Marvin Lewis living with roster he made

[lamberts-lost-tooth]

Bengals' coach Lewis living with roster he made
By Mark Gokavi
Sunday, October 21, 2007

Marvin Lewis tried to shed the question like a would-be blocker. He failed. The Cincinnati Bengals coach was asked this week about not having a dominant third receiver.

When the questioner specifically mentioned Chris Henry, Lewis said, "Who? ... He's not on our team."

True, Henry is not on the active roster ... he was suspended by the NFL for the first eight games.

Who? Coach, you remember Henry. You know, the guy you drafted despite red flags in college. The guy who was arrested three times for things like guns and drugs — once wearing his own jersey (easy to identify that violator). Don't disown him now. He's your guy.

One theory is Lewis wanted to upgrade the talent so much he took guys with questionable character. Now, he's got this roster, that's who.

Lewis can't — and doesn't want to — live off that Ravens' Super Bowl defense. Including playoffs, he's 36-34 in Cincinnati. This is Year 5. His guys. His legacy.

His defense hasn't gotten much better, but Lewis is more defensive. Earlier this season, he told his players not to explain certain things because reporters wouldn't understand them anyway. Classy.

National commentators — ex-jocks who understand football's astrophysics more than mere reporters — are saying things like the Bengals are out of control and the coaches are losing them.

Lewis is a good coach. This team could bounce back. But win or lose, that snippy attitude doesn't play with fans. Who Dey? The ones who buy tickets, that's who.