Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones practiced today for the first time since last
season, as he attempts to revive a Pro Bowl career that derailed
following a yearlong suspension for off-field conduct.

Jones was placed on the physically unable to perform list
due to a neck injury he suffered last year, Bengals spokeswoman
Inky Moore said in an e-mailed statement. He can practice with
the team for three weeks without being counted on the Bengals’
53-man roster limit, and can be added to the roster at any time.

The 28-year-old defensive back was suspended for the 2007
season after his fifth arrest in less than two years. That
December, he pleaded no-contest to a reduced charge of
disorderly conduct for behavior at a Las Vegas strip club. He
was ejected from the club shortly before a triple shooting that
left an employee paralyzed.

Jones was selected with the No. 6 pick in the 2005 draft by
the Tennessee Titans, and was voted to the Pro Bowl the
following season when he had four interceptions and three punt-
return touchdowns. He played in nine games for the Dallas
Cowboys in 2008 before making one start for the Bengals last
year.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Eben Novy-Williams in New York at
enovywilliam@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Michael Sillup at
msillup@bloomberg.net

By Joel Thorman

– NFL Editor, SBNation.com

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Aug 16, 2011 – The Cincinnati Bengals announced DT Tank Johnson has been released ending his two-year tenure with the team. Johnson now becomes a free agent eligible to sign with any team. If he’s in shape, he should be able to find another team in free agency.

Johnson’s had an up-and-down career. He was the Chicago Bears second round pick in the 2004 draft and stayed with the team for three years before being arrested on gun charges in 2007. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell ultimately hit him with an eight-game suspension.

He was subsequently released by the Bears and joined the Dallas Cowboys, where he served his suspension and returned to football.

Johnson is a 29-year old defensive tackle who can be a disruptive player at times so he should find another home. He was atop the Bengals defensive tackle depth chart last week.

Check out Cincy Jungle to see what Bengals fans are saying about the move.

Read More: Tank Johnson (DT – CIN), Cincinnati Bengals

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It’s not often that you can draw a sympathetic character out of an NFL quarterback that refuses to play for his team despite an existing contract with tens of millions of dollars remaining. You’d have to be talking about a team with an unusual amount of dysfunction for that to be the case.

Fortunately for Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer(notes), who is in just such a situation, he’s been playing football for team owner Mike Brown(notes) for years, and that allows everyone to understand why Palmer would rather retire than play anymore for that particular organization. If you want to know what the Bengals are dealing with in Brown, look no further that his Tuesday press conference, in which Brown put his foot down in typically autocratic and ham-fisted fashion, saying that Palmer has retired:

“Carson signed a contract, he made a commitment,” Brown said. “He gave us his word. We relied on his word and his commitment. We expected him to perform here. If he is going to walk away from his commitment we aren’t going to reward him for doing it.”

Put simply, that’s a load of garbage. Never mind that NFL contracts are terminated all the time — on the same afternoon in which Brown was making that ridiculous statement, the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants were releasing huge chunks of their starting offensive lines to stay under the new $120 million salary cap. And while Palmer does have a contract that has him making over $10 million in each of the next four years (in base salary alone, $11.5 million in 2001 and 2012, $13 million in 2013, and $14 million in 2014), that very same contract puts him in the kill zone for either a restructure or release soon down the road. Brown’s talk of “commitments” is as typically ridiculous as you’d expect.

Of course, to look at the other side, Palmer could be making a mistake in refusing to play for the Bengals. Even if you take Chad Ochocinco(notes) out of the equation, the Bengals have somehow put together a nice, young receiver corps with A.J. Green(notes), Jordan Shipley(notes), Jerome Simpson(notes), and tight end Jermaine Gresham(notes). Even if he were able to engineer the release or trade he wants, Palmer may be hard-pressed to find a better young group elsewhere. And let’s be honest about it — Palmer’s skills have atrophied in the last few seasons; he’d most likely have to restructure if he did go to another team.

In the end, Mike Brown gets the booby prize in this equation. He could trade Carson Palmer and help his team, but just as he did three years ago when he refused an offer from the Washington Redskins for two first-round picks in exchange for Ochocinco, Brown once again proved that his focus is never on the team he inherited from his father, Paul Brown (ironically one of the greatest football minds ever) and always on his own misbegotten faith in his ability to run a franchise.

At least Brown understands one thing — a trade from his organization would indeed be a reward.

Related: Carson Palmer, Chad Ochocinco, Mike Brown, A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Washington Redskins

CINCINNATI — Two consecutive road games to start the season for the first time since 1996, two straight home games to close the season for the first time since 1997 and no prime time games are a few things that jump out as the Cincinnati Bengals regular-season schedule was released Tuesday by the NFL.

“I’m excited not only to have our last two at home, but three of our last four,” head coach Marvin Lewis said in a statement. “And obviously the stretch of division games in November and December is going to be a key for us.”

The schedule also features the team’s first four-game stretch against division rivals for the first time since 2002.

The first three games will be against teams with new head coaches. Pat Shurmur’s Browns debut comes against the Bengals on Sept. 11, former Carolina coach John Fox is in Denver and Jim Harbaugh is in San Francisco.

Beginning Nov. 13, when defending AFC champion Pittsburgh comes to Paul Brown Stadium, the Bengals will play four division games in four weeks. After the Steelers game, Cincinnati will visit Baltimore, host Cleveland and visit Pittsburgh.

The home opener, against San Francisco on Sept. 25, will be the latest home opener in franchise history. The previous latest date was in 1972, when Pittsburgh visited Riverfront Stadium on Sept. 24.

Prime-time Browns

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns will play a Thursday night game and play three of their first four games at home as the NFL released the team’s schedule Tuesday.

The Browns will play at AFC champion Pittsburgh on Dec. 8. Cleveland also will play its first Saturday game since 2005 when it visits Baltimore on Dec. 24.

The Browns open with the Bengals on Sept. 11. It will mark the 12th time in 13 seasons the Browns have played their season opener at home.

After the home opener, the Browns will travel to Indianapolis (Sept. 18) before hosting Miami (Sept. 25) and Tennessee (Oct. 2). Cleveland’s bye week is scheduled for the week of Oct. 9.

For the first time since 1993, the Browns will play two games in California — at Oakland (Oct. 16) and at San Francisco (Oct. 30).

Cleveland’s home finale will be Jan. 1 against the rival Steelers.

Redskins, Jets to host openers to mark 10th anniversary of Sept. 11

NEW YORK — The New York Giants will visit the Washington Redskins and the New York Jets will host the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 11, marking the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

With the NFL and its locked-out players mired in negotiations over a new labor agreement, the league Tuesday announced its 2011-12 schedule — assuming the season starts on time.

CINCINNATI — Two consecutive road games to start the season for the first time since 1996, two straight home games to close the season for the first time since 1997 and no prime time games are a few things that jump out as the Cincinnati Bengals regular-season schedule was released Tuesday by the NFL.

“I’m excited not only to have our last two at home, but three of our last four,” head coach Marvin Lewis said in a statement. “And obviously the stretch of division games in November and December is going to be a key for us.”

The schedule also features the team’s first four-game stretch against division rivals for the first time since 2002.

The first three games will be against teams with new head coaches. Pat Shurmur’s Browns debut comes against the Bengals on Sept. 11, former Carolina coach John Fox is in Denver and Jim Harbaugh is in San Francisco.

Beginning Nov. 13, when defending AFC champion Pittsburgh comes to Paul Brown Stadium, the Bengals will play four division games in four weeks. After the Steelers game, Cincinnati will visit Baltimore, host Cleveland and visit Pittsburgh.

The home opener, against San Francisco on Sept. 25, will be the latest home opener in franchise history. The previous latest date was in 1972, when Pittsburgh visited Riverfront Stadium on Sept. 24.

Prime-time Browns

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns will play a Thursday night game and play three of their first four games at home as the NFL released the team’s schedule Tuesday.

The Browns will play at AFC champion Pittsburgh on Dec. 8. Cleveland also will play its first Saturday game since 2005 when it visits Baltimore on Dec. 24.

The Browns open with the Bengals on Sept. 11. It will mark the 12th time in 13 seasons the Browns have played their season opener at home.

After the home opener, the Browns will travel to Indianapolis (Sept. 18) before hosting Miami (Sept. 25) and Tennessee (Oct. 2). Cleveland’s bye week is scheduled for the week of Oct. 9.

For the first time since 1993, the Browns will play two games in California — at Oakland (Oct. 16) and at San Francisco (Oct. 30).

Cleveland’s home finale will be Jan. 1 against the rival Steelers.

Redskins, Jets to host openers to mark 10th anniversary of Sept. 11

NEW YORK — The New York Giants will visit the Washington Redskins and the New York Jets will host the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 11, marking the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

With the NFL and its locked-out players mired in negotiations over a new labor agreement, the league Tuesday announced its 2011-12 schedule — assuming the season starts on time.