Bengals News

First, some draft news:

Lewis has said the Bengals must improve their run defense and develop a more consistent pass rush. His statements make defensive linemen and outside linebackers an area of interest.Some defensive linemen making good impressions in Mobile are California's Lorenzo Alexander, Southern Cal's Shaun Cody and Mike Patterson, LSU's Marcus Spears and Wisconsin's Antaaj Hawthorne. - Mark Curnutte, Enquirer

I like the Cody kid from USC. Now, some TJ news:

From Pete Priso CBSSPORTSLINE.COM: Word out of Cincinnati is that wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh is asking for a contract with a signing bonus of $8 million. While Houshmandzadeh came on late and became a key factor down the stretch for the Bengals, it's doubtful the team will give him that kind of money, which would mean he would become an unrestricted free agent. The one knock on Houzmandzadeh is that he doesn't run that well, and that never helps drive up the price on the free-agent market.

I [Lance McAlister, local sports talk host] am told the following this afternoon by those close to negotiations between the Bengals and TJ: "The report from CBS and Pete Prisco is a complete and utter fabrication! It is safe to say the money being discussed is millions of dollar off what Pete is reporting."