Bengals Mail Call

Many letters have been rolling in advising the Cincy front office on how to shape up the team and become a little more fan friendly. The one below may have said it best...

"Dear Mike,

A few thoughts from a level-headed Bengal fan……

First: When the chili you’re eating gets too hot you should quit adding the Tabasco. It’s a simple concept, and one that’s easily reinforced by a burning mouth and watering eyes. On a similar note, most men only need to experience one line drive in the groin to ensure an adequate distance between themselves and their bat-wielding offspring.

So what do hot sauce and the unmistakable sound of male agony have to do with the current Bengals?

Well, more than you might think.

Marvin Lewis has always struck me as a fairly intelligent individual. Sure, he’s arrogant and pompous in press conferences. And his clock management skills might be a little suspect. But overall, the man appears to be a good coach who’s blessed with an adequate football brain.

So what baffles me,...I mean what really has me scratching my head...is Lewis’ continued selection and signing of men with questionable character. When you’ve racked up nine arrests in a year, why do you remain loyal to repeat offenders who show you such little respect? When you’ve accumulated more arrests in a calendar year than wins, why take a troubled soul in the supplemental draft? And the mother of all questions: With all that has transpired in the past year, why on God’s green Earth would you sign a guy who’s just completed 258 days in the can? Either Lewis enjoys burning his mouth and taking line drives to the groin...or the man is as stupid with his personnel decisions as he is with his challenge flags.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all for second chances and I believe that taking the occasional risk on a player with a troubled past is entirely acceptable. But when you appear to make criminal behavior a drafting prerequisite you set yourself up for disaster. When you fill a roster with troubled souls how can you not expect trouble to ensue?

So what can we do to prevent further problems? Well, if I want my house to stop burning I quit throwing gasoline on the fire.

Leading up to this year’s draft, I want the Bengal organization to pass over anyone who has any character concerns. Will this ensure we won’t select another troubled soul? No. Will it stack the odds in our favor? Quite possibly. The time of taking ‘a flyer’ on a talented convict is past; our team cannot absorb anymore felons. I don’t know how Lewis prioritizes the information he receives about prospective players, but he needs to place criminal history right at the top of his list. If the box next to criminal history gets checked, then Player X needs to be bypassed. If this doesn’t happen it won’t be long before disgruntled fans start to offer Lewis habaneras pepper and aim line drive at his…..

Second: In keeping with the recent spate of poor personnel decisions, when will the Bengal organization expand its scouting staff? Now I’m not necessarily a proponent of the ‘more is better’ philosophy, but when other teams employ a small army of scouts and we rely on a group the same size as ABBA, we have an issue. Hire a few more scouts Paul, maybe that way we can evaluate some talent outside of Georgia and Central Michigan, and perhaps uncover a few diamonds in the rough without a rap sheet.

Yours sincerely,

Level-headed in Cincinnati"