By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

MOBILE, Ala. - The successful Super Bowl run of the NFC champion Carolina Panthers has provided Bengals coach Marvin Lewis with another piece of motivational material.

Hundreds of NFL and pro scouts look on as the South squad linemen run through drills during practice in Mobile Tuesday. (AP photo)

Carolina finished 7-9 in 2002 under rookie coach John Fox. The year before, it was 1-15.

The parallels are there with the Bengals, who were 2-14 in 2002 under Dick LeBeau before finishing 8-8 in Lewis' first season.

"Why not us?" Lewis said. "Everything we've talked about last year has legitimacy. In Baltimore, we went 8-8, went to the Super Bowl (the next year, in 2000).

"There's no reason not to. For our players, to prepare with any less expectation than that, then they're selling themselves short. And I hope we don't have anybody like that. I hope all of our guys are preparing to win a championship."

MAKE A DATE: No trades can be made until free agency opens, a date tentatively set for March 3. Contracts up after the 2003 season expire March 2.

WELCOME, BRUCE: Lewis said the addition of former coach Bruce Coslet adds another NFL veteran to the scouting department.

"It gives us somebody who has been a very successful coordinator, a position coach, head coach, an opportunity to get another point of view, which is good," Lewis said. "It's all the things people were being critical of all the time. It's somebody who just wants to be an asset."

MAC GUY: Bowling Green quarterback Josh Harris, one of three quarterbacks on Lewis' North team, is the son of former Bengals tight end M.L. Harris.

M.L. Harris played for the Bengals from 1980-85.

Harris, one of three Mid-American Conference players in the game, rushed for 2,473 yards in four years and 830 yards as a senior for the Falcons. At 6 feet 3, 238 pounds, he is regarded as more of a running back prospect than an NFL quarterback.

The other MAC players are Miami RedHawk offensive lineman Jacob Bell and Northern Illinois running back Michael Turner.

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E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

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