Hartwell says he has agreed with Bengals

Linebacker Ed Hartwell's deal with the Bengals was a essentially done over the weekend and all but confirmed by coach Marvin Lewis at the end of the draft Sunday.

On Monday, Hartwell's agent told The Enquirer the deal was done but was being held up because Hartwell was in Atlanta, where his wife was delivering their first child, a son.

On Thursday, Hartwell spoke on Sirius NFL Radio and said he had signed with the team. Bengals public relations director said tonight that the club had no confirmation.

This release came into tonight from Sirius NFL Radio:

Today on “The Afternoon Blitz” on Sirius NFL Radio, hosts Adam Schein and Solomon Wilcots spoke with linebacker Ed Hartwell, who confirmed he has reached a deal to play for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Solomon Wilcots: “We heard that you could possibly be reunited with Marvin Lewis, who was your coach when you played for Baltimore. He was your defensive coordinator when you came into this league. Talk to us about the prospect of possibly playing with the Cincinnati Bengals.”

Ed Hartwell: “Well, you know, the possibly is a definitely because the deal got finished today. I’m currently a Cincinnati Bengal.”

Adam Schein: “Talk about being reunited with Marvin Lewis.”

Hartwell: “Just being reunited with him, I took a visit down there and met all the coaches. The intensity is there. From playing for him you know what he expects. You know he expects the defense to [be] really intense, to go out there, to hit people hard, to come downhill. That’s my style of play. Being able to go back and play for a guy like Marvin Lewis and the staff that he has up there is great. The type of player I am, they coach the same way I play so it’s going to be a wonderful fit.”

Wilcots: “I know Marvin wants some consistency in this linebacking corps. They’ve had some unfortunate situations. Odell Thurman. David Pollack is now hurt. He was a high draft pick. Ahmad Brooks right now is penciled in to be the starting middle linebacker. On opening day this will be the fifth consecutive year the Bengals have had a different player at their starting middle linebacker position. Talk to us about where you will be featured in this linebacking corps.”

Hartwell: “We’re going to leave [Brooks] in the middle. I’m going to slide over to the Will linebacker. Using my experience can help the other linebackers there and teach them some of the things that I’ve learned coming up in the league. Experience is a great thing in this league as you learn the little tricks of the trade. It’s not all about speed. A lot of times it comes down to the little things which make you a good player.”

Schein: “How close do you believe the Bengals are to not only making the playoffs but making a legit run at the Super Bowl?”

Hartwell: “I think they have a great chance. They have a wonderful offense. We’re going to do some great things on defense and make some plays. Any time you have that going on you have a shot. They have one of the most dynamic offenses on that team and now I’m going to come in and with the help of all the other players we’re going to make that defense one of the best defenses in the league. I’m pretty sure everybody on that side of the ball feels the same way. Together we’re going to have a shot at that Super Bowl title.”

Schein: “How’s your health? Are you ready to go through all football activities?”

Hartwell: “I’m ready, baby. I had two years of downtime. Now I’m here, I’m running around, cutting. Everything is the way it’s supposed to be and I’m ready to go out there and go to this first training camp and have some fun.”

Schein: “How many other teams were in the mix for your services?”

Hartwell: “I’m having a baby right now so I wasn’t able to travel a whole lot. That whole exciting process in itself stopped me from traveling a whole lot to different teams, from me wanting to be there and not miss that opportunity to be there when my son is born. But it was definitely a lot of teams that were calling, wanting me to come down and travel. Good teams. Teams like Denver, New England. It all worked out for the best and I’m just happy to be able to go down to Cincinnati and play football.”