Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando from Cincinnati
A dysfunctional Bengals locker room could be near its breaking point. Standing outside the locker room following the Patriots' dominating victory at Paul Brown Stadium, reporters could hear coach Marvin Lewis ripping into his team. Lewis used the word "selfishness" in his public comments when asked what the Bengals would see if they looked into a mirror.
Earlier, quarterback Carson Palmer clashed with receiver Chad Johnson on the sideline following an apparent miscommunication that led to an interception right before halftime. Palmer's reaction, coupled with the blatantly errant nature of what should have been a relatively simple pass play, suggested there might have been a miscommunication on the route. After the game, Palmer stood up and took responsibility for the miscue, saying he forced the ball into the wrong spot. This seemed like an incomplete, if not dubious explanation, and suspicions grew as Palmer refused to elaborate.
Palmer's comments were consistent with a quarterback who regretted losing his cool and decided to take the fall for the good of the team. Johnson was not available for comment after the game. He suffered a sprained ankle, but could not be found in the training room after the locker room cleared out.
Fellow receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh picked up the slack, and then some. Houshmandzadeh expressed consternation over Lewis' comments relating to selfishness. Houshmandzadeh said he wished Lewis would just come out and name names, instead of letting his comments hang. Houshmanzadeh acknowledged that he could be one of the allegedly selfish players.
Lewis had pointed to the Patriots as an example of a team that had reaped the benefits of unity, whereas the Bengals' selfishness was dragging them down. Houshmandzadeh shrugged off the suggestion, saying it's easy for the Patriots to show unity because they're winning. He thought winning bred teamwork, not the other way around.
The Bengals are heading into the bye week at the breaking point. They are 1-3 and they have a team meeting scheduled for Tuesday. That one should be interesting.
Palmer: "I made a mistake. I threw the ball into where I shouldn't have thrown to. I got on Chad, but I made a mistake. We're both passionate players, and in the heat of things, sometimes you lose your cool, and I lost my cool. ... I should've taken a check-down there, but I got on Chad and I shouldn't have."
Lewis on whether he thought he had taken care of issues pertaining to selfishness: "Not necessarily, because this is a game of greed. But you have to play it within the scope of what you are asked to do. It's not all about you every play, and we have to understand that."
