Marvin Lewis will aim to bring the Cincinnati Bengals back to the top of the AFC North once again.
Just when you though Marvin Lewis and the Cincinnati Bengals were going to end a long and complicated marriage, the two sides are coming back for more.
On Tuesday, the team announced that Lewis has signed a two-year deal to remain head coach.
"“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,” Bengals president Mike Brown said in a statement. “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.”"
Lewis is the winningest coach in the history of the Bengals. He has amassed a 125-112-3 record, leading the team to the playoffs several times along the way.
There is no doubt that Lewis for the most part has taken the Bengals from mediocrity to respectability. When he arrived in Cincinnati in 2003, the Bengals had not had a winning season since 1990. With multiple playoff berths and winning seasons, he has many things to hang his hat on.
With that in mind, there is one glaring issue here. Lewis has never won a playoff game. In seven playoff appearances, the Bengals have lost every single first-round Wild Card Game. Granted, there have been times where the losses have not been his fault. For instance, Carson Palmer’s injury against the Steelers in the 2005 Wild Card Game is a situation where luck was not on Lewis’s side.
It is hard to ignore the fact that the Bengals as a team have had ample amounts of talent in multiple years. Lewis has had players such as Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson and A.J. Green on the offensive side of the football as well as defensive groups that have prided themselves on a strong pass rush and strong cornerback play.
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This is a very puzzling move. Just a few weeks ago it appeared as though Lewis and the Bengals were going to part ways. Now, it appears he will be part of the future. One has to wonder the thought process behind this move. The bottom line is Lewis has been coaching for 15 years and has nothing to show for it.