There used to be a time when a Bengals running back _ any Bengals running back _ would snatch the first post-game stat sheet they saw and check to see if they had their 20 carries.
Those days were officially packed away this week when Giovanni Bernard, their most versatile running back in a generation, signed a three-year extension to be a cog in the machine rather than the machine.
“I think a lot guys think ‘I’ve got to be the guy. If I can’t be the guy, I can’t stay here,’” says Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis.