Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, now in his 16th year at the helm, appeared all but gone from Cincinnati at the end of last season. It was reported last December that Lewis was expected to leave the team to pursue opportunities elsewhere, which included another head coaching job or perhaps a front office role. However, Lewis and the Bengals surprisingly reversed course, and the two sides came to terms on a two-year extension back in January.
However, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that the two-year extension was actually a one-year pact with a team option for 2019, so the club can move on from Lewis without penalty at the end of the season if it so chooses. Which means, as Rapoport notes, that Lewis’ future as the club’s head coach is once again in doubt.
Lewis has guided the Bengals to a 130-118-3 mark during his tenure, and his club has qualified for the playoffs seven times (including five straight seasons from 2011-15). But Cincinnati is 0-7 in playoff games under Lewis’ watch, and the team now appears destined to miss the postseason for the third consecutive year.
One of the reasons for the Bengals’ disappointing 2018 campaign is injuries. Lewis’ club has been ravaged by the injury bug — the Bengals have put more players on IR in 2018 than they did the last three years combined — and a number of key players who have avoided IR have nonetheless been sidelined for multiple games. So, as Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes, owner Mike Brown will have to think about how much different the season would have been if the Bengals had not been hit so hard by injuries and determine Lewis’ fate based on that. We learned last week that current special assistant Hue Jackson could succeed Lewis as the Bengals’ head coach, and Rapoport confirms that report. RapSheet also suggests that Lewis could transition to a front office role with Cincinnati.
As for quarterback Andy Dalton — who is now among those Bengals on IR — Rapoport says that the Red Rifle will be back with the team in 2019. Dehner writes in a separate piece that Dalton, who did have surgery to repair a torn ligament in his thumb, is expected to make a full recovery before the team’s offseason program begins next year. Dalton believes he has the full support of the team’s decision-makers, and Dehner agrees that no one is expecting the Bengals to part ways with the 31-year-old signal-caller (even though they could do so without taking on any dead money).
Please please please Mike Brown … follow the Path of our Cincinnati Reds. Get a whole new staff. This includes the Red BB gun. Thank you Marvin for bringing us out of years of bottom dwelling and making the team somewhat competitive over the last 16 years. It’s clear the next level is beyond your capability. Let’s move on. As for Dalton , also thank you for what you have done as you have been serviceable. But clearly , at your peak , you still can’t compete with the likes of Goff, Brees , Mahlolmes, Brady … among others. Every year I’ve said I’m done with this team but I can’t do it having grown up a fan. Mr Brown, sit back, write checks and find the next McVay … your fans deserve it.
Yes they need change but need to draft a future signal called before you can move on from Dalton. As for your comments on Goff and and Mahlomes we need to see if they can keep repeating they success they are having this year before you can put there names next to Brady and Brees. They also need a lot of help up front on the offensive line. The Saints and Patriots have great offensive lines. Finding success in a QB starts there. Unfortunately the Bengals have received good grades on recent drafts of there offensive linemen but those picks haven’t played well. They have a good backfield and couple good WR’s but if the QB has no time it doesn’t matter.
The Bengals are the only team in any sport dumb enough to keep a coach for 16 seasons even though he’s never won a playoff game.
At least he’s consistent. I honestly thought his demise would have been a couple years ago when they had the playoff game won only to have Burfict and Pac-Man act like idiots
That game honestly should have led to Marvin’s exit because it showed that he wasn’t in control of his team. And despite player turnover that appearance of lack of control hasn’t gone away.
Exactly!
If the Bengals seriously replace Lewis with Jackson it’s time to just pack it in and just disband the franchise.
They should at least give Ickey Woods an interview.
Agreed