Marvin Lewis and The Cincinnati Bengals are still riding along without a contract extension. There’s a chance it won’t happen until the season starts.
As the Cincinnati Bengals prepare for a pivotal year, the potential for distraction has just gotten larger. Head Coach Marvin Lewis and Owner Mike Brown still haven’t agreed to a contract extension. Per Katherine Terrell of ESPN, Lewis doesn’t anticipate an agreement before the start of the 2017 season. Usually, by this time of year, Lewis and Brown are doing their typical negotiation dance to see what happens. This may be the year fans get what they’ve been wanting.
To the delight of a few, Lewis has directed the Bengals to the postseason, in five of the last six years. The 2016 campaign was a disaster. After coming close to winning their first playoff game in 2015, the Bengals imploded. The result was a 6-9-1 season that wasn’t as good as the record indicates. Two of the six victories came at the expense of the rebuilding Browns. That left Cincinnati with questionable wins over the Jets, Dolphins, Eagles and Ravens.
With an offseason that has started out with the losses of Kevin Zeitler and Andrew Whitworth, things could be getting worse. Many fans have already sensed a lack of respect from players. There’s also the pervasive ‘inmates running the asylum’ vibe. Lewis entering the season as a lame duck is something that players won’t mention…but they’ll feel.
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There comes a time when every owner has had enough. Mike Brown is the kind of man who will give you chance after chance. Then suddenly, the bottom will drop out. Recently, Brown showed his support for the much-maligned Adam Jones. But, one can’t help feeling that Jones is on a short leash. Maybe his support of Lewis has taken nose dive. This could be the point of no return for Marvin.
"“I don’t anticipate anything happening, Lewis explained. “It’s not really a subject that’s on my mind. I don’t think it’s on Mike’s mind, either. I’ve gone into many seasons without a new contract. It’s not a focus for me.”"
Somewhere in that statement, the truth is waiting to be set free. Earlier in the offseason, Lewis gave the indication that he’d like to get something done. Now, it’s about moving on and focusing on the upcoming year.
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It’s not rocket science. Lewis has to get the job done in 2017. It’s not about fancy phrases on t-shirts and Zen gardens. This has to be the year the Bengals get to the postseason and make more than a ripple. It has to be a huge splash. Fans have been fed up since the first playoff loss. It seems as though Mike Brown may be paying attention to social media. No extension could mean no more chances. But, there’s still time for a man hug after a signature on the dotted line.