There is no doubt we all love us some Rihana:
 

COMPLETE GALLERY (CaveManCircus.com)

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The Bengals have signed first-round pick Andre Smith in a deal that could be as much as $42 million and the Alabama right tackle rushed onto the field in time to stretch as practice began, according to Bengals.com.

Smith, the sixth pick in the draft, is the next-to-last draft choice to sign in the NFL, ending a 30-day standoff that began at the Bengals' first practice on July 31 at Georgetown College.

ESPN.com reports that the four-year deal includes $21 million guaranteed. The team has an option after the 2010 season that would turn it into a six-year, $42 million deal that includes $29.5 million guaranteed. Heyward-Bey got a five-year deal with $23.5 million guaranteed from the Raiders.

Smith participated in the afternoon practice, doing some drills with other linemen during the portion of the workout open to the media.

"It was difficult just sitting there waiting. I'm eager to get back to football," Smith said after practice. "I don't feel like I'm that far behind. There's a difference between workout shape and football shape. I'm ready to get back into football shape."

COMPLETE ARTICLE

NFL cincinnati bengals.bengals, andre smith

I had a draft in Louisville on Sunday for a 12-team PPR league. I drew the 7th overall pick. Take a look at my squad:

WR Larry Fitzgerald
WR Calvin Johnson
RB Marion Barber (just missed Chris Johnson falling here)
QB Tony Romo
RB Darren McFadden
RB Knowshown Moreno
RB Jonathan Stewart
RB Larry Johnson
QB Carson Palmer
WR Josh Morgan
WR Ted Ginn Jr.
WR Chris Henry
TE Dustin Keller
DEF Green Bay
PK Mason Crosby
TE John Carlson

ANALYSIS: There were a few spots where I reached out and I ended up with players I am not crazy about (i.e. Larry Johnson). However, the two keys for success when drafting is to be at the beginning of runs and to get good value. Despite not being a big fan of LJ, in the 8th round not too bad. I missed out on top defenses and tight ends, but still landed two my top ten tight ends and my No. 7 defense taken as the last defense in our draft. My point is draft for value.

Fantasy Football fantasy advice

How about the Reds' bats today. OK it is tough to argue after the team rolled off five straight earlier in the week, but they struck out 20 times on Sunday before losing 3-2 in extra innings to the Dodgers.

Joey Votto whiffed four times and Drew Stubbs and Darnell McDonald struck out three times each.

Dodgers' starter Clayton Kershaw accounted for 11 K's in his seven innings of work before turning things over to the bullpen.

The good news is that the Reds welcome the Pirates for a double-header on Monday. I stilll have my side bet with my buddy from Pittsburgh on which team wins 5th place (pathetic - the team and my gambling problem...LOL).

The Pirates and Reds last played a doubleheader in Cincinnati on July 2, 1993 at Riverfront Stadium, splitting the two games. Double headers are a lost part of the game (thankfully). The Reds played nine in 1975, but they are far and few between these days.

MLB cincinnati reds, reds, joey votto, drew stubbs

from Jacksonville.com:

What is in the DNA of wide receivers that turns so many of these NFL pass-catchers into prima donnas? They must drink a Kool-Aid that comes in a cherry entitlement flavor

Just add the Denver Broncos' Brandon Marshall to the self-centered cast of Terrell Owens, Chad "Don't call me Johnson" Ochocinco, Michael Crabtree and Plaxico Burress. That's just the short list of a petulant group who thinks each stage has their name on it.

Marshall has turned the spotlight on himself with his temperamental actions at Wednesday's practice, including punting a ball in frustration and mockingly batting down passes in a receiver drill, that were caught on tape. The embarrassing fallout led to first-year head coach Josh McDaniels suspending Marshall for conduct detrimental to the team until Sept. 6, a week before Denver's season opener.

COMPLETE ARTICLE

NFL denver broncos, brandon marshall, terrell owens, chad ochocinco, michael crabtree, plaxico burress

Ryan Parker salutes the return of Micahel Vick like only he can...

Just For Fun, NFL philadelphia eagles, michael vick

Let's take a look at the latest headlines from around pro football...

Broncos Suspend Marshall - The Broncos have suspended WR Brandon Marshall for conduct detrimental to the team. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports Marshall is suspended until Sept. 6. If he behaves during that time, the team will bring him back for the regular season opener.

Cadillac Leads Bucs - Drawing his first start this preseason, Cadillac Williams rushed eight times for 54 yards against the Dolphins Thursday night. Caddy looked much more spry than he did in last year's abbreviated return.

Bucs QB's Both Struggle - Byron Leftwich finished 9-of-17 for 100 yards against the Dolphins Thursday night.It was an inconsistent performance, as Leftwich mixed accurate bullets with overthrows and misfires. However, he still managed to outplay Luke McCown.

Vick Receives Ovation - In his first performance with the Eagles, Michael Vick completed 4-of-4 passes for 19 yards and added one yard on one rushing attempt against the Jaguars Thursday. Vick entered to a rousing ovation on the second play of the game. He was limited to short passes on three of his four attempts, finally showing off his howitzer on a 13-yard completion to Hank Baskett.

Moreno Won't Be Ready by Week 1 - According to the Denver Post, Knowshon Moreno (MCL sprain) isn't expected to be "full speed" by Week 1. The Post believes Moreno's recovery and his football conditioning will be a concern in two weeks against the Bengals.

Cowboys List Williams as Day-to-Day - The Cowboys have listed Roy E. Williams (shoulder) as day-to-day.
It was feared that Williams had broken his collarbone, but the x-rays came back negative. The team is calling it a "shoulder contusion," also known as a bruise. He'll still likely sit out the rest of the preseason, but all signs point to Williams being ready to go for Week 1.

Saints' Thomas to Miss Remainder of Preseason - Saints coach Sean Payton said Thursday that Pierre Thomas could miss the rest of the preseason with his sprained MCL."I'm not as concerned other than the snaps he's missing," Payton assured. "I think he's going to recover fully.

Fantasy Football, NFL new orleans saints, pierre thomas, dallas cowboys, roy williams, denver broncos, knowshon moreno, brandon marshall, philadelphia eagles, michael vick, tampa bay bucs, luke mccown, byron leftwich

The Bengals have shown in preseason that they cannot run block. Their pass protection has been better. But, they are still razor thin at offensive line. What happens if Anthony Collins goes down injured? Then what? Here's an article that gives a nice glimpse into Andre Smith and also takes the stance that it's time for the big man to demand his agent get a deal done.

NFL cincinnati bengals, bengals, andre smith

Don't miss Rick Broering and myself breakding down the NFC West Thursday at 4PM Eastern (anytime on-demand):

MORE FROM GETSPORTSRADIO.COM

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from the GSI archives... 

What is fantasy football?
Simply put, fantasy football is when a person comprises a team of professional football players, and then gets a point value based on the performance of each athlete. The total amount of points that a team accumulates each week is then put up against the points of everyone else in the league. Whoever has the most points at the end of the season is declared the winner.
Now that you have the formal definition of fantasy football, lets get into what it really is. Fantasy football is a way in which men and women can test their projecting and management skills against each other on a weekly basis. These series’ of showdowns culminate with an ultimate winner being declared. Essentially you are a virtual General Manager that has control over every aspect of a team.

How do I get into a league?
There are multiple ways to get into a fantasy football league. The first, and most traditional method is to start a league with a bunch of friends. Get a group of them together, hold a draft, and then track your players as they either make you look like a genius, or have you squirming like you just heard Carl Lewis sing the National Anthem.

The second way of joining a league, which is becoming increasingly popular, is through the Internet. Many companies offer both free, and pay service, fantasy football leagues. What these companies do is bring together a group of people (that may not know each other) that all want to join a fantasy football league. They then put these people in a league together and let them compete against each other. If you want to get your friends together and start your own fantasy league, then many of these companies allow you to do that as well.

The benefit of doing your fantasy football league through one of these companies is that they will usually help you conduct your fantasy draft, and keep track of all the points. This allows everyone to not have to worry about calculating the points, and instead allows them to focus their attention on their team.

How does your team score points?
Each league is different, but the most common statistical categories in which a player can score points is yards, and touchdowns, and in the case of kickers and defense, field goals and turnovers. The more of each stat that your player accumulates, the more points he gets for your team. It’s that simple.

What is a draft?
A draft is a forum in which each person selects which players will be on their fantasy team. A draft can be held over the Internet or in person (depending on how your league chooses to run their league). Once the first person selects a player then the next person is up. Once a player is selected by a person (also called an “owner”), then that player is no longer available to be chosen by another team. This continues until each person in the league has selected a player. Once every person has selected a player, then the person who selected last gets to choose first the next round, and everyone drafts in reverse order (ex. It’ll go 1-10 in round 1 and then 10-1 in round 2). Once all the required positions are filled then the draft is over.

Here are some basic terms that you are likely to come across in the world of fantasy football:
• Owner: The person who runs/drafts a fantasy football team (the GM).
• Commissioner: The person who is the head of the fantasy league that usually sets the rules, and makes sure that everyone competes fair.
• Round: The order in which a player is selected in a fantasy draft.
• Trade: When an owner wants to exchange a player(s) to another team in exchange for player(s) on their team.
• Transaction: Adding, dropping, or trading a player.
• Waiver Wire: When a player is not drafted, or they are dropped from a team, they are put on the waiver wire. A player on the waiver wire is eligible to be picked up by any team.
• Team Name: A fictional name that an owner creates to designate the name of their team.

Fantasy Football fantasy advice, fantasy strategy, fantasy football 101

There are no new updates in the Bengals and their negoations with first-round pick, Andre Smith.

Clearly the team is more concerned with winning at the negotating table than they are at earning victories on the football field.

Smith's agent Alvin Keels was in town to meet with the team for four hours on Sunday, but left without a deal.

As he was heading out of town he Tweeted an update for his followers that suggests the sides are now closer.

"Leaving Cinci. Not any closer on a deal for Andre Smith. Mike Brown says 'the ship has sailed on the slotting system'," Keels wrote via TwitterBerry.

The Bengals not only refuse to pay Smith near the money that the Raiders paid Derrius Heyward-Bey at the seventh overall pick or what last year's sixth overall pick, Vernon Gholston, was paid by the Jets.

Smith joins San Francisco's Michael Crabtree as the NFL's only signed draft picks. Both players could holdout into the regular season.

NFL cincinnati bengals, bengals, andre smith

It appears as if the already perplexing Bucs' backfield just got even more confusing for fantasy owners to figure out.

The St. Petersburg Times reports that Cadillac Williams, attempting his second major comeback from a major knee injury, will start in Tampa Bay's third preseason game.

The move comes as a bit of a surprise after it appeared that Williams was battling for a roster spot just a week or two ago.

Head coach Raheem Morris also indicated on Tuesday how he plans to work his crowded backfield, which also includes free agent Derrick Ward and incumbent starter Earnest Graham.

Morris said the starter will get two series, followed by another back playing the next two series and a third getting a single series.

Asked if that would remain the case throughout the season, Morris replied, "if it works, that's what I'd like to do. I want to go into it with that thought." Morris left open the possibility that the rotation could be altered based on a particular back having a hot hand.

Currently Derrick Ward is the highest rated runner on most cheat sheets from the trio of runners, with Graham figuring to be the guy to get the call at the goalline. However, it now appears that there will be no such designated roles, at least to start the season. Under these circumstances it will be tough for any of the runners on the team to get more than 10-12 touches per game on average.

Fantasy Football, NFL tampa bay buccaneers, cadillac williams, earnest graham, derrick ward

Fantasy Sports Girl Shay Lyn has the Tampa Bay Buccaneers preview...

Fantasy Football fantasysportsgirl.com, fantasy advice, tampa bay buccaneers, byron leftwich, luke mccown, derrick ward, earnest graham, antonio bryant, kellon winslow

The Seattle Seahawks siged free agent running back Edgerrin James to a one-year, $2 million deal.

To clear a path for James the Seahawks cut veteran T.J. Duckett, according to ProFootballTalk.com.

James, 31, ranks 11th in career rushing in the NFL, but he is coming off the least productive season of his career. He started seven games for Arizona last season, gaining 514 yards as rookie Tim Hightower took more of the workload.

Julius Jones appears to be set to be the team's starting running back, but James will get into the mix along with camp star Justin Forsett.

The Seahawks reportedly also considered adding Warrick Dunn, who like Duckett played under new head coach Jim Mora Jr. in Atanta, but in the end the team opted for James.

FANTASY SLANT: Jones is still the best option, but James could be worth a stab in the late rounds. Forsett is looking like a deep sleeper, particularly in PPR formats. Duckett was projeted for about 8-10 touchdowns and was likely selected in deeper leagues that already have drafted. He no longer warrants any fantasy consideration.

Fantasy Football, NFL seattle seahawks, edgerrin james, julius jones, tj duckett, justin forsett

The following running backs will be 29 or older to start the season. Youth is a factor in long-term fantasy football performance. Older players are less valuable than normal in keeper and dynasty leagues. Older players with more than 200 rushing attempts last year could be at a higher risk for injury.   

Ladell Betts - WAS
Correll Buckhalter - DEN
Justin Fargas - OAK
Kevin Faulk - NE
Earnest Graham - TB    
Larry Johnson - KC
Thomas Jones - NYJ
Lamont Jordan - DEN
Jamal Lewis - CLE
Maurice Morris - DET
Sammy Morris    NE
Dominic Rhodes    BUF
Chester Taylor - MIN
Fred Taylor - NE
Ladainian Tomlinson - SD
Derrick Ward - TB
Brian Westbrook - PHI
Ricky Williams - MIA

COMPLETE LIST

Fantasy Football fantasy advice, ladell betts, correll buckhalter, justin fargas, kevin faulk, earnest graham, larry johnson, thomas jones, lamont jordan, jamal lewis, maurice morris, sammy morris, dominic rhodes, chester taylor, fred taylor, ladainian tomlinson, derrick ward, brian westbrook, ricky williams