redlegsfan21
01-02-2007, 07:03 PM
By JOE KAY
CINCINNATI (AP) -Coach Marvin Lewis was widely praised for turning the woeful Cincinnati Bengals into an average team in his first season.
Three years later, the Bengals are stuck at average.
Significant offseason changes are needed if Lewis wants his team to be anything more than an also-ran. The Bengals have finished 8-8 - and out of the playoffs - in three of Lewis' four seasons.
Fans who survived one of the longest stretches of futility in NFL history are starting to get antsy. An 0-3 finish that cost the Bengals a playoff spot this season left players with a sense that something is seriously wrong and needs to get fixed in a hurry.
"There's definitely some things that need to change," quarterback Carson Palmer said.
The changes have to start at the top.
No, Lewis isn't going anywhere. He still has more sway over the front office than any of his recent predecessors. But Lewis acknowledged on Tuesday that he got too lax with discipline this season, something that he plans to change.
Eight Bengals were arrested and two suspended during 2006, drawing the concern of commissioner Roger Goodell. The misbehavior raised questions about the type of players that the Bengals were choosing and whether they were being tough enough on them when they got into trouble.
Several veterans have urged Lewis to take a tough line on everything the way he did during his first season in Cincinnati, when the Bengals made that sudden turnaround.
"I think there's an outcry from our guys to go back that way," Lewis said. "I hear it and see it, so that's my challenge to go back to that.
"We've tried to allow guys to grow both as men and mature as players. But the thing we continue to find is they've got to be constantly coached, policed and corrected so that at times of adversity, we can do the right things."
For better or worse, Chad Johnson was the face of the '06 Bengals.
He was on a self-promotion kick to open the season. He had a new look - a golden Mohawk - got Degree deodorant to sponsor his who-covered-me list, and renamed himself "Ocho Cinco" for one game.
He did a touchdown dance in front of a cornerback teammate when he scored during a training camp practice, and proclaimed that the defending AFC North champions would dominate.
Lewis hated it.
When Johnson got double coverage and his numbers dropped during a 4-5 start, the Pro Bowl receiver groused that he wasn't getting the ball enough. It started a trend. Running back Rudi Johnson also complained about his lack of carries, and right tackle Willie Anderson suggested the Bengals weren't tough enough.
The team pulled together, won four in a row to get into playoff contention, then fell apart in the last three games. Ultimately, Cincinnati missed out on a wild-card berth because of a botched extra-point in Denver and a missed field goal in the final game against Pittsburgh.
"We have enough talent to win games," Anderson said. "We, as a team, will never get over the hump with the selfishness."
No one mentioned Johnson by name, but his free-spirited ways rubbed teammates the wrong way. Lewis pointed out that Johnson had his best games after he got rid of the antics - he ended up leading the league's receivers with 1,369 yards.
"After we got through the whole Mohawk, Degree thing and Ocho Psycho and all that stuff, we were good," Lewis said. "And you know what? Things went up.
"He's just got to make sure that all the time he's being the right guy for his teammates - all the time. And I think that's important to them. It's important to them that I don't have a double standard for Chad."
Lewis and the front office can keep the core of the team together, if they choose. Guard Eric Steinbach, tight end Reggie Kelly, defensive end Justin Smith and cornerback Tory James are starters who can become free agents.
The biggest changes have to come from within. Those are sometimes the toughest.
"We're a very average football team," Palmer said. "We have the potential to be a good team. We should be 10-6. It's a whole lot more than selfishness. From the coaches to the players, some things need to change.
"Marvin's in for a long offseason."
http://sports.myway.com/news/01022007/v4001.html
CINCINNATI (AP) -Coach Marvin Lewis was widely praised for turning the woeful Cincinnati Bengals into an average team in his first season.
Three years later, the Bengals are stuck at average.
Significant offseason changes are needed if Lewis wants his team to be anything more than an also-ran. The Bengals have finished 8-8 - and out of the playoffs - in three of Lewis' four seasons.
Fans who survived one of the longest stretches of futility in NFL history are starting to get antsy. An 0-3 finish that cost the Bengals a playoff spot this season left players with a sense that something is seriously wrong and needs to get fixed in a hurry.
"There's definitely some things that need to change," quarterback Carson Palmer said.
The changes have to start at the top.
No, Lewis isn't going anywhere. He still has more sway over the front office than any of his recent predecessors. But Lewis acknowledged on Tuesday that he got too lax with discipline this season, something that he plans to change.
Eight Bengals were arrested and two suspended during 2006, drawing the concern of commissioner Roger Goodell. The misbehavior raised questions about the type of players that the Bengals were choosing and whether they were being tough enough on them when they got into trouble.
Several veterans have urged Lewis to take a tough line on everything the way he did during his first season in Cincinnati, when the Bengals made that sudden turnaround.
"I think there's an outcry from our guys to go back that way," Lewis said. "I hear it and see it, so that's my challenge to go back to that.
"We've tried to allow guys to grow both as men and mature as players. But the thing we continue to find is they've got to be constantly coached, policed and corrected so that at times of adversity, we can do the right things."
For better or worse, Chad Johnson was the face of the '06 Bengals.
He was on a self-promotion kick to open the season. He had a new look - a golden Mohawk - got Degree deodorant to sponsor his who-covered-me list, and renamed himself "Ocho Cinco" for one game.
He did a touchdown dance in front of a cornerback teammate when he scored during a training camp practice, and proclaimed that the defending AFC North champions would dominate.
Lewis hated it.
When Johnson got double coverage and his numbers dropped during a 4-5 start, the Pro Bowl receiver groused that he wasn't getting the ball enough. It started a trend. Running back Rudi Johnson also complained about his lack of carries, and right tackle Willie Anderson suggested the Bengals weren't tough enough.
The team pulled together, won four in a row to get into playoff contention, then fell apart in the last three games. Ultimately, Cincinnati missed out on a wild-card berth because of a botched extra-point in Denver and a missed field goal in the final game against Pittsburgh.
"We have enough talent to win games," Anderson said. "We, as a team, will never get over the hump with the selfishness."
No one mentioned Johnson by name, but his free-spirited ways rubbed teammates the wrong way. Lewis pointed out that Johnson had his best games after he got rid of the antics - he ended up leading the league's receivers with 1,369 yards.
"After we got through the whole Mohawk, Degree thing and Ocho Psycho and all that stuff, we were good," Lewis said. "And you know what? Things went up.
"He's just got to make sure that all the time he's being the right guy for his teammates - all the time. And I think that's important to them. It's important to them that I don't have a double standard for Chad."
Lewis and the front office can keep the core of the team together, if they choose. Guard Eric Steinbach, tight end Reggie Kelly, defensive end Justin Smith and cornerback Tory James are starters who can become free agents.
The biggest changes have to come from within. Those are sometimes the toughest.
"We're a very average football team," Palmer said. "We have the potential to be a good team. We should be 10-6. It's a whole lot more than selfishness. From the coaches to the players, some things need to change.
"Marvin's in for a long offseason."
http://sports.myway.com/news/01022007/v4001.html