The Cincinnati Bengals football team have been notorious in recent years for their players’ off the field problems. In fact, character issues have plagued the team for the entire Marv Lewis coaching tenure. Every time you hear of an NFL player getting arrested, you almost assume it was a Bengal. The 13 arrests of Bengal players from June 2006 to June 2007 were actually ranked by Larry Brown. The Bengals have become the laughing stock of the entire league. Many have questioned whether or not coach Lewis has the ability to keep the Bengals team under control.

With all their recent problems, during the 2009 draft the Bengals inexplicably drafted more players with questionable characters. In spots where there were talented players with good characters, the Bengals selected players with off the field issues that had lowered their status in the draft.

In terms of sheer talent Andre Smith, the overall 6th pick in the draft, was a great pick. It had been predicted by many experts that he would be in the top five for several months. However, due to a poor performance at the draft combine, where he appeared out of shape and left inexplicably during the middle of workouts, his stock fell. It was believed that Smith could still excell, but would have a better chance of succeeding if he ended up on a team that had plenty of discipline and structure. The Bengals team are practically the opposite of this.

The Bengals picked up Rey Maualuga in the second round which represents a great steal. Maualuga is a player with first round talent, and the Bengals were able to pick him up much later in the second round. However, he is another player with a troubled past, which includes a battery charge from 2005 stemming from a Halloween party.

The Bengals next pick, Georgia Tech defensive end Michael Johnson, was yet another big steal. However the knock on Johnson is that he never played to his fullest potential. He is known to slack off at times. Here is another player who it seems would do better in a strict and structured environment, but it is the Bengals who picked him.

If it was any team besides the Bengals making these selections, it would appear to be savvy moves made by a team maximizing their draft picks and getting the most talent out of their selections. However, with a team like the Bengals with all of their off the field problems, bringing in more players with question marks doesn’t seem like very smart decisions.

The Bengals newest draft picks might just end up catapulting the Bengals into a new era of success. However, in order for that to happen the whole team’s demeanor and attitude will need to change, and management and the coaching staff will need to make sure that players’ off the field issues don’t get carried into the locker room. It seems unlikely that this will happen, but the Bengals will be an interesting team to watch over the next few years to see if the team turns around or continues on its troubled path.