Former Browns, Cowboys and Dolphins quarterback Bernie Kosar has been spotted at the Senior Bowl this week and WKNR in Cleveland reports one of the teams interested in him might be the Bengals. The station also reported last month that Kosar was being considered as a head coaching candidate at the University of Miami, where he went to school, but that was unfounded. On an interview on the station’s morning show, Kosar made no mention of working with the Bengals but said that a couple teams had invited him down. — Cincinnati Enquirer

After a conversation with Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, I came away thinking Terrell Owens won’t be a Bengal next year, but Chad Ochocinco and Cedric Benson probably will be. Lewis on Benson, whose contract is up: “I’d like to have him back and he wants to be back.” Lewis on Ocho: “I expect him to play for the Bengals because he has a contract. Mike Brown is not going to cut him.” — National Football Post

On Thursday night former Vikings head coach Brad Childress had dinner with Lewis. Childress then met with team officials on Friday before leaving for Florida. Continue reading for details on Childress possibly joining the Bengals coaching staff

Cedric Benson was critical of the offense’s direction this season, especially the play-calling of coordinator Bob Bratkowski. Since it appears Bratkowski will return, the odds of Benson re-signing are dim but Marvin Lewis is holding out hope. Could the Bengals really place the franchise tag on Benson?

With Carson Palmer slated to earn $50 million over the next four seasons the Bengals might look in the middle or late rounds at bringing in a quarterback to compete for the backup spot. — Cincinnati Enquirer

Unlike three seasons ago, trading Ochocinco is possible for the Bengals because he is slated to earn $6 million, but all of it is in base salary. The last of the bonus money from his 2006 contract counted last year. — Cincinnati Enquirer

Will Carson Palmer be back? Barring a major change in heart, which looks unlikely to happen Continue reading →

Bengals president Mike Brown and Marvin Lewis met throughout the day on Monday but there was no official announcement regarding the future of the team’s coach. A decision should come Tuesday when meetings will continue. Lewis met with Brown before convening the players for a 20-minute meeting, which is standard operating procedure the day after the season ends. If anyone was looking for Lewis to divulge any clues during that meeting, it didn’t happen. … Continue reading →

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis voiced optimism about returning for a ninth season. Asked if he felt as if the end of his eight-year tenure was near, Lewis replied, “I don’t think so. That’s not the plan.” Lewis did say that he has talked with Mike Brown about his the future but that no decisions have been made. “My plan is to beat the San Diego Chargers and beyond that time will take care of itself,” Lewis said. “Our team has hung in there, kept playing and kept practicing and preparing.” — Cincinnati Enquirer

At 65, former Bengals coach Sam Wyche’s life still is as fast-paced as the no-huddle offense of which he was an innovator. Two weeks ago, he even received a new pacemaker to help him keep pace with everything. Six grandchildren. Four rescue dogs. Six barn cats. Four horses. A 28-acre farm that overlooks the Blue Ridge Mountains in northwest South Carolina. A 30-hour-a-week county council seat. Speaking engagements across the country. Continue reading →

A report on profootballtalk.com Sunday said the Bengals were considering making Terrell Owens inactive for the final three games due to his attitude and performance in practice and games. Marvin Lewis denied the report, which was attributed to an anonymous league source. “Pro Football Talk? Enough said. I don’t need to address it,” said Lewis. “Have I ever addressed anything in here from Pro Football Talk? No. I don’t even know where it is.” — Cincinnati Enquirer

Terrell Owens is on pace to collect on $1 million worth of incentives in his contract, but he infuriated coaches and teammates with comments on his Versus reality show that the 2-11 Bengals were “underachieving from the top down.” That included owner Mike Brown, the coaches and then the players before circling back to the coaching staff.  — Fox Sports

After a strong first half, Terrell Owens’ production has dropped off as teams have tightened their coverage. After the Week 9 game against Pittsburgh, Owens had 55 receptions for 829 yards (a 15.1 yards per catch average) and five touchdowns. He also was on pace to reach all six incentives on his contract that would earn him $4 million for the season. Over the past five games, Owens has 17 receptions for 154 yards (a 9.1 average) and four touchdowns. He has reached two of the $333,000 incentives but under the current projections would reach only one more. — Cincinnati Enquirer