Morning after musings

A little more than 12 hours after the Bengals snapped their four-game losing streak with a 38-31 victory over a bad Jets team, here are some observations:

-- When all else fails, blame the media. Now we're the bad guys, the haters. Marvin Lewis says the media is making up stories. We told him to run the ball, and he agreed. OK. It's the Bengals against the world, is how Chad Johnson described Lewis' message to his team. Thing is, outside of the fan base, football fans in general, and those with a financial interest in the organization, the world doesn't really care whether the Bengals win or lose. They're very entertaining. (Now I'm talking to myself, so no one can say I'm insulting them: It's entertainment, stupid.)

-- I just thought back to a sports literature class I had at Miami University with former English Department chair Bob Johnson. We discussed the evolution of activity -- play, game and sport. Play is for the simple enjoyment of participation. Game is organized. Sport is business.

-- It's Steelers Week. Lewis is always the most uptight the week before playing Pittsburgh. Should be even more anti-media talk this week. The Bengals are in their trench.

-- Good things happen to good people department: Kenny Watson.

-- The Jets really aren't that good. They're bad. Eric Mangini, now 1-6, a year after making the playoffs as a rookie coach with a 10-6 record, is under fire. He could lose his job. Lewis, in his fifth year, 2-4, two seasons removed from a playoff berth, is safe. Mike Brown will not fire him. Brown believes he has the coach and quarterback in Carson Palmer, the two most important positions in the program, to be competitive for a long time. He's right.

-- ESPN is reporting that the Bengals are looking to trade Chad Johnson because his alleged selfishness and me-first attitude is hurting the team. I haven't heard anything like that. The Bengals got Johnson to sign an under-market contract extension a couple of years ago. I would doubt he's going anywhere. I will see what I can find out.

-- When it comes to Chad Johnson, whom has always been polite and cooperative with me, I'm just not sure what's real and what's part of the act. You almost need a full-time reporter to cover Johnson alone, which I guess is what his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, wants.

-- I am reminded, in closing, of something my former Enquirer colleague Tim Sullivan said often and wrote: You can't feel sorry for people making as much money as those people involved in professional sports these days. It's referred to around the beat as the "Sully Rule." You wish some of these guys well because you appreciate what they offer as people. Others are over-sized children, pampered since they first showed the ability to run faster or hit or throw a ball with great skill.