Bengals tidbits

[buckeyefool]

hought there was a thread but I'm looking past it. anyway Lewis had a press conference today and the combine. Should be interesting to see who gets cut or doesn't get resigned (kitna?) sometime soon.

Lewis insists on maturity
By GEOFF HOBSON
February 24, 2006

2:30 p.m.
INDIANAPOLIS _ It’s so early in the scouting process that Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis didn’t watch college tape until he arrived here Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine to find his room rigged by video director Travis Brammer.
But he believes his team is far enough along n it’s maturation that it is “this close,’ to achieving “the ultimate.” As he met with the team’s press corps Friday at the Indiana Convention Center, Lewis admitted his team imploded in the playoff loss to Pittsburgh and vowed that the player who leaked the story of wide receiver Chad Johnson’s half-time tantrum won’t return.
“Unfortunately we had somebody else who was more selfish than Chad,” Lewis said. “That person won’t be with us next year, I’ll tell you that. Those people aren’t good for you.”
In an offseason fraught with bad news, Lewis has gone to great lengths to make no news and was a smashing success. He reiterated several points he has made in the last month, such as expecting Carson Palmer to be the Opening Day quarterback, expecting to sign a veteran backup quarterback early in free agency, and don’t go looking for them to draft one early (if at all) since he has yet to see any college quarterback tape and they work out here at the RCA Dome this weekend.
But he did continue to pound his off-season theme. Coming together as a team is the biggest step that has to be taken to win a Super Bowl instead of any roster overhauls. So look for Lewis to point his team toward the clubs in their own division. He talked about how the Steelers went from 7-5 to 15-5 to win the Super Bowl last season while Lewis’ own 2000 Ravens hovered at .500 in midseason before winning out.
“No doubt in my mind,’ said Lewis when asked if maturity is the missing link. “It’s time for our team to achieve success. We’ve had personal success. We’ve had a little bit of team success. That’s not the ultimate success. The only way to get the ultimate success is to become a football team totally. And when you don’t win, everything falls apart.
“We saw it up the road (in Pittsburgh). They figured out a way to turn it around,” Lewis said. “Go to the Baltimore team. The teams in our division, we’ve seen it begin to implode on them during the season. Our season didn’t implode during the season. We had an outburst at the bad time and, frankly, a guy saying something that probably he shouldn’t have said outside of the locker room when things occur in your house all the time.”
Lewis continued to insist reports of Johnson taking a swing at Lewis and putting receivers coach Hue Jackson in a headlock were exaggerated.
He said Johnson was right in his complaint that they should have tried to have thrown the ball more to him in the first half, but “he didn’t voice it in the right way. He was correct. He didn’t voice it in the right way.”
Lewis described the scene as Johnson “raising his voice,” and being told to calm down.
“Our wide receiver was upset that we weren’t being as productive as he thought we could be on offense,’ Lewis said. “He raised his voice.”
Lewis said Johnson understands that he was wrong, but he also thinks the team learned from it. “In the big scheme of things,” Lewis said, “that person needs to look at themselves. No. 1 for speaking about it and No. 2 for embellishing on it. For not really telling the truth. That’s even worse.”<SCRIPT> <!-- var FiltersEnabled = 1 // if your not going to use transitions or filters in any of the tips set this to 0 applyCssFilter() var link_text=[]; //--> </SCRIPT>

[AJHawkfan]

Originally Posted by buckeyefool

“Unfortunately we had somebody else who was more selfish than Chad,” Lewis said.

That makes me laugh.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

2/25/06

BENGALS

Lewis has no doubts team will stay strong

Saturday, February 25, 2006

Bill Rabinowitz
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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INDIANAPOLIS — So much has befallen the Cincinnati Bengals since winning the AFC North championship that coach Marvin Lewis would have been forgiven for walking into the NFL combine wearing a hard hat.
The Bengals lost their last three games, including a home playoff loss to eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh. In that game, quarterback Carson Palmer suffered two torn knee ligaments, throwing his availability for 2006 into question.
Reports then surfaced of a halftime outburst by receiver Chad Johnson. That was followed by rookie receiver Chris Henry’s second arrest in two months.
But at the NFL combine yesterday, Lewis didn’t sound like a man worried that the momentum he’d worked for three years to build had been reversed.
"Actually, not as turbulent as you might think," he said of the Bengals’ off-season. "Carson is obviously injured, but his rehab is coming along fine. I believe he’ll be fine when we open up the ’06 season. And I think, as time will tell, Chris’ problems will be what they are and not as significant as you might think.
"You don’t want to have anything enter into the off-season as a negative, but we’ll rise above these things and move forward. They are what they are. They are bumps in the road."
As far as Johnson’s halftime outburst, Lewis scoffed at reports that Johnson tried to throw a punch at him or receivers coach Hue Jackson.
"Ridiculous," Lewis said of the rumors, saying it isn’t in Johnson’s nature to fight.
"He didn’t do anything other than be upset and raise his voice," Lewis said. "He needed to calm down and relax."
Lewis acknowledged that Johnson’s frustration showed an immaturity that, to a degree, extended to the whole team.
As evidence, Lewis cited the fact that a player leaked the news of Johnson’s outburst. That player, whom Lewis would not identify, will not be back, he said.
Lewis pointed to the example of the Steelers, who regrouped after losing to the Bengals in December to win eight straight games to become NFL champs.
"I have no doubt in my mind that it’s time for our team to achieve success," Lewis said. "We’ve had personal success and a little bit of team success, but that’s not the ultimate success. The only way to get the ultimate success is to become a football team totally."
Lewis was asked how close the Bengals were to having the maturity to do that.
"It’s like winning and losing. They’re like that," he said, holding his index finger and thumb close together. "And then again, it’s like that," spreading his arms far apart.
"(It’s) somewhere in the middle."
For now, the Bengals are preparing for free agency and the draft. Of their free agents, backup quarterback Jon Kitna is the highest priority to re-sign, but he has made it clear he intends to test the market.
"Jon wants the opportunity for someone to say, ‘Hey, Jon, you’re going to be our starting quarterback,’ and if that occurs I imagine it will happen right away," Lewis said.
Then it’s on to the draft, where the Bengals’ needs are pretty clear: safety, defensive tackle and tight end. The Bengals’ first pick is 24 th.
In what should not come as a news bulletin, Lewis refused to indulge in any speculation about draft plans.
"If you go in there and say we’re going to do this or that, you get your feelings hurt," Lewis said. "Unless you pick first, you can’t control that guy being there."
brabinowitz@dispatch.com

Saturday, February 25, 2006

[BuckNutty]

Lewis wants to cut Bengal who leaked outburst
By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com


Although he is not one of the NFL head coaches who have embraced the "one voice" stance, and precluded his assistants from speaking to the media during the season, Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis apparently feels his team had once voice too many in its season-ending playoff loss.

Appearing at the NFL scouting combine, Lewis stressed that the upstart Bengals must demonstrate improved maturity in 2006 to continue their progress, and also vowed to release the player who leaked to the media reports of an explosion by star wide receiver Chad Johnson at halftime of a Jan. 8 wild-card playoff game.

"Unfortunately, we had somebody else who was more selfish than Chad," Lewis said in discussing the incident. That person won't be with us next year, I'll tell you that. Those people aren't good for you."

According to reports, Johnson, angry at not getting the ball enough, voiced his complaint at halftime of the wild-card game, a contest the Bengals lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-17. The reports suggested that, after a heated exchange with an assistant coach, during which he had to be restrained, Johnson swung at Lewis.

The Bengals coach, who in 2005 led the franchise to its first division title since 1990, earlier in the offseason acknowledged there was a halftime incident involving Johnson, but denied the wide receiver threw a punch at anyone.

Lewis said that the team's Pro Bowl wide receiver, who had two receptions in the first half and finished the game with just four catches for 59 yards, "raised his voice," but said that was the extent of the incident.

During his combine appearance Friday, however, Lewis vowed to rid his team of the player who leaked the report of the Johnson incident. It was a vow that, while keeping with Lewis' theme of accountability, could be difficult to keep. So far, no one has identified the source of the story, and Lewis could have trouble doing so, particularly after his promise to release the player. It could be a difficult move, too, if the player is a starter, as some Cincinnati veterans have hinted.

There could be repercussions from the NFL Players Association, as well, if Lewis tries to release any player he feels was the source for the leak. But in maintaining that his young team needs to come together as a unit, and subjugate the goals of individuals, Lewis said he will continue to investigate where the Johnson story originated.

"In the big scheme of things, that person needs to look at themselves," Lewis said. "Number one, for even speaking about [the incident], and number two, for embellishing on it. For not really telling the truth. That's even worse."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2344347

[elliemae]

I'm glad to see that Carson Palmer is doing okay!

[Jaxbuck]

I'm too lazy to look it up but isn't this a bit of a back track by Marvin Lewis from what he originally said?

Seems to me he's having to acknowledge something did happen because its been so widely leaked but still trying to deny how bad it was. If it were truely the non event Lewis wants everyone to believe then why did he originally try and deny it and why is he so incensed that it was leaked?

I understand the team loyalty angle but something has to be fairly bad to warrant "team secret" status no? You simply don't see people in any organization get lit up for leaking things that are suppossed to be non events. If its truely a non event then its not a news worthy story and can't be leaked anyway.

Now if the star player goes nuts at halftime, has to be physically restrained and possibly takes a swing at someone(s) then I can see why a coach would be pissed if it were leaked to the media.

Between this and the doctors 180 on his original statement regarding Palmers knee, my bullshit detector's on full tilt right now.

I'm thinking things are probably a bit worse than they want anyone to know on both fronts.

[tibor75]

There could be repercussions from the NFL Players Association, as well, if Lewis tries to release any player he feels was the source for the leak. But in maintaining that his young team needs to come together as a unit, and subjugate the goals of individuals, Lewis said he will continue to investigate where the Johnson story originated.

Leo Jabba is a complete dumbass. The PA can't say anything if Lewis cuts somebody. Lewis is in his right to cut anybody anytime for any reason whatsoever.

I seriously doubt CJ took a swing at anybody, but I'm sure this was something more than an "outburst". Hopefully the leak came from an idiot on the defensive line - they all suck anyway.

Next years Stiller/Bengal games will sure be interesting. Two Bengal wins and a season ending injury by Kimo will taste mighty sweet after this offseason.