We joked about it earlier this summer that the comparisons to the 2008 Bengals and the cinematic masterpieces of Major League and Major League II was pretty dead on. For example, Big Willie is clearly Eddie Harris - grizzled vet and man of God who is respected in the locker room. We joked that Marvin was clearly Coach Lou Brown and Mike Brown was penny-pinching owner Rachel Phelps, albeit with a less desirable figure. Read whole post to get more comparisons.
However, this is not a joke anymore. The only way that Marvin Lewis regains control of his locker room is to totally distance himself from Mike Brown. We talked yesterday about how Marvin seems to be doing just this in his public comments about re-signing Henry and the rumors about shopping Rudi, showing that these decisions are all Mikey's. We also challenged Marvin to publicly distance himself from Mikey.
Then I read this week's Sports Illustrated article about Marvin putting his foot down with Mike Brown, getting him to cut Henry and Odell and restraining Chad Johnson. This article came out before Chris Henry was re-signed. So much for re-establishing control of the locker room. The only way that Marvin can reestablish control of his players is by letting his players know that they play for him, and not for Mike Brown.
If the players are playing for the owner, they are only concerned with pleasing Mikey - who is only enthused by mediocrity and loyalty. If the Bengals are going to have any chance of winning some football games this season, they need to play for their coach.
Again, it seems that he is moving in this direction. In yesterday's talks with reporters, he is suddenly very high on Jerome Simpson and even praising Glenn Holt. Here is what he said:
Jerome Simpson has been performing very well, we’ve had three practices since the game and he continues to impress us. I’ve been very pleased with him and continues to grow everyday. All the athleticism is there, it’s just learning what to do in certain situations is key. you keep seeing the process and the bright light of him playing faster. Glenn Holt is turned it on as well and that has been good. I think those two guys have risen up and done some good things when I was disappointed with in the earlier weeks. ... Every time we turn on the lights he players better. He has responded very well in the games and it hasn’t got too big for him.
Hopefully this is Marvin's first step in showing Chris Henry, and the rest of the team, that he makes the decision on who plays and who doesn't and that he is in charge.
Check out Lance for his take on the SI story.
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