Cincy Jungle

Good morning everyone! Time to rise and shine and put a smile on. It's Friday and you know what that means? Well nothing significant except a few hours stand in the way of freedom from the work place, coworkers, and annoying morning traffic. Actually traffic is going to be even more irritating today considering the "White Death" has finally fallen in southern Ohio. Every driver freaks out and suddenly can't remember how to drive. But anyways whip out your air guitar, call up the rest of your air band and prepare to air out some Led Zeppelin or Foster the People or whatever your preference is. It's the weekend (for the most part) so enjoy it.

The Bengals are making all of the right moves. Late Wednesday night the Bengals there was word going around that the Bengals and offensive coordinator Jay Gruden were close to agreeing to a contract extension. And Cincinnati has been acquiring all of the right players in order to remold the image of the franchise.

Just two seasons ago the Bengals didn't have a sound image. The team was more of a side show circus than anything. The 2010 season was one to forget. The Bengals had assembled a cast of players that were suppose to lead them to the playoffs instead they won four games and looked awful throughout the season. Carson Palmer never returned to his "glory days" like many of us hoped for. And Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens were more concerned with who would get more face time on the camera off the field. At least it seemed like that since neither of them were terribly productive on the field.

But those days are dead and gone. Palmer has been replaced with Andy Dalton while Ochocinco and Owens have been replaced by A.J. Green and....... Jerome Simpson? Either way having Dalton and Green leading the offense is a hell of a lot better than having aging veterans Palmer and Ochocinco. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Palmer and Ochocinco while they were here and being productive. But as the years went on their performance declined while their antics sky rocketed. And quite frankly I got tired of it. The atmosphere around the Bengals was a negative one which carried over onto the field during games.

So it's nice seeing the Bengals youth eager and hungry to win. That's the type of mentality the coaches and players need to instill in any and all future players. And us fans could be in store for something special for years to come if the Bengals are able to keep striving forward and improving.

Alright here is a look at what you may have missed or overlooked from Thursday.

• Listen to this week's podcast.
• Mike Zimmer's future with the Bengals hinges on Jeff Fisher's decision.
• The FCC will "reconsider" the NFL's blackout policy this offseason.
• It has officially been confirmed. Jay Gruden has signed a three-year extension with the Bengals.
• Former Bengals quarterback Jon Kitna has retired from the NFL. Good luck Kitna! And thanks for being a reliable quarterback.
• What ever happened to the Bengals 2011 draft picks taken after the second round?
• Can the Bengals break their recent trend and finally make the playoffs in back-to-back years?
• The Bengals could look at some in-house solutions rather than the draft for safety development.
• Who is the Bengals Rookie of the Year? That's a tough one if you ask me.