SLANTS AND SCREENS
Bengals Ring of Honor member Tim Krumrie, who has the most tackles of any defensive tackle in history, got another one Tuesday when he intercepted new Bengals defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery as the team jogged between drills.
It wasn't their first meeting. Krumrie, well-known for his intense hands-on workouts of college prospects while he coached the position for 15 years in the NFL, worked out Montgomery when he was coming out of Iowa. Montgomery remembered. He also invited Krumrie into his room anytime.
Iowa vs. Wisconsin. …
Houshmandzadeh was in town because the NFL sent him to talk to the club about the dos and don'ts of gambling. He's headed to Chicago with the same message for the Bears Wednesday. That message is also vintage Housh-blunt: "If you think you can get away with it and be sneaky, your butt is going to get caught."
Houshmandzadeh says with players and everybody else able to bet on their phones these days, the key is letting them know when, where, and what they can bet on.
"You don't want them to muddy the integrity of the game," Houshmandzadeh said.
He naturally stood with the receivers and he looked like a proud dad on this Tuesday before Father's Day as he surveyed Burton and Tee Higgins. He coached Higgins during a couple of weeks leading up to the 2020 NFL Draft and stood on the table for him that Draft Friday the Bengals mulled the first pick of the second round. He recalled how he took a call from Bengals head coach Zac Taylor and director of player personnel Duke Tobin "very early," that day when they asked him about two guys he coached in Clemson's Higgins and USC's Michael Pittman Jr.
Houshmandzadeh was closer to Pittman at the time, but he had seen enough of Higgins to give him an endorsement as "a taller A.J. Green," and the rest is history.
"It worked out for both," Houshmandzadeh said.
The Bengals got Higgins at No. 33, Pittman went next to the Colts, and five years later, both are working on big second deals.
"You look at Tee and you just don't realize it," Houshmandzadeh said of the 6-4, 220-pound Higgins. "You just don't realize how big he is." …
First-round pick Shemar Stewart remained unsigned Tuesday and was on the field but didn't participate. He says from the edge he's watching every move of his old Texas A&M teammate, sophomore defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson.
"I've known him since I was 18 years old," Stewart said. "I see how good of a leader he is. I just follow his lead on everything. He's very underrated. I feel like he's a great leader, and I feel like the harder he works, you're going to see it out of him." …
Trey Hendrickson, seeking a contract extension, didn't attend Tuesday …
Yes, Burrow is looking forward to his second and third starts vs. new Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers leads him, 1-0, with 2021's overtime thriller to his credit.
"That'll be a fun, fun two games," Burrow said. " Obviously, I got a lot of respect for Aaron and like him as a person. I only played him one time, so it will be nice to play him twice." …