I was riding in my friends car one day a few years back to the Jack Nicholas Golf Course (or whatever the hell it's called these days) when in the parking lot walked Marvin Lewis. He was talking on his cell phone and my friend and I joked that perhaps he's talking to Warren Sapp (available free agent rumored to have Cincinnati on the radar). We thought about asking him for an autograph or just to say hello. Well, more like, "Yo coach, WHO DEY!". Instead we left him alone and walked up to the first tee on the virtual par three course. My day went downhill quickly after that.
Bengals.com's Geoff Hobson interviewed head coach Marvin Lewis in their annual post-Super Bowl sit-down. A generic off-season plan is usually the topic.
As for individual players, Lewis indicated cornerback Tory James won’t be back, he wouldn’t eliminate middle linebacker Odell Thurman, and he said defensive end Justin Smith could be tagged as a franchise free agent before the Feb. 22 deadline.
I think the topic of Odell Thurman is a tricky one. And in the end, his future totally depends on him. Did he have time to sit down and reflect. Has he re-motivate himself to do what's best for the team. There's no denying that Thurman makes this defense better. And the year-long vacation hurt his growth. But I still believe if he plays in 2007, we'll be better for it. Again, that all depends on Thurman.
More.
Asked if the Bengals would take Thurman back if he’s reinstated, Lewis said, "We’re wasting air time talking about Odell."
Kinda makes me think that even Lewis isn't sure about Thurman. Did he grow? Did he reform? Or will he fail the Bengals organization again? I get the feeling these are questions in Lewis' mind too.
On the base defense...
On being defensive coach...
"Offense is easier that way because you’re trying to direct," he said. "And not many do it on offense. Very few do it on offense. Some go in with that mindset, but then they change very quickly."
Lewis on free agency...
On drafting character...
"Don’t spend our chip on a guy that has problems and issues in his background any more," Lewis said, "because we can’t take any more of that. I spend too much time talking about it. We’ve spent too much time today talking about it."
We'll see.