a conference-leading 1,009 yards in 2009. The school dropped football after that season, leading Griffin to transfer to UMass. Griffin, part of a backfield that included Jonathan Hernandez of Leominster, concluded his collegiate career by rushing for 843 yards for the 6-5 Minutemen. That total included 96 in a near upset of Michigan at the Big House and 75 in a win over Holy Cross. Although he was bypassed in the 2011 NFL Draft, Griffin latched on with the Bengals. After being released, he played for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. The league is on shaky ground financially, but the opportunity to continue learning the ins and outs of being a pro was invaluable to Griffin. “It was fun,” he said. “I was just happy to be back in football, and it worked out well.” Work is what Griffin is all about these days. He’s back at Northeastern — and still on scholarship — taking four classes, which will leave him two shy of earning a degree in sociology, and training with the Huskies’ strength and conditioning coach and the track team in preparation for when offseason workouts begin with the Jets in mid-April. “Right now is the time to make your weak points your strong points,” said Griffin, who is listed at 5-foot-10 and 208 pounds. “All I can control is what’s in my hands. That’s getting bigger, faster and stronger, and graduating.” The fact he’s been cut once by an NFL team was obviously disappointing. But rather than be discouraged, Griffin has turned it into a motivational tool. When he considers going out at night, his thoughts invariably turn to what others might be doing with their time at that moment. That inevitably leads him back to the gym. “It resonates and motivates you to want to work harder,” Griffin said. “Getting released by one team doesn’t mean football isn’t for you. It just means it wasn’t a good fit for you. There are tons of stories in the NFL about guys making it late.” However, there aren’t as many involving guys who started playing football as late as Griffin. Which is what makes his story so notable.

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Every morning, grab a cup of coffee and get your AFC North wake-up call here: Now that Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and offensive coordinator Todd Haley have reportedly spoken to each other, let’s move onto another AFC North situation where the sides aren’t talking — running back Cedric Benson and the Cincinnati Bengals. Benson becomes an unrestricted free agent in 20 days (on March 13). “We haven’t had any talks about a new deal,” Benson told Sirius NFL Radio last night (via the Cincinnati Enquirer). In his first season with offensive coordinator Jay Gruden, Benson finished with 273 carries, which was his fewest since 2008. “We had a chance to establish an identity and we kind of got in our rhythm at times and there were times that were tough,” Benson said. “You can look at the statistics. We didn’t stick on what the offense was built on. When we had Carson [Palmer] and Chad [Ochocinco], we kept a strong identity in the run game and we kind of got away from it and didn’t let that part of the offense grow and bit the bullet on it a little bit.” Hensley’s slant : It was expected that Benson and the Bengals would have a mutual parting of the ways this year, and his comments only confirm that. This doesn’t mean that the Bengals will hand the starting job to Bernard Scott. The Bengals should address the running back position in the draft or free agency, and perhaps both. BROWNS : ESPN’s Todd McShay considers Oklahoma State’s Justin Blackmon, who could be a first-round target of the Browns, among the second tier of wide receivers along with Dez Bryant, Michael Crabtree and Julio Jones. “He compares to Julio Jones in that, he’s a physical receiver that’s ready to come in and I think he can contribute right away, knows how to use his body very well to shield defenders from the ball and position guys away,” McShay said in a recent conference call, via the team’s website. “He’s got strong hands, but still, every once-in-a-while, has a focus drop and Julio Jones was the same way. I think Jones attacked the ball a little bit better. He belongs in the top of the class at wide receiver this year and in the top 10 picks, I believe.” Hensley’s slant : It’s funny that Blackmon compares to Julio Jones because the Browns received five draft picks from the Atlanta Falcons (including picks in the first and fourth round this year) by passing on Jones last year. The Browns can’t ignore the wide receiver position again this year, whether it’s taking Blackmon in the top five or Baylor’s Kendall Wright with their second first-round pick. This offense needs playmakers in the passing game. RAVENS : The Baltimore Sun’s Mike Preston said no one should panic about the contract talks with quarterback Joe Flacco and running back Ray Rice because they’re staying with the Ravens. “Flacco and Rice aren’t going anywhere because the Ravens designated them cornerstones last season when they cut receivers Derrick Mason and Todd Heap,” Preston wrote. “Every time there was an issue on offense last season, Rice and Flacco became the spokesmen. The question is, when will the Ravens pay Rice and Flacco?” Hensley’s slant : The pecking order looks like it’s been set. Even though team officials are expected to talk to the agents of both players at the NFL combine, the Ravens have made it a priority to get a contract extension with Flacco because they can put a relatively cheap franchise tag on Rice. Based on the longevity of quarterbacks compared to running backs, Flacco’s contract will also be a more long-term one. STEELERS : The Steelers showed their commitment to Willie Colon as their right tackle by restructuring his contract, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The move created $2.85 million in salary-cap space, the paper reported. Colon, who has missed 31 of the past 32 regular-season games due to injuries, has four years remaining on a five-year, $29 million contract that he signed in August. Hensley’s slant : It was assumed that Colon would regain his starting job at right tackle because Marcus Gilbert is shifting to left tackle in 2012. The Steelers are now around $8 million over the cap. How much Pittsburgh can get under the cap will dictate whether wide receiver Mike Wallace gets a first-round tender ($2.7 million) or the franchise tag ($9.6 million). It looks like the Steelers are leaning toward putting a first-round tender on Wallace, which would leave them vulnerable to losing him.

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CINCINNATI Rookie quarterback Andy Dalton missed practice Wednesday with the flu, leaving backup Bruce Gradkowski to run the Cincinnati Bengals offence at Paul Brown Stadium. Coach Marvin Lewis said Dalton should be back on Thursday. He’s expected to play Saturday at Houston’s Reliant Stadium, where he’s never lost. The second-round pick grew up in the suburbs and played two games there in high school and another for TCU. The Bengals (9-7) will be trying to get their first playoff win since the 1990 season when they play the Houston Texans. Reliant Stadium has a retractable roof, so weather won’t be an issue. The challenge is to stay healthy until then. The temperature was -5 C with a wind chill of -10 C when they hit the field Tuesday. On Tuesday night, rookie receiver A.J. Green from Georgia tweeted: “It was so cold at practice today … I couldn’t feel my toes.” It was somewhat better Wednesday, with a temperature of 2 C and a wind chill of -2 C when practice ended. Players wore hoods under their helmets to try to stay warm. Asked if it was the coldest weather he’d ever had for practice, Green said, “Oh yeah, definitely, by far. By far.” Temperatures around 4 C are forecast for Thursday’s practice. The Bengals are the only northern team without their own covered practice field either in use or under construction. They have the right under their stadium lease to cover one of their adjacent practice fields, but would have to pay for it. The University of Cincinnati approached the NFL team about jointly building a bubble-covered field when Brian Kelly was coach, but the Bengals declined. The university then built a practice field with a removable bubble on campus. The Bengals could rent the bubble for four hours at a standard rate of US$2,500. The concern Wednesday was getting Dalton healthy and ready for one more cold-weather practice followed by a trip home. He grew up in the Houston suburb of Katy and attended games at Reliant as a fan. “You get a chance to play in Reliant Stadium as a high school kid, it’s a really cool thing,” Dalton said Tuesday. “That’s how Texas high school (football) is. You get to play in NFL stadiums.” For the first time since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, a playoff game will feature two rookie quarterbacks. T.J. Yates, a fifth-round pick, took over after Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart got hurt and led the Texans to the playoffs. Yates led a winning 80-yard touchdown drive in the final three minutes for a 20-19 victory at Paul Brown Stadium on Dec. 11. He and Dalton talked on the field afterward. “It was a big, game-winning drive for him,” Dalton said. “It’s good to see rookies — my class — doing well. “It was unfortunate that it was against us.” The overriding question with a rookie quarterback is how he’ll handle playoff pressure. Dalton has the experience advantage over Yates because he won the starting job during training camp and started all 16 games. Yates started the last five games. “I have all the confidence in Andy,” cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones said. “Andy is a well-composed guy, doesn’t get rattled by too much. “He likes to win and likes the pressure on him.” Dalton looked like a rookie during a 31-24 loss at Baltimore on Nov. 20, throwing three interceptions that helped the Ravens get ahead 31-14 in the fourth quarter. He was much more careful over the last six games, throwing five touchdowns and only one interception in 184 attempts. During the loss to Houston, Dalton and the offence had a miserable second half, blowing a 16-3 lead. They managed 81 yards in the second half, including only nine yards on 14 rushes. Dalton fumbled on the second play of the half to start Houston’s comeback and was 7-of-11 passing for 77 yards after halftime. Dalton has been average overall much of the time, but that’s been good enough to get Cincinnati into the playoffs. Four times he’s led the Bengals to victories with fourth-quarter comebacks. “I don’t think pressure’s really been an issue for him,” offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth said. “The greatest competitors are the guys that want to win. “They want the heat. That’s a good thing — it drives them. I think Andy’s one of those guys.” NOTES: Defensive end Frostee Rucker (shoulder) also was among those missing practice. Tailback Cedric Benson (foot), centre Kyle Cook (foot) and safety Chris Crocker (knee) were limited. … Cincinnati has played Houston only one other time in the post-season, beating the Oilers 41-14 after the 1990 season. That was the Bengals’ last playoff win. They’re 0-2 since. The Associated Press

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When the Cincinnati Bengals travel into Reliant Stadium to take on the Houston Texans, they have more than a few reasons to be confident. I might even go as far as picking the Bengals to win this game. Much has been made about the Bengals inability to beat a good team —they’re a whopping 0-7 against those within the playoff field. While those numbers do raise some alarm, they’re not as bad as they look on the surface. With the exception of their Week 13 game in Pittsburgh, they haven’t lost a game by more than eight points. Additionally, they don’t have any “bad” losses —losing to teams they shouldn’t (Denver might be an exception, though it’s hard to make that argument when they’re in the playoffs). I’ll readily admit that you need to be able to take down better teams, but the Bengals clearly show where they fall on the quality spectrum. They’ve probably been one of the best teams to set your watch to. They win when they should and lose when they should. They lost to the Baltimore Ravens by seven and eight points, respectively. They lost to the Denver Broncos by two and the San Francisco 49ers by five. Their other game against Pittsburgh found them losing by only seven. Lastly, they lost to the Houston Texans by one. This is a team that can compete. The Texans, on the other hand, do have a few mind boggling losses. That being said, they also have some impressive wins —Pittsburgh and Atlanta specifically. However, they also carry losses to the Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts. You can throw in the Oakland Raiders if you want as well. I’ll give a couple of those teams the benefit of being pretty decent, but they aren’t teams the Houston Texans should lose to. The Titans game gets a free pass because most of the starting Texans were on the bench. What’s more alarming for the Texans is their current three-game losing streak they’re riding into the playoffs —Carolina, Indy, and Tennessee. Being the Texans first ever trip to the playoffs, I’m sure the Bengals are going to run into a raucous crowd at Reliant Stadium. If Dalton and company can’t control that, it could get ugly. What makes this game difficult is that you have two rookie quarterbacks. T.J Yates hasn’t thrown a touchdown in two-plus games and following Yates’ injury against the Titans, we don’t know if that shoulder will affect his performance. When you look at the numbers of the two teams, they’re relatively even. The slight edge goes to the Texans in most categories, but that also factors in the gaudy offensive numbers they were putting up prior to Matt Schaub’s injury. As it stands now, I think the game is pretty even. Andy Dalton doesn’t give much more confidence. Despite Dalton having a stellar rookie season, you don’t often like the idea of rookie quarterbacks in the playoffs. In fact, the research I’ve found is that no rookie quarterback has ever won a Super Bowl. That’s an alarming trend for both Bengals and Texans fans. We don’t need to talk about the Super Bowl yet. Yates and Dalton both have things to take care of before we start thinking about that. While I think it’s a virtual toss up, I think I like Cincinnati. Bengals 20 Texans 17 Brian is a lifelong NFL fan, specifically of the Chicago Bears, having lived in Illinois his entire life and having followed the NFL throughout. Sources Bengals/Texans Preview Bengals Schedule Texans Schedule T.J Yates Stats Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

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When the NFL owners locked out the players last spring, what seemed like the end was just the beginning for the Cincinnati Bengals. With no offseason workouts, a shortened training camp and a roster depleted of former stars like quarterback Carson Palmer and receivers Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco, the Bengals appeared headed for another 4-12 season, or possibly worse. But on Sunday afternoon in Paul Brown Stadium, where the Bengals (9-6) host the Ravens (11-4), Cincinnati is one win away from becoming the No. 6 seed in the AFC playoffs. If the Ravens win, they can at least secure a No. 2 seed, a first-round bye and host a divisional semifinal. If the Bengals win, they would travel to No. 3 Houston for a first-round game. “We’ve got an opportunity to do something that almost nobody in the business thought we could do,” said Bengals offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth. According to Bengals coach and former Ravens defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis, the seeds for Cincinnati’s turnaround were planted during the lockout. That’s when some of the veterans started organizing team drills, practices and workouts. Gone were the prima donnas like Ochocinco and Owens who would have complained. Instead, the grunt guys like Whitworth and nose tackle Domata Peko took over, and the rest followed. “The lockout helped create a new atmosphere around here,” Lewis said. “The big, tough guys started running the show, they took over the team. There are no more clique-ish groups in football than the offensive and defensive lines, and they stepped up and everyone else just rallied behind them. They have become the fiber of the team.” But it’s just not that simple. Cincinnati is winning with two rookies — quarterback Andy Dalton and receiver A.J. Green — playing prominent roles. Green, a first-round pick out of Georgia, was expected to contribute right away, and the kid has been the total package with 63 catches for 1,031 yards and seven touchdowns. “He was good early — so unassuming, so talented — from the very first time he stepped on the field,” Lewis said. “Usually you get to see these guys in minicamp and the various offseason camps, but there were no opportunities. But from the first day in training camp, you could tell he was special.” Dalton has been even more impressive. Quarterback might be the hardest position to learn in all of sports. Few rookies challenge for a playoff spot in their first season. Few rookies taken with the No. 35 overall pick have looked as poised or thrown for 3,166 yards and 20 touchdowns. He doesn’t play like a rookie. “He’s so far ahead of me when I was a rookie, it’s not even funny,” former Bengals quarterback and CBS analyst Boomer Esiason said earlier this year. “After my rookie year [general manager] Paul Brown and [coach] Sam Wyche were going into the offseason looking at each other cross-eyed.” Dalton had Lewis’ head spinning about a month or so before the draft. “I watched the way our coaches worked with him at TCU and how he threw to his receivers and backs,” Lewis said. “He stood firm, like these guys had been coaching him for years. I could see it was a good match. He understood what we were trying to teach. He could recite and then execute it.” Dalton will give the Ravens problems. The Ravens don’t have anyone who can match up with Green and Cincinnati has another talented receiver in Jerome Simpson and tight end Jermaine Gresham. The Ravens won the first meeting between the two teams this season, 31-24, as Cincinnati was minus-two in turnover differential and Dalton threw three interceptions. “It has been a big year for me and for this team, and it’s our job to find a way to get this last step,” said Dalton, who has been sacked 24 times this season, third fewest in the NFL. Another major difference has been the Bengals defense. Lewis noted that there are five former first-round draft picks starting. The Bengals get pressure with their front four of Robert Geathers, Frostee Rucker, Geno Atkins and Peko. Cincinnati has 44 sacks this season, third best in the league. They use a 4-3 scheme and play a lot of two-deep coverage, which has given the Ravens problems. Plus, the Bengals know that anytime they play Baltimore, it’s a big game for Lewis, who won a Super Bowl here with the Ravens in 2000. “If they lose, they know they don’t want to be around me,” Lewis said with a laugh. Lewis still has a fondness for Baltimore. He often comes back during the offseason as a guest speaker for companies or colleges. He likes what the Ravens have done by adding rookie cornerback Jimmy Smith and using tight ends Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta. He says the Ravens’ front seven on defense is one of the best in the NFL. But the Bengals have only one goal now. They’ve won six of their past nine meetings against the Ravens. “I think it would be huge,” said Bengals running back Cedric Benson. “You can only imagine what [a win Sunday] would do to some egos around here. But I think as far as the young guys, the team as a whole, the momentum and the bonding that it will actually do for the guys, for the team, is hard to even put in words. This is a team that has had a lot of adversity, wasn’t expected to do much this year. It would just be kind of a good capper, a great building block to the future.” Text FOOTBALL to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun Ravens text alerts

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