The “New Beginning” 1.0: Setting the Context

The 2011 Cincinnati Bengals’ season offers me, as a writer, a unique opportunity to chronicle Year One of Marvin Lewis’ efforts to transform a team that ESPN recently ranked dead last in its yearly Power Rankings.

If I read his intentions correctly, Lewis aims to transform much more than just the roster, though personnel changes have already proven to be crucial. He knows that to build a winning franchise he must to work to change the culture of both the team and, I believe, the entire organization.  – We still don’t know all of the concessions he won from Mike Brown before signing his contract extension back in January. We do know that they fired their offensive coordinator and their team physicians. Some have credited Carson Palmer’s “trade me or I’ll retire” demands for these changes, but I don’t believe Mike Brown would make such dramatic changes for a single player, not even his franchise quarterback.

New Beginning 1.0

As he implied at the January 4, 2011 press conference announcing his contract extension, this won’t be his first attempt to turn the Bengals around. When Lewis was hired in 2003, the Bengals had just finished a dismal 2-14 campaign in 2002, notching their eleventh consecutive losing season. In his first season, he took the team to an 8-8 record, breaking the abysmal streak. In that same year, he drafted, but did not start, Carson Palmer. When Palmer took over from Jon Kitna in 2004, the team again finished at .500, but 2005 saw them finish 11-5 and make the playoffs for the first time in 15 years. But it was in that first playoff game that things began unraveling on Lewis and the Bengals. On the first play from scrimmage, while Chris Henry was hauling in a Bengals’ playoff record 66 yard pass, Steelers (and former Bengal) defensive tackle Kimo von Oelhoffen rolled into Palmer’s planted left leg during his throw, tearing both his ACL and MCL and dislocating his patella.

Though Palmer would make a miraculous return in 2006, the Bengals began suffering a slew of injuries to and departures from their offensive line. That string of injuries continued into the 2007 and 2008 seasons, essentially undermining Lewis’ efforts to continue build upon the success of 2005. Thanks in large part to the success of Defensive Coordinator Mike Zimmer and the Bengals defensive unit, Lewis did manage to lead the Bengals back to the playoffs in 2009, but Carson Palmer’s inconsistent performances grew worse as the season progressed. The injury to and subsequent accident death of Chris Henry certainly contributed to the downturn in the passing game, taking away a significant downfield threat. The Bengals ended up losing their final 2 games to the New York Jets, one of them eliminating them from the playoffs.

On the heals of the successful 2009 campaign, the expectations for the Bengals were set very high. The addition of veteran wide receiver, Terrell Owens only heightened the excitement. But the Bengals were blown out of the season opener in New England, and after winning a close game at home against the Baltimore Ravens, they went on a 10 game losing streak. A great deal of frustration during that period further weakened an already fragile locker room. It was clear, dating back to a rash of player arrests in 2005, that Lewis was having difficulties in establishing a disciplined team-culture. The antics of All-Pro and franchise leading receiver Chad Johnson (Ochocinco) that had once helped bring positive national attention to the team had started to become an unwanted distraction and disruption. Evidently, even after he’d demanded a trade following the 2007 season and threaten not coming to training camp in 2008, there were team rules for Chad, and a different set of rules for everybody else. Bringing in his friend, Terrell Owens, only fueled the flames of Chad’s ego. Both of the “divas” had their own separate reality TV shows prior to the 2010 season, and during the season they began one together. Fans and players alike sensed that this dynamic duo was not devoting full attention and effort to the success of the team. Their questionable route running, coupled with Palmer’s failure  to return to anything close to his 2005 form, contributed to an anemic offense, though everyone, including fans, knew that the complex and yet all-too-predictable offensive scheme of Bob Bratkowski was the deepest reason for the teams’ inability to score points. As the team finished an abysmal, 4-12, critics proclaimed the return of Bungles to Cincinnati.

Next Up –New Beginning 2.0