NFL Notes: Super Bowl Host, Brandon Spikes, Bengals & Panthers

Super Bowl Host

• The Pittsburgh Steelers requested on Wednesday to submit an application to host the 2023 Super Bowl. (Burt Lauten)

Brandon Spikes

• Free agent ILB Brandon Spikes plead guilty to leaving scene of a car collision that resulted in a personal injury last month. Spikes will face one year of probation, be fined, and will lose his license, per WBZ News Radio.

Bengals

• According to Geoff Hobson of the Bengals official site, DE Michael Johnson is expected to take less snaps in 2015, as second-year DE Will Clarke will substitute in for him and DE Wallace Gillberry will appear on passing downs.

Panthers

• HC Ron Rivera voiced confidence in DE Frank Alexander, but said that he needs to play more consistent.

“You see those flashes, those moments when you go, OK, that’s why we drafted him,” Rivera said, via Joseph Person. “Then you see him do something and say, man he’s got to be more consistent. That’s really the word with him.”

• Rivera said that the team may rotate players to facilitate their pass rush.

“We’ll do exactly what we did last year. We’ll rotate and do it by committee,” Rivera said. “We’ve got some other things in mind as well, some things we feel we’ll be able to do. We drafted Shaq for a reason. Some of the things (from minicamp) are going to help.”