Cincinnati Bengals keep Marvin Lewis through 2019 season
By Emile Pierce
The Cincinnati Bengals made a move that was a surprise to those unfamiliar with the franchise. Marvin Lewis was given a two-year deal.
The Cincinnati Bengals opted to go the same old route, by defying the odds. Marvin Lewis was signed to a two-year deal, on Tuesday, per Bengals.com. After guiding the team to another losing season, Mike Brown felt comfortable with giving fans more pain. For most of the season, it looked as if Lewis would be a fond memory on the Cincinnati horizon. Now, diehard faithful will be scratching their heads and wondering about halftime adjustments.
Lewis had mentioned that he and Mike Brown were not on the “same page” in terms of coming to a deal. Before the sun could set on the city of Cincinnati, there was a two-year deal awaiting the Bengals winningest coach in franchise history. But, is that enough to bring him back? Should this be a warning sign of things to come? When Mike Brown is behind the steering wheel, there’s no telling what will happen. At this moment, there are probably fans swearing their allegiance to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Yeah. It’s that bad.
Just like any other hot-headed, pissed-off, (insert Fred Flintstone curse words) Bengals fan, I’m at a loss for words. Sure. There was a small voice laughing at me when I thought about other coaches taking the HC job. But, I held out hope and thought Brown was doing his research. It felt like there was going to be a change on the banks of the Ohio River.
Sike. There was never any chance that Brown would let Lewis leave. He’s opposed to change. He’d rather trudge through the same old routine. Let’s hope he set some ground rules for Lewis.
That WTF moment
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Yup. That’s just what it is to tons of Bengals fans. This is that moment when people who love math start figuring out how much money Brown is going to lose. Oh, it’s going to happen.
The only way many faithful will follow the Bengals is if they sweep the AFC North, blow through the playoffs and end up at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
"“Marvin Lewis has been an important member of the Cincinnati community and the Bengals family for the past 15 years, and we are happy to have reached this agreement,” Mike Brown said. “Marvin has made significant contributions during his time here. While recently we have fallen short of our expectations, we have full confidence in Marvin to re-establish winning football in 2018.”"
Recently fallen short? Seven playoff losses is a long time in Bengals years. That’s like…a lifetime. Um, re-establish winning in the regular season? Smh.
Just when you think things are going to change, you get hit with a dose of the Browns. It’s so true. He’s loyal to a fault. There has to come a time when enough is enough. But, Mike just can’t see it.
Almost doesn’t count
Don’t parade the numbers. Please, don’t talk about Lewis having the 26th most wins in NFL history. Don’t bring up the fact that his victories rank 4th among active coaches. This league is about the bottom line. Results are what matters.
If things were all peach-keen with just being close, Ken Anderson would be in the Hall of Fame. But, he didn’t win, he just played in a Super Bowl. Anderson’s numbers are spectacular. Yet, again, it wasn’t a win in Super Bowl XVI.
Here’s what Lewis said about the big dance.
"“My job is to win a World Championship. We have a talented roster full of veteran leaders and emerging young stars, and I am committed to making the necessary improvements to put this team in the best position to win.”"
Will those emerging young stars get a chance to play? Lewis doesn’t have a lot of love for the youngsters…unless he has no other choice.
Making necessary improvements? Again, Lewis won’t even call out his coaches for in-game mistakes. And how about those adjustments in the second half? Wait. Are they still mythical creatures that don’t exist? Get ready for some interesting days.
At this point, the only thing that matters is winning the AFC North and doing serious damage in the playoffs. Anything other than that is a waste of time.
Mind…blown.