NFL Notes: Bengals, Dolphins, Saints

Bengals

Bengals first-round WR John Ross was benched after he fumbled on his only carry of the night. Ross later explained that “one play doesn’t make your NFL career.”

“I should be higher and tighter with the ball. It was a good play by him. He got his helmet on the ball,” Ross said, via Bengals.com. “It’s my first game, and I got my feet wet a little bit. You’re always going to learn stuff like this. I was also told that one play doesn’t make your NFL career. I’ve got a lot more opportunities to come.”

Dolphins

Dolphins HC Adam Gase told reporters on Thursday that veteran LB Rey Maualuga still isn’t practicing because he suffered “a little setback.”

 “That kind of came up last week when we were ending the week of practice,” Gase said, via Roy Cummings of Florida Football Insiders. “We had a little setback.’’

Maualuga is specifically dealing with a hamstring injury but Gase says he’s still a part of their plans moving forward.

“We’re going to keep working on him, strengthening him, getting him ready,’’ Gase said.“We’re looking at this as duration. We’ve got a long ways to do. We’ve got a couple new guys at that position right now so we’re trying to get everybody caught up to speed as fast as possible.’’

Saints

Adrian Peterson is now part of a committee in New Orleans in terms of his role in their offense. However, Peterson says he “didn’t sign up for nine snaps.”

“I didn’t sign up for nine snaps, though, but unfortunately that’s the way the game played out,” Peterson said, via Joel A. Erickson of the Advocate. “In my mind, personally, I knew it was gonna take some adjusting. You know, me and Mark played in the last preseason game, AK didn’t even play that game. So with all three of us being out there, I knew it would take a game or so to kind of get adjusted.”

During the game, ESPN cameras showed what appeared to be Peterson saying something to get HC Sean Payton‘s attention while they were on the sideline but he says that all of this was “overdramatized.”

“It was definitely overdramatized,” Peterson said. “Of course, with the heat of the game, me being back in Minnesota and things like that, just catching that look – that intense look on my face, like I had – I actually got some laughs out of some of the memes that were made.“