Updated: 2:20 p.m.
 Johnson |
Ravens coach Brian Billick was on Fox Sports Radio on Tuesday night and was asked about Bengals receiver Chad Johnson's remarks about Monday night's opener.
In classic Chad fashion, he said that middle linebacker Ray Lewis is going to need help. "And No. 20 is going to need help. And No. 26 is going to need help," he said, as he went down Baltimore's defensive lineup.
Billick sighed and said basically that it happens every time the two teams play, so it isn't exactly bulletin-board material: "There's so much of it," he's not even sure his players are listening any more.
TRYOUTS: The Bengals are still looking at special teams and linebacker help and killed the proverbial two birds with one stone Tuesday when they worked out former first-day draft pick Jordan Beck, according to an NFC source that also said veteran kickers Josh Huston and Nick Novak, and tight end Tim Massaquoi had tryouts.
Beck, the Falcons third-rounder out of Cal Poly in 2005, was cut Monday by Atlanta. He finished second on the club with 13 special teams tackles last season.
Shayne Graham is believed to be ready to go for Monday night's opener, but the Bengals brought in Huston and Novak apparently in case Graham's hip pointer flares up this week.
The players had Tuesday off and are back to work Wednesday.
Huston, a former Ohio State kicker, got cut by the Giants over the weekend despite two fourth-quarter field goals in a 13-12 win over the Ravens in a preseason game last month that included a 50-yarder. Novak, cut by the Bears Aug. 28, has kicked for Arizona and Washington during two years in the league and has made 13 of 20 field goals.
PRACTICE SQUAD SIGNING: The Bengals on Wednesday signed rookie center Kyle Cook to the practice squad. Cook (6-3, 295; Michigan State) opened the preseason as a college free agent signee with Minnesota. He played in all four Vikings preseason games, and was waived on Sept. 1.
