Former Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis back in football

The former head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals finds himself back in football, this time at Arizona State.

Marvin Lewis had a long, perhaps too long, head coaching career for the Cincinnati Bengals. Whatever opinion of him you may have, it was a distinguished career that delivered a lot of promise, just not a lot of promise fulfilled.

Either way, he’s back in football, just not the professional variety. Current Arizona State University head football coach Herman Edwards has hired the former Bengals coach to work with him in Tempe. If it seems like an odd fit, don’t tell Edwards that, as he sees it a smart and valuable addition for his Sun Devils staff.

"“We have the same eyes,” Edwards said, sitting in his spacious office. “We see the same things. In the morning, it’s like, ‘Where are you going?’ If he says he’s going to sit in on the offensive meetings, I’m like, ‘OK, I’m going to the defensive room.”"

It’s an interesting move on Edwards part. In his first season at Arizona State, his Sun Devils finished 7-6, including a 31-20 loss against Fresno State in the illustrious Las Vegas Bowl.

For Lewis, it might end up being a nice change of pace after the grinder in Cincinnati and a lifetime of NFL football. At the very least, he appears to have matched some of the excitement of Edwards.

"“When you come into this building, you can feel his energy,” Lewis said of Edwards. “And the players walk that same walk with him.”"

Edwards and Lewis might be onto something. Arizona State will be a player in the PAC-12 South. The Sun Devils overachieved in 2018, and perhaps adding another former NFL head coach is an advantage for 2019.

Lewis was and will always be remembered for his work with the Bengals. While it didn’t end the way he or fans in Cincinnati had hoped, he’s a significant part of the history that is NFL football in the Queen City.