11-23-2016, 01:15 AM
Mike and Marvin
On the same day that the Bengals' season all but ended with injuries to A.J. Green and Giovani Bernard during a loss to the Bills, two of Lewis' former assistants (Jay Gruden with Washington and Mike Zimmer with Minnesota) were piloting their way to big victories elsewhere. Lewis and the Bengals are victims of their own success. Expectations were raised because of the excellent roster Lewis helped to build. Three of his assistants (Gruden, Zimmer and Hue Jackson) have left to take head-coaching jobs elsewhere.
The story of Jackson's departure from Cincinnati for Cleveland last offseason helps explain Lewis' murky future. NFL.com's Michael Silver previously reported that Lewis himself pitched the idea of a succession plan to Bengals owner Mike Brown, which would take place after the 2017 season. Brown didn't want to put anything in writing for Jackson to take over, but the thought process shows Lewis is thinking about the end of the line.
Bengals fans don't want to hear it, but Lewis could be the one making the call about next season. A retirement is easier to imagine than Brown firing Lewis. The Bengals have disappointed in many areas this season, especially with their inability to protect Andy Dalton or get after opposing quarterbacks. But their nucleus -- led by Dalton, Green, Bernard, tight end Tyler Eifert, guard Kevin Zeitler, defensive tackle Geno Atkins and defensive end Carlos Dunlap -- is mostly young and intact. One sign of Lewis' success the last 14 years: This is a quality job, if it becomes open.
Then again, the Bengals job pales in comparison to the opportunity to coach the end of Aaron Rodgers' career in Green Bay. While Rodgers called criticism of McCarthy "ridiculous" last week, McCarthy's offense has grown stale the last two years. The Packers' defense is an even bigger issue, and coordinator Dom Capers likely needs a miracle finish to the season to be back.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000744090/article/the-debrief-week-12-mike-mccarthy-marvin-lewis-in-trouble
On the same day that the Bengals' season all but ended with injuries to A.J. Green and Giovani Bernard during a loss to the Bills, two of Lewis' former assistants (Jay Gruden with Washington and Mike Zimmer with Minnesota) were piloting their way to big victories elsewhere. Lewis and the Bengals are victims of their own success. Expectations were raised because of the excellent roster Lewis helped to build. Three of his assistants (Gruden, Zimmer and Hue Jackson) have left to take head-coaching jobs elsewhere.
The story of Jackson's departure from Cincinnati for Cleveland last offseason helps explain Lewis' murky future. NFL.com's Michael Silver previously reported that Lewis himself pitched the idea of a succession plan to Bengals owner Mike Brown, which would take place after the 2017 season. Brown didn't want to put anything in writing for Jackson to take over, but the thought process shows Lewis is thinking about the end of the line.
Bengals fans don't want to hear it, but Lewis could be the one making the call about next season. A retirement is easier to imagine than Brown firing Lewis. The Bengals have disappointed in many areas this season, especially with their inability to protect Andy Dalton or get after opposing quarterbacks. But their nucleus -- led by Dalton, Green, Bernard, tight end Tyler Eifert, guard Kevin Zeitler, defensive tackle Geno Atkins and defensive end Carlos Dunlap -- is mostly young and intact. One sign of Lewis' success the last 14 years: This is a quality job, if it becomes open.
Then again, the Bengals job pales in comparison to the opportunity to coach the end of Aaron Rodgers' career in Green Bay. While Rodgers called criticism of McCarthy "ridiculous" last week, McCarthy's offense has grown stale the last two years. The Packers' defense is an even bigger issue, and coordinator Dom Capers likely needs a miracle finish to the season to be back.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000744090/article/the-debrief-week-12-mike-mccarthy-marvin-lewis-in-trouble
