One of the most surprising teams in 2011, Thomas Howard’s young Cincinnati Bengals made the playoffs against all odds. But can the Bengals make a Super Bowl run out of such a talented division?

Now that the 2011 season is officially over following the Super Bowl, now we can all look ahead to free agency.

The Bengals have a number of players that will be unrestricted come March 13th when they can sign with other teams. You can see the complete list below, and give your thoughts about what players the team should keep, and what ones they could let go.

Exclusive Rights Free Agents (4)

RB Cedric Peerman
DT Nick Hayden
LB Vincent Rey
S Jeromey Miles

Restricted Free Agents (3)

FB Chris Pressley
LB Dan Skuta
LS Clark Harris

Unrestricted Free Agents (20)

RB Cedric Benson
WR Andre Caldwell
WR Jerome Simpson
TE Donald Lee
TE Bo Scaife
OT Anthony Collins
OL Nate Livings
OL Mike McGlynn
OT Dennis Roland
OG Bobbie Williams
DE Jonathan Fanene
DE Frostee Rucker
DT Pat Sims
LB Brandon Johnson
LB Manny Lawson
CB Kelly Jennings
CB Adam Jones
S Reggie Nelson
S Gibril Wilson
K Mike Nugent

“Going into next year, they’re going to put more on me and that’s what I want,” said Dalton, who was at the Super Bowl to promote the Panini Pop Warner Bowl. “We were going into a new system so everyone had to learn,” Dalton said of the challenges from last season. “For the rookies, we didn’t know anything different. It’ll be nice to know the schedule this year.”

“I sent everyone (in Cincinnati) a letter, a thank you note. I think that’s the best I can do. Everybody who had anything to do with me being there, I hope they have it framed,” Ochocinco said Wednesday of his former team, which traded him after the lockout following a 10-year stay when he broke most of the Bengals’ career receiving records.

“That’s just the way it goes. (Owner) Mike (Brown) was good to me. The city was good to me. The media, we had our ups and downs. I made it fun. The fans were epic for 10 straight years. Of course, I had my riffs and raffs. Like any human being I’m not perfect. Other than that, there’s nothing bad I can actually say, period.”

He was admitted to an area hospital for treatment of pneumonia Thursday evening. Due to serious pre-existing conditions, he did not respond to treatment and died, he was 65.

A source close to the former University of Cincinnati and Bengals quarterback was in the intensive care unit after his health took a turn for the worse Thursday night. His family had gathered Thursday to keep vigil.

QB Andy Dalton, DT Geno Atkins and TE Jermaine Gresham have been added to the roster to play in Sunday nights game. Dalton and Atkins were both first alternates in last month’s voting, and Gresham was a third alternate. All three will replace players who were removed from the squad when the Patriots won the AFC Championship and qualified for Super Bowl XLVI.

Dalton will replace New England QB Tom Brady, Atkins will take the spot of Patriots DT Vince Wilfork, and Gresham will replace Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski. Two alternates voted ahead of Gresham are not available for the game, the league announced. The Bengals now have four players headed for the Pro Bowl, as WR A.J. Green was voted to the AFC team last month.

“Some very positive opportunities both for fans and the local economy will now be available, and we are excited to bring the benefits to Greater Cincinnati,” said Katie Blackburn, the Bengals vice-president, in the team’s news release. “We think fans will like what we have to offer.”

ProFootballTalk.com’s Mike Florio reports that “there’s increasing chatter in league circles” that the Dolphins are leaning toward Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer to fill their head-coaching vacancy. The move would reunite Zimmer and Miami G.M. Jeff Ireland, who spent six seasons together from 2001 through 2006 as employees of the Cowboys. The Bengals feared losing both Zimmer and offensive coordinator Jay Gruden after an unlikely playoff berth in 2011. Gruden has opted to stay. It would actually hurt a little less for Zimmer to go, given that head coach Marvin Lewis was a defensive coordinator before taking over the team in 2003.

Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden has signed a three-year extension worth $1.2 million per year.

The deal doubles Gruden’s salary from 2011, his first season with the Bengals after coaching with the Orlando-based Florida Tuskers in 2009-10 and playing and coaching for the Orlando Predators from 1998-2008.

Earlier this week, Gruden declined opportunities to interview for several head coach vacancies.

In 2011, Gruden directed an offense that ranked 20th in the NFL in total offense and 18th in scoring offense. Gruden’s top contribution to the Bengals this season was getting 2011 second-round quarterback Andy Dalton ready to start the regular season without the benefit of OTAs and mini-camps. Dalton completed 300-of-516 pass attempts for 3,398 yards with 20 touchdowns and 13 interceptions

A woman who worked as a Kentucky high school teacher and moonlights as a Cincinnati Bengals cheerleader will get to press her lawsuit against a website and its owner over lewd online comments about her that made her life at school so uncomfortable she quit her teaching job.

U.S. District Judge William O. Bertelsman set a June 4 trial date in Covington for Sarah Jones’ defamation and invasion of privacy lawsuit against the website, www.thedirty.com, and its owner, Hooman Karamian, who goes by the name Nik Richie,

Two postings in 2009 prompted the case. Jones twice asked that the posts be taken down. Richie refused both times.

Jones resigned from her teaching job in November. She is still on the Bengals’ roster as a cheerleading captain.