Tip-Off for 8/1/12 (featuring Arrested Development): Marvin Lewis is one cool cat
(Bengals.com)
The Big Cat in Cincy
Marvin Lewis is entering his 10th season as coach of the Cincinnati Bengals fresh on the heels of a two-year extension that runs through the 2014 season.
Considering the road Lewis took to get here, I’m not surprised he’s still around.
(Who Dey)
Lewis and Johnson were closer than people think
Marvin Lewis is the winningest coach in Bengals history (69-74) as well as its longest tenured (3rd current longest in NFL). Lewis came to the Bengals after the Baltimore Ravens defense that he oversaw decimated the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV. Prior to that, Lewis had been the top candidate for several teams including the Green Bay Packers who chose to go in a different direction.
Mike Silver of Sports Illustrated described Lewis defensive masterpiece in the afterglow of the Super Bowl: “If ever a man proved his worth as a future head coach, Marvin Lewis did it with this complete domination of the Giants in their 16 possessions: Punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, interception, punt, interception, interception, punt, interception, punt, punt, punt, end of game.”
After consecutive 8-8 seasons, the Bengals young nucleus of Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson, Rudi Johnson and T.J. Houshmanzadeh came together and the Bengals were in the playoffs for the first time in 15 years.
Lewis has had only two winning seasons since 2005, including coach of the year in 2009 after going 10-6 and winning the NFC North.
Lewis has endured rumored firings for the Bengals slide after the 2005 season. There was pressure from the media to put a muzzle on a talkative Chad Johnson despite his outstanding numbers. Lewis allowed Chad to be Chad and it worked, Johnson never appeared on a police blotter while in Cincy. Lewis faced scrutiny for a stretch where players did have all sorts of run-ins with the law. During that period Bengals owner/general manager Mike Brown stuck by his coach. Lewis dealt with losing Houshmanzadeh, Palmer and Johnson within two years.
Then there is the story of Chris Henry. The talented Henry was drafted out of West Virginia by the Bengals in 2005 and blended in well with the offense, it was his off the field issues that kept him in trouble. Finally after serving an 8-game suspension in the 2007 season, Henry was cut loose and brought back by the franchise in 2008. After getting his career and life back on track, Henry died after suffering grave injuries after falling off the back of a pickup truck driven by his fiancée.
Lewis was quick to point out the change he saw in Henry:
“Our football team, what they’re feeling yesterday and this morning … they watched a guy mature as a young man and work through adversity.”
Going into last season Lewis faced uncertainty going into the season with a rookie quarterback in Andy Dalton and a rookie wideout in A.J. Green. The Bengals were the surprise of the league last season as the rookie duo led the Bengals to the playoffs, backed by one of the better defenses.
Despite his topsy-turvy tenure in Cincinnati, it looks like this cat landed on his feet.
The Lineup:
Gabby Douglas leads Team USA to the Gold (The Crunk Feminist Collective).
Missing FBI agent found dead (In Flex We Trust).
More info on Jay-Z’s ‘Made in America’ Festival (MTV.com).
‘Mike Tyson: Undisputed’ opened to some heavy hitters last night (Ballertainment).
Brandon Roy never considered retirement (AP).
The NFL better get the refs taken care of (Pro Football Talk).
Eight badminton players from China, Korea and Indonesia tossed from Games for throwing matches (CNN).
FSU dismisses defensive back Craig Reid for violating team rules (SB Nation).
Michael Phelps flexes history (In Flex We Trust).
Power has been restored in India (In Flex We Trust).
Player from Tunisia gets nice parting gift (Hoops World).
Hey Mr. Wendal…
Thanks for shining the light on Marvin Lewis. As a Steelers fan, I can say that I do not like the Bengals, but I do want him to have success.
The wheels fell of this team for the first time when Kimo Von Oelhoffen injured Carson Palmer on the first play of the 2005 AFC Wild Card game vs. the Steelers. Palmer had just completed a 60-yard pass to Chris Henry to open the game — and the jungle was rocking. That was his last play of the game. The Steelers went on the win the Super Bowl and that was all she wrote.
Lewis deserves credit for rebuilding this team and keeping them above water. The major problem in Cincinnati is the BUSINESS MODEL of Mike Brown — sign superb athletes with character issues at a discount…hope the coaches can “straighten a guy out” and let the chips fall where they may.
That was Cincinnati’s process with Henry, Rey Maulaga, A.J. Nicholson, and others. They’ve also had some tough luck with injuries to David Pollack, Frostee Rucker, and Leon Hall. They’ve drafted some real G’s (Justin Smith, Chad, Johnathan Joseph, Hall, Domata Peko, Green and Dalton, etc.), but ownership is just inconsistent in building the franchise. If they actually put their money behind Marvin Lewis, they might have the 2nd best team in the AFC North.
aw Im so glad to see him get props. Good read – I wanted to read more. .. and loved reading what he said about Chris Henry.
fine coach. i love the guy
I’m surprised, and I’ll tell you why: These are the Bengals we’re talking about. The decision to stick with Lewis is a smart one, which is to say it represents a departure from the franchise’s seemingly intractable tradition of unmitigated stupidity. For years and years, the Bengals did not have a scouting department. So I fully expected they’d whack the best coach they’ve had at some point. I commend them for staying the course.
One thing re: Chris Henry. His autopsy suggested he had suffered severe brain trauma for years. We may learn one day that these injuries explain at least some of his behavior.