If you want to get on Marvin Lewis' bad side, marginalize the potential of Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Mohamed Sanu.
That's what a local columnist did on Sunday in a story that criticized the Bengals' quiet start in free agency and asked why the team hadn't pursued Anquan Boldin or gone after another veteran wideout to complement A.J. Green.
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Lewis' response was an eye-opener: He indicated that Sanu is ahead of where former Bengals wideout Chad Johnson was entering his second season in 2002.
"I'll go on record saying that," Lewis said at the NFL Annual Meeting in Phoenix, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. "That's the uneducated putting dumb thoughts in people's minds. It's why you have an opportunity to go after these guys and go get these guys. So you continue to make your team better. (It's) not a positive in making your team better when you keep adding old guys.
"What did Randy Moss do for (the San Francisco 49ers) last year? He did nothing. He got in the way of a younger player performing."
A third-round pick in last year's draft, Sanu showed some promise before a stress fracture ended his rookie season after nine games. Johnson began his ascent to star status in his second season, finishing with 69 catches for 1,166 yards receiving and five touchdowns.
The Bengals will be pinching themselves if they get that out of Sanu in 2013. Meanwhile, feel free to cross off Who Dey as a potential Moss landing spot.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.
