While cursing the Bengals for another outstandingly horrible performance against the Steelers a few weeks ago, my mom (who shares my blind and completely misguided love for this team) asked me if I thought Marvin Lewis would be back as the coach next year. My answer? Marvin will be back if hell freezes over. Why? Let’s take a look at Marvin’s resume over the last 8 years:
Overall record: 60-69-1
Winning seasons: 2
Division titles: 2
Playoff appearances: 2
Playoff wins: ZERO
Now, let’s also take into account that last season when the Bengals won the division, they finished the season ranked 4th in the league in total defense and 24th in total offense. In the offseason they added a Hall of Fame wide receiver to a rushing attack that was 9th in the league last year and returned 9 starters on the defensive side of the ball. So with all of that going for them, the Bengals could only muster four wins and “raise” their offensive ranking to 21st in the NFL this year. The defense that won them 3 division games in a row by 3 points the year before dropped to 15th in total yards and 24th in scoring defense, and the rushing attack that they relied on to get them to the postseason in 2009 plummeted to 27th. Add a ten game losing streak this season to all of this that seemingly works against him, and it’s not hard to see why Mike Brown would opt to not bring Marvin back.
But the strangest thing happened. Lewis and Brown agreed on something, and it was announced on Tuesday that Marvin would be back in the Queen City with an unspecified contract extension. While watching the press conference it’s hard to tell exactly what they agreed on though. The team isn’t getting the indoor practice facility that Marvin wants and the team desperately needs as the only northern team in the league without one. The front office has no plans to expand their scouting department, which is the smallest in the league. And no major front office changes are expected. So not only is there a question of why the owner would bring a losing coach back, but there’s also the question of what made Marvin actually WANT to come back to this team?
First of all, let me say that I’m a Marvin Lewis fan. I do think he made some questionable personnel decisions when they won the division in ’05 that came back to bite him (see Chris Henry, Odell Thurman). I also think he should have upgraded the offensive coordinator position a few years ago instead of sticking with Bob Bratkowski. But he consistently sends players to the Pro Bowl, he was Coach of the Year last year and while he does have an overall losing record, only three of the eight seasons he’s been in Cincinnati has he finished with a losing record. And as for Marvin, there is a lot of talent on the roster, even with the expected departures of Terrell Owens and Cedric Benson. He’s also never completely lost a locker room, even with all of the losing over the years.
But besides these things, let’s not forget two very important points. Number one, the uncertainty of next season and a new Collective Bargaining Agreement has quite a few owners staying put with coaches they aren’t necessarily enamored with. This is one reason why we aren’t going to see the turnover among NFL coaching ranks that we normally see around this time every year. And secondly, the Brown family that has owned the Bengals is historically slow to make big changes. With this extension, Marvin becomes the longest tenured coach in Bengals history, even though he has the most losses. The second longest tenured coach in franchise history? Sam Wyche, who also has the second most losses in team history.
Welcome back Marvin. You’re already a part of the Cincy family. Here’s hoping you all can become one big happy one.
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