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Roster had been Lewis' domain, or so he thought
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Arguably the greatest sin any team owner can commit (other than sneaking off to Baltimore and giving the figurative finger to those who supported him for 30 years) is to undermine his coach or manager.
This appears to be happening with the Cincinnati Bengals, where Marvin Lewis is learning he doesn't call all the personnel shots.
Not long after Lewis publicly announced receiver Chris Henry (five arrests) would not be wearing the striped helmet again, here comes self-appointed redeemer Mike Brown waving a contract under the guy's nose, joyously welcoming him back into the fold.
I'm all for second chances, but it's got to be a decision the entire organization can get behind, especially if your head coach supposedly has the final say on roster issues.
The whole thing made Lewis look silly and weak. He put on a happy face, but I suspect he's seething.
Lately, the message has been unmistakable: Lewis, the most accomplished football man in the organization, no longer is completely in charge of the team. And that's troubling, no matter what you think of his coaching.
If he doesn't trust Lewis' judgment, Brown should step aside and hire a real general manager. It's that simple. Even Browns owner Randy Lerner, a football novice, eventually concluded this was the way to go.
Now it's being reported that running back Rudi Johnson is trade bait, with one outlet claiming Lewis is out of the loop on this, too. If true, Lewis should save time and resign now.
His credibility is shot.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2408
or smcclelland@DaytonDailyNews.com.
