The upcoming lame duck season for Marvin Lewis has continued to be one of this year’s more under reported stories at a time when media hacks love to make mountains from mole hills.

Since Scouting Combine there haven’t been any updates to the situation. However on Tuesday Lewis did confirm that there are ongoing talks.

According to Cincinnati Enquirer’s Joe Reedy Lewis said hopefully at some point I and Mike Brown will be able to reach an agreement that both sides feel good about. Since then we have talked about a contract a couple times, however it isn’t something we talk about every day. I don’t worry about that or bring that up. That’s not how I go about things.

This year it appears the Bengal may struggle in selling out their home games, similar to last year’s struggle where we witnessed several extensions at the last minute and local companies turning into saviors by buying tickets in bulk. Last month the team attempted to hold an open house so that prospective buyers could check the stadium and the open seats out. Next they started to sell ticket packs of four games. A couple weeks ago they went to selling game packs of two games. The degradation could be caused by a number of things. The team has now announced that single game tickets can be purchased starting on Saturday.

Each series of events could be interpreted as a sign that this year the team will be struggling to sell out once again. What this means is the Bengals need to fire out right at the start in a full blaze of glory in order to keep their fans from turning away during the latter part of the season should the team fall below expectations. The fact that teams like the Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Buffalo Bills are some of the teams visiting Paul Brown Stadium doesn’t help, as these teams don’t have much of a fan presence in Cincinnati or the surrounding area.

Running back Cedric Benson of the Cincinnati Bengals was arrested and charged with assault stemming from an incident occurring on May 30 in a bar in Austin, Texas.

The arrest was reported by Austin American Statesman on the basis of an affidavit detailing the alleged assault in which Benson has been accused of punching one of the bar’s employees after he was asked to leave after an altercation.

Benson along with another bar patron were separated by employees. According to the affidavit Benson pushed one of the employees as he attempted to continue with the fight. He also spit blood that was on his lip on an employee.

According to scientists from West Virginia University’s Brain Injury Research Institute, Chris Henry, former wide receiver of the Cincinnati Bengal who died last year during a traffic accident, at the time that he died was suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (or CTE). The degenerative brain damage was the result of multiple hits to his head.

Julian Bailes, BIRI director and West Virginia University chairman of neurosurgery said, if there had been negative results it would have made us happy, however multiple areas in the brain of Chris Henry showed CTE. On Monday afternoon during a news conference the results from the forensic examination were presented by Bailes and colleagues.

CTE has been discovered by researchers in brains of over 50 deceased ex athletes. They include over a dozen college and NFL players, Chris Benoit, pro wrestler, and Reggie Fleming NHL player.

The final draft picks are complete and teams are now putting together their lists of free agents. Let’s look at the nine draft picks selected by the Cincinnati Bengals over the past three days to see how they might help the team succeed in 2010.

First Round: TE Jermaine Gresham, Oklahoma

This is no surprise. Gresham is the number one consensus tight end from this year’s draft. The Bengals desperately needed one. Gresham as a pass catcher is dynamic and in college was extremely productive. He is also solid as an in-line blocker, which is something that the Bob Bratkowski offense needs. The right choice was Gresham, although some people might have preferred to have Dez Bryant in this position.

Mark Sanchez, after just one career playoff game, is giving an off-Broadway performance that is pretty good.

The other New York Jets are as well. No longer are they a team that is overlooked, after they defeated AFC North champion Cincinnati twice in a week.

Are there still doubters out there?

With their lucky breaks and everything, the Sanchise and Rex are heading to the playoffs.

It it the same old Jets? No, not this time around.

The top ranked defense of Rex Ryan’s shut the Bengals down, while rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez was very efficient in leading the clock eating offense as the Jets clinched the first playoff spot for the team in three seasons on Sunday night with their 37-0 defeat at chilly Meadowlands.

The sports world today got a very sad reminder of how fleeting life is sometimes when news of the death of Chris Henry, wide receiver of the Cincinnati Bengals, was announced. Henry died from injuries sustained from a Wednesday car related accident.

A lot has been written and said about Henry as well as his off field troubles during his short NFL career. None of those things matter today.

Henry is survived by three children.

The Cincinnati Bengals faced the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, with the Raven’s backs against the wall. The Ravens, after losing last month at home to the Bengals, badly needed a win, but the Bengals held them off.