Ross D. Franklin, Associated Press Steelers owner Dan Rooney, right, and Saints owner Tom Benson exit the NFL owners meeting room yesterday at the annual NFL meetings at the Arizona Biltmore resort in Phoenix. Click photo for larger image.

PHOENIX -- The bad boys who likely inspired the NFL to take a tougher stance on personal conduct now embrace the steps the new commissioner likely will take to try to curtail criminal behavior in the league.

The Cincinnati Bengals, like it or not, are the poster children for the kind of penalties commissioner Roger Goodell has proposed for lawbreakers among the NFL community. Nine Bengals were arrested since January 2006, and wide receiver Chris Henry was charged four separate times since December 2005. That does not include the ticket Henry received last week for driving with a suspended license, failure to use turn signals and a seat-belt violation.

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said yesterday he is embarrassed by it all.

"There's too many other guys,'' said Lewis, a former Pitt and Steelers assistant and a McDonald native. "We're spending too much time trying to change habits instead of coaching the good guys."

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin saw the residue of criminal behavior from the Vikings' infamous Love Boat days that occurred before his one season as defensive coordinator in Minnesota.

"It's pure speculation because that was the culture that was in existence when we got there,'' Tomlin said. "But the bottom line is just lack of accountability between the guys."

He hopes to avoid that kind of thing occurring in Pittsburgh by making sure that type of culture does not develop, he said.

"It's about the people you bring in, it's about your actions matching your words, when you set guidelines in terms of the atmosphere that you're building -- it's all those things."

Goodell spoke to the owners and players about his impending policy that he hopes to put into effect before the draft. Tomlin said if he would happen to have a player suspended for any criminal activity, so be it.

"Short-term misery," he called it. "That guy was going to disappoint you in some way anyway. Not only players, but everybody in this league has to understand what comes with this privilege, and conduct is part of it."

Owners ignore defenses again

Not long after Tomlin acknowledged that few rules are passed in the NFL to help defenses, the owners went out and proved it.

By a 22-10 count, the owners voted down a competition committee proposal to allow one defensive player to wear a radio helmet to receive transmissions from the sideline. The NFL allows the quarterback to wear one, and Seattle coach Mike Holmgren lobbied hard against a defensive player getting one.

Holmgren told the owners that the transmission was permitted for a quarterback to help speed up the game. He claimed it would do just the opposite if a defensive player were permitted to us it, causing more confusion than anything.

"You can't deny that it's an advantage from a communication standpoint that the offense has in terms of coach-to-quarterback communication,"Tomlin said.

Been there, won't do that

NFL rules allow teams with assistant coaches under contract to deny those coaches chances to be hired as coordinators elsewhere. It happened to Russ Grimm with the Steelers when the Washington Redskins wanted to hire him as offensive coordinator. And it happened to Tomlin twice when he was secondary coach in Tampa Bay, initially in 2002 when Tony Dungy wanted to bring him with him to Indianapolis.

It won't happen to any of his coaches while he's with the Steelers, Tomlin promised.

"I'm not going to be a hypocrite. I've been denied. I understand that moving forward and making things better for people's family is what this profession is about. If that opportunity presents itself, I'm going to be inclined to wish them well because I've been in that position, I've been around people who have been in that position. What other industry is there when you perform and perform at a high level that when you get an opportunity for advancement that you don't advance?."

Tomlin said at least three coaches were denied chances for promotions by Tampa Bay.

"I was denied in Tampa on more than one occasion. So was Rod Marinelli and Joe Barry. And we didn't appreciate it. People say they care about you professionally and personally; those actions don't match those words."

Tomlin would not say whether Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden or management stood in the way.

Colts in opener

The Indianapolis Colts will open the NFL season on Thursday night, Sept. 6, with a home game against the New Orleans Saints.

Borrowing to build

The owners voted to allow the New York Giants and Jets to borrow $650 million each for construction of the new stadium they will share in the Jersey Meadowlands. That project is expected to cost $1.6 billion, with the venue opening in 2010. The NFL normally caps debt at $150 million per team, but waived that limit for the Giants and Jets by a 31-1 margin. The teams are partners in the project, with no state money involved.