Don't necessarily blame Marvin Lewis if there is criticism for the selection of Ahmad Brooks in the third round of the supplemental draft. Character issues over the past couple of drafts have put the Bengals in the spotlight. Wide receiver Chris Henry has had four arrests in the past year. Rookies Frostee Rucker and A.J. Nicholson face off-the-field charges. Middle linebacker Odell Thurman was suspended for four games because of violations of the substance abuse policy. Bengals owner Mike Brown is more than likely the person who endorsed this decision. Brown looks at it simply. Thurman is out for four games. Brooks, despite his problems with marijuana at Virginia, was the best player available. Brown, who wants to win, was willing to risk a third-round choice to take that chance. It's a team philosophy that predates Lewis, who has done an incredible job of updating the Bengals into the 2000s.
Losing Thurman is a bad sign for the Bengals. Their opening schedule of Kansas City, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and New England is about the toughest in the NFL. The Bengals have a bye in Week 5. Thurman was excellent as a run-stopper, and the team signed defensive tackle Sam Adams to give support to Thurman. Losing him for this month against good running teams will make it hard for the Bengals to come out with a winning record in September. Landon Johnson is a good player and will more than adequately fill the void for Thurman in September. If the Bengals can come out 2-2 in their first four games, they have a chance to be pretty good. But it could be hard if they come out 1-3.
Were it not for his off-the-field problems at Virginia and how out of shape he got after knee surgery, Brooks was destined to be a first-round pick. Acquiring him gives the Bengals the option of working him into some 3-4 packages, something that would be difficult to do if they didn't take him and had no replacement for Thurman.
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John Clayton
