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Before quarterback Carson Palmer went public with his call for changes on the Bengals coaching staff, he aired his feelings privately with head coach Marvin Lewis. Emotions ran high before and after the Bengals' 38-25 victory over Miami that wrapped up the club's first losing season (7-9) since 2002. "Our quarterback communicated to (the media) we weren't satisfied," Lewis said. "As he and I talked the Friday before the Miami game, we're not satisfied. He and I together will do everything we can to fix it, along with everybody else in this building." Supporting cast: Lewis knows the Bengals must surround Palmer with more talent. "As I told (Palmer), 'Put yourself back in position where you can just go play football the way you can play. You win a lot of football games. Just don't lose the game,' " Lewis said. "We got away from that a little bit, where he felt like he had so much on his shoulders that he felt like if he didn't do this or do that, we'd lose the game. You paint yourself into a little bit of a corner, and that's hard to (overcome)."
Talking draft: The No. 1 area of need is the defensive line, and it should be addressed with a run-stuffing tackle and pass-rushing end with the top two picks. Defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis (Southern Cal) or defensive end Vernon Gholston (Ohio State) should fall into the Bengals' lap at No. 9, and either one would be a significant upgrade to the league's 27th-ranked unit. One guy who would cause the team to look at the offensive side of the ball in Round 1 is Darren McFadden because a tailback of his quality is so rare. McFadden should be long gone by the ninth pick. Job openings: In addition to a linebackers coach, the Bengals may be searching for a quarterbacks coach, too. Ken Zampese has interviewed for the Rams' offensive coordinator job. So has Hue Jackson, the Bengals former receivers coach (2004-06) who was Atlanta's offensive coordinator in 2007. Some respect: The Bengals have offered contracts to linebackers Landon Johnson and Dhani Jones, a sign the team wants both players back in 2008. Both are due to become unrestricted free agents on Feb. 29. Dayton Daily News http://www.daytondailynews.com/s/content/oh/story/sports/pro/bengals/2008/01/20/ddn012108bengals.html |
