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CINCINNATI — None of them would name names, but afterward three pillars of the team — coach Marvin Lewis, veteran lineman Willie Anderson and quarterback Carson Palmer — all said there are too many selfish players on the Cincinnati Bengals.

Too many guys intoxicated with personal glory. Too many guys paid like pros but who neither act — nor often perform — like pros. Too many guys sabotaging the efforts of the rest.

And so the Bengals blew another game Sunday, losing 23-17 in overtime to the struggling Steelers. That — with Denver and Jacksonville both losing — cost them a playoff berth.

The Steelers didn't beat the Bengals as much as they beat themselves.

• Shayne Graham, the second most accurate kicker in NFL history, missed a 39-yard field goal to win the game with eight seconds left in regulation.

• The Bengals were penalized several times for false starts.

• They burned a timeout because they had 12 men on the field. When Pittsburgh scored its first touchdown, they had only 10 on defense.

This was to be the year the Bengals established themselves as an elite team. But in the end, as talented as Cincinnati was, it didn't deserve the playoffs. Classic underachievers — teams that lose their last three games — shouldn't be rewarded.

And so it's a new year, but the same old Bengals. They finish 8-8 and have missed the playoffs 15 of the past 16 seasons.

"I know what the problem is, and all the coaches know," Anderson said. "Marvin hinted at it in the beginning of the week: Selfishness.

"Myself, Carson, a lot of us want to see that get taken care of. I said after the Atlanta (loss), 'Let's shake things up.' "

You have to believe the 11-year offensive tackle was talking about many of his eight teammates who were arrested this season, including receiver Chris Henry, arrested four times during the year. And there's linebacker Odell Thurman, whose ongoing transgressions got him suspended the entire season.

Though no one said it, you wonder if there isn't some displeasure with Chad Johnson, the focus-the-spotlight-on-me Pro Bowl receiver. And how about veteran defensive lineman Sam Adams who — at 350 pounds — wasn't in shape much of the season, struggled with injury and often didn't practice?

As for Henry — who had four catches for 124 yards and a score Sunday — how many times did he fail to make the big catch and often showed an appalling lack of effort?

Then there was the Steelers' winning 67-yard TD pass — Ben Roethlisberger to Santonio Holmes. Cornerback Tory James and safety Madieu Williams both missed tackling Holmes and middle linebacker Brian Simmons couldn't catch him.

If the speedier and younger Thurman were still playing his middle linebacker post, would he have caught him?

Who knows? And truthfully, who cares? He needs to be shown the door. Same with rookies like Frostee Rucker and A.J. Nicholson, all with more baggage than they're worth.

That puts some of the blame squarely on Lewis and his staff. They drafted these guys with the pre-existing problems. During the season, Lewis down-played how players' legal problems effect his team on the field.

Turns out character does matter. That's what everybody talked about after Sunday's game.

Too bad they didn't make that a priority before the season.