Bengals owner Mike Brown and his family ranked among the NFL's most profitable teams last season despite a lack of marketing and a refusal to rename Paul Brown Stadium and collect millions in Cincinnati naming rights. Both of those issues irritate many NFL owners whose marketing departments often rival their personnel departments when it comes to the number of employees.

Linebacker A.J. Nicholson is already causing headaches for the Bengals with his legal troubles.

But what should anger Bengals' fans is that Brown continues to employ the smallest personnel department in the NFL. The Bengals continue to prepare for the draft the old-fashioned way. The coaching staff ends up doing much of the college scouting. Granted, coaches like to be involved in checking out prospective players, but few have the time to do the necessary background checks. These checks are necessary in order to form an opinion of a player's character.

Last season, the Bengals' third-round pick, receiver Chris Henry of West Virginia, was ordered to spend 28 days in a drug treatment center after being stopped for speeding. And just this week, fifth-round pick A.J. Nicholson, a Florida State linebacker, has a warrant out for his arrest for burglarizing a former college teammate's apartment. In his final college season, Nicholson was sent home from a bowl game while under suspicion of sexual assault. He also had a DUI charge against him.

The problem in Cincinnati is that head coach Marvin Lewis may not have all the facts on a specific player prior to the draft. If the Bengals had an ample supply of college scouts, I'm sure players like Nicholson would have a red flag next to their names.