I Have Seen the Future

[Fan_in_Kettering]

Unfortunately, Bengaldom, we'll have to wait one more year to be done with Marvin Lewis.  He's signed through 2017 and Bengal coach contracts are unfortunately set in stone, somewhat like the Ten Commandments.  Here's the problem: I see the Bengals making a serious improvement in 2017 and Marvin, as a result, will be extended again.  The only way to get a new head coach is for the Bengals to tank again in 2017 -- and Marvin's teams have never had two bad seasons in a row.

Look, I love Marvin Lewis for what he brought to our community and for restoring the Bengals to a consistent regular-season winner and playoff contender.  I'll never forget the 1990s and how Marvin gave the Bengals new hope and real change.  However, I think it's time to move on either with Marvin in the Front Office or, well, gone completely.  He's like Tom Hagen, the adopted Corleone brother in The Godfather who, although a great lawyer, is not a proper wartime consiglieri because he's not Sicilian.  Or, if you're an Old Testament fan, you might liken Marvin to Moses who got the Israelites to the promised land but not into it.  That took a different leader:  Joshua.

I'm not that old but I remember Paul Brown, Bob Howsam, Forrest Gregg, Sam Wyche, Sparky Anderson, Lou Piniella, and even Marge Schott.  Teams from Cincinnati were expected to win!  We showed up to watch The Big Red Machine and the Ohio River Offense maul opponents and make runs through the playoffs.  Cincinnati was the sports town to live in and that's what I want again.