You know, there's a divide when it comes to what Marvin Lewis' role should be. The character issues, this off-season, have created a level of concern that the head coach doesn't have control of the locker-room or his players. Some even suggest Lewis should have detailed reviews about players that have nothing to do with football -- just conduct and character.
Personally, I think it's a bunch of crap. A head coach in college and high school are typically guys that try to give educational lessons on how to be a quality person. When most educational institutions hire a head coach, they put a very strong emphasis (at least publicly) on education developing quality people. Of course, that's not always true with every college, but I'd say the percentage is high.
But a professional football coach is hired for one thing; win football games. When he drafted Chris Henry and Odell Thurman, he did so to win games and develop a championship caliber team. No one can dispute that Lewis has done just that. Has there been a question about certain characters on this team? Absolutely. But that's not limited to the Bengals.
Is it embarrassing to see some of our boys get arrested? Sure. Was it more embarrassing to be called the Bungles and have every losing stat associated with us? Absolutely. If you feel the need to blame someone for "character" concerns, blame those that break the law. But Marvin Lewis is here to win games and championships; not humanitarian of the year awards.
Am I way off base? What are your thoughts?