Odell Thurman Cut:

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by DGreene28

On the flip side... every time I see a player available who I think could help the team I log onto this site and can't believe all the holier then thou posters who say a guy is a douche for getting a DUI or possession of Marijuana. None of you will ever have to work with the guy or even talk to him, if the FO decides that he's worth bringing in for a look at camp then they should.

If our country feels our president does not have to live up to your extreme "character" standards then acknowledge that you are in the minority Take a chill pill ... we're talking 'bout football.

Realize that you are not the only one with an educated football opinion on this board, and because you believe a certain way about this "character" conversation does not make you right. IMO the ones on this site who would make good FO people are the ones who look at these situations on a case by case basis, not making blanket decisions on personnel based on whether a player has a criminal record.

The decision to pass him over because of "character" issues has nothing to do with our emotional opinion of his past. His record may be despicable and I may abhor guys like that, but that has no bearing on the decision.

His past shows that:

- The likelihood that he'll be cut or suspended in the future is higher than normal. If he's not available, he can't help us. A guy with elevated probability of suspension is no different than a guy with elevated probability of injury. All it takes is for him to violate the substance abuse policy one more time and the guy is gone from the league for good.

- Two years out of football will raise flags about anyone's ability to compete. Don't forget, the NFL contains world class athletes. I find it hard to believe that any player, as gifted as he may be, can just take two years off and come right back in prepared to pick up where he left off from an athletic perspective.

- Not only was he out of football for two years, but we're talking about bringing him into an entirely different defensive system. The Marvin Lewis system is far different than the Williams/Blache model we have here now. That's an awful lot of change at one time: guy comes back to football after two year hiatus, AND has to learn a new system, AND has to fit in with new teammates.

Plus as others mentioned, the Bengals wouldn't cut him if they felt he could make an impact for them.

Our opinions on character, and how we feel about his past, should have nothing to do with the decision. You objectively look at the player and his situation. In most cases, when you analyze questionable players objectively, even when you separate out your feelings, the risk is still rarely worth the reward.