Bengals veterans dismayed

[The Entertainer]

[quote][size=3][b]Bengals veterans dismayed[/b][/size]
Ninth arrest causes team to feel guilt by association

BY MARK CURNUTTE | MCURNUTTE@ENQUIRER.COM


Toward the end of the 2006 Bengals season, whenever an NFL player - including a member of the Bengals roster - was arrested, Marvin Lewis would show the arrest mug shot on a video screen in a team meeting.

"You don't want to be up here," the Bengals coach would tell his players.

The season is over, but the Bengals continue to make the kind of national news that no professional sports organization wants.

Cornerback Johnathan Joseph was arrested early Monday, making him the ninth Bengals player to be arrested since Jan. 1, 2006. Joseph was charged with marijuana possession.

"I don't see what else Marvin can do," eighth-year defensive tackle John Thornton said Tuesday.

Thorton and other Bengals veterans say that transgressions by several younger members of the team are dragging down everybody in the locker room and creating an aura of guilt by association. Everyone who wears a Bengals uniform is affected, they say.

"The thing that's not good is Willie (Anderson), Carson (Palmer), John Thornton, the guys who do things right, have been forced to answer for the guys who decided not to do the right thing," ninth-year linebacker Brian Simmons said Tuesday. "The perception of the team across the country is bad. It's as if it's going around like the plague."

Thornton recalled Tuesday how, in the wake of cornerback Deltha O'Neal's DUI arrest on Dec. 9, officers from the Cincinnati Police Traffic Division met with the team and explained the fine points of drunken driving enforcement.

"Even big guys," said the 295-pound Thornton, "can blow a 0.08 (Ohio's legal limit) after having just three or four beers with dinner. You don't need to feel drunk to be drunk."

That experience influenced Thornton, who said he has changed his social pattern.

"I won't drink when I'm out unless I have a driver or someone else" as the designated driver, he said. "Guys have to be in control."

Thornton and Simmons were among the handful of Bengals players who reacted Tuesday to Joseph's arrest.

"Obviously, it's not good for the team's image or the NFL as a whole," said seventh-year tailback Rudi Johnson. "I cannot speak on the situation directly because I wasn't there and I haven't spoken with (Joseph), but all we can do is continue to do what's right and encourage the younger players to do the same."

All-Pro Bengals right tackle Anderson, who completed his 11th Bengals season in 2006, said he and other veteran players warned younger teammates before the season ended not to become "No. 9 or No. 10," in reference to becoming the ninth or 10th Bengals player arrested since the start of the 2006 calendar year.

"The thing that is kind of scary is that guys should be feeling like, 'I should make sure not to become No. 9 or No 10,' " Anderson said. "Before, you were cautious as a professional athlete - I am very cautious about what I say and do in public - but now you have to be even more careful not to be the next guy caught in that mix."

"It's kind of become a joke out here, 'Who will be the next Bengal?' " he continued. "I told guys that you are going to look really bad if you are the next guy. I said they can't even put themselves in that position."

Anderson agreed with comments made by Palmer on the team-owned Bengals Web site, bengals.com, earlier Tuesday.

"If it doesn't stop, we're not going to have any fans left, and I don't blame them. It's ridiculous," Palmer said in Mobile, Ala., where he joined his parents to watch his younger brother, Jordan, participate in practices for the Senior Bowl.

"We can't get through a month without getting a guy arrested. It happens on another team and they're shocked and surprised to hear about it. With us, you hear about it and it doesn't surprise you and you just shake your head and say, 'Another one,' " he said.

Two messages left Tuesday by The Enquirer on Palmer's cell phone were not returned.

The Bengals, through public-relations director Jack Brennan, said Tuesday that they would have no additional comment on the Joseph case or how Lewis will address the situation. At a Jan. 2 press conference, Lewis said he would be more of a disciplinarian next season.

At the NFL office in New York, where Commissioner Roger Goodell has taken special interest in the string of Bengals arrests, league spokesman Greg Aiello had little to say when contacted via e-mail Tuesday.

"The matter will be reviewed under our policies," Aiello said.

Goodell called Bengals president Mike Brown in December and offered to help with the arrest problem.

The series of arrests affects veteran players in many ways, Simmons said. First, if Lewis has to create tighter rules that allow less free time, all players will be limited.

And a Bengals player who might get in trouble, even for the first time, doesn't have the luxury of a first offense, as Joseph has found out.

"You will bear the brunt of the last nine or 10 guys," Simmons said. "It will all fall on you."[/quote]



[url="http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070124/SPT02/701240365/1066/SPT"]Enquirer.com[/url]

[Guest Samurai J]

[i]Toward the end of the 2006 Bengals season, whenever an NFL player - including a member of the Bengals roster - was arrested, Marvin Lewis would show the arrest mug shot on a video screen in a team meeting.

"You don't want to be up here," the Bengals coach would tell his players.[/i]




How in the hell can Marvin Lewis be blamed for a lot of this? Yes, he's taken the problems and put himself into situations to get taken adavantage of. But when you do things like what is stated above, what more can he do? At what point is responsiblity laid on the shoulders of the offenders and not Marvin?

Chris Henry gets arressted...it's Marvin's fault by some fucked up logic. Did Marvin buy Chris a gun? Was Marvin partying with Henry and underage girls?

I mean, if a goddamn mugshot is not a clear message, then I don't know what the hell is. Shit, Marvin can now make a Brady show-esqe montage of the 9 players arrested. Is that a strong enough message?

The suspensions should be a clear message, the benchings should be a clear message.

Marvin Lewis IS doing his job, the players are not.

Even with the "character issue" players who were predisposed...

It comes down to the players (not) paying attention to the message, tuning it out. Why is JJ driving around in a car with weed and his g/f with no lisence is driving after seeing 8 other mug shots of his teammates from the past year?

Why does he not care? He seems smart and hard working, so why does he blow off Marvin and the message? And don't say it's a "soft" enviroment, Odell was suspended a whole year and may be kicked off the team, Henry was suspended and benched, Deltha was benched, Reggie was benched, AJ was non-existant....plenty of examples of punishment, from Marvin and from the NFL.

The more players that get arrested, the less it become Marvin's fault honestly. If these kids can't open their fucking eyes to see what they have and how they should handle themselves, then it's their fucking fault, not Marvin's.

And maybe more blame does lies with Marvin, get guys with more common sense. Maybe he has become "soft", but like the quote from article, he's showing mugshots at meetings, how much clearer can you get with sounding like friggin Hitler?

Who the fuck knows, the water has now just started to boil. Thought it was hot after the end of the season? Now, not only did Cincy go out on a 3 game losing streak (which really brings up a lot of questions about the team) but they have ANOTHER player arrested 20 days after the last game.

It sucks knowing that even after this ramble, that some other dumbass is going to get arrested soon...they happen in bunches.

*steps off soapbox/high horse*

[crazycat]

[quote name='Samurai J' post='432104' date='Jan 24 2007, 08:53 AM'][i]Toward the end of the 2006 Bengals season, whenever an NFL player - including a member of the Bengals roster - was arrested, Marvin Lewis would show the arrest mug shot on a video screen in a team meeting.

"You don't want to be up here," the Bengals coach would tell his players.[/i]
How in the hell can Marvin Lewis be blamed for a lot of this? Yes, he's taken the problems and put himself into situations to get taken adavantage of. But when you do things like what is stated above, what more can he do? At what point is responsiblity laid on the shoulders of the offenders and not Marvin?

Chris Henry gets arressted...it's Marvin's fault by some fucked up logic. Did Marvin buy Chris a gun? Was Marvin partying with Henry and underage girls?

I mean, if a goddamn mugshot is not a clear message, then I don't know what the hell is. Shit, Marvin can now make a Brady show-esqe montage of the 9 players arrested. Is that a strong enough message?

The suspensions should be a clear message, the benchings should be a clear message.

Marvin Lewis IS doing his job, the players are not.

Even with the "character issue" players who were predisposed...

It comes down to the players (not) paying attention to the message, tuning it out. Why is JJ driving around in a car with weed and his g/f with no lisence is driving after seeing 8 other mug shots of his teammates from the past year?

Why does he not care? He seems smart and hard working, so why does he blow off Marvin and the message? And don't say it's a "soft" enviroment, Odell was suspended a whole year and may be kicked off the team, Henry was suspended and benched, Deltha was benched, Reggie was benched, AJ was non-existant....plenty of examples of punishment, from Marvin and from the NFL.

The more players that get arrested, the less it become Marvin's fault honestly. If these kids can't open their fucking eyes to see what they have and how they should handle themselves, then it's their fucking fault, not Marvin's.

And maybe more blame does lies with Marvin, get guys with more common sense. Maybe he has become "soft", but like the quote from article, he's showing mugshots at meetings, how much clearer can you get with sounding like friggin Hitler?

Who the fuck knows, the water has now just started to boil. Thought it was hot after the end of the season? Now, not only did Cincy go out on a 3 game losing streak (which really brings up a lot of questions about the team) but they have ANOTHER player arrested 20 days after the last game.

It sucks knowing that even after this ramble, that some other dumbass is going to get arrested soon...they happen in bunches.

*steps off soapbox/high horse*[/quote]

[img]http://forum.go-bengals.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/41.gif[/img]

[Guest Whodey420]

The thing about this article I find interesting is how Thornton said it affects everyone on the
team, makes them all feel guilty by association. Dragging everyone down in the lockerroom
etc etc etc.

I could have swore earlier that either Marvin or a couple of the players said that these arrests
had no effect whatsoever, IE: play on the field etc.

Now some are saying it did.

I get what you're saying Samurai that Marvin has done all that he can do except for 1 thing.
Draft these morons in the 1st place.

[TheBZ]

[quote name='Whodey420' post='432124' date='Jan 24 2007, 10:09 AM']The thing about this article I find interesting is how Thornton said it affects everyone on the
team, makes them all feel guilty by association. Dragging everyone down in the lockerroom
etc etc etc.

I could have swore earlier that either Marvin or a couple of the players said that these arrests
had no effect whatsoever, IE: play on the field etc.

Now some are saying it did.

I get what you're saying Samurai that Marvin has done all that he can do except for 1 thing.
Draft these morons in the 1st place.[/quote]

I think it has always been pretty obvious that it has to have some 'drag' effect on the team...But it hardly behooves a coach to submit his team for psychoanalysis in the middle of the season.

JT and Carson not bound by that; especially in the middle of January...But declaring your team as fragile during the season is basically giving them excuses to fail. What kind of coach would do that?

It is no different than the mid-season takes on injuries...All of that is minimized for the sake of gearing up and handling the next challenge with a positive outcome in mind. You can't declare to your opposition that you are hurting.

It's much easier to be candid in the off-season, because you haven't chosen your 'poison' yet.

BZ

[Jamie_B]

If the vets are upset, maybee its time to start giving the 'code reds'

[img]http://www.destinationhollywood.com/celebrities/jacknicholson/images/jacknicholson_fewgoodmen_04.jpg[/img]

[TheBZ]

[quote name='Jamie_B' post='432271' date='Jan 24 2007, 12:29 PM']If the vets are upset, maybee its time to start giving the 'code reds'[/quote]

I think some of the latest comments by Palmer and Anderson are meant to signal that a version of that will happen this year.

They will call their own out, and the room won't be so friendly for guys that fuck things up.

BZ

[Jamie_B]

[quote name='TheBZ' post='432281' date='Jan 24 2007, 12:41 PM']I think some of the latest comments by Palmer and Anderson are meant to signal that a version of that will happen this year.

They will call their own out, and the room won't be so friendly for guys that fuck things up.

BZ[/quote]


Good.

[Jeb]

[quote name='TheBZ' post='432281' date='Jan 24 2007, 12:41 PM']I think some of the latest comments by Palmer and Anderson are meant to signal that a version of that will happen this year.

They will call their own out, and the room won't be so friendly for guys that fuck things up.

BZ[/quote]