Remember how Marv coached defense in Baltimore?

[Fan_in_Kettering]

(11-08-2017, 10:40 PM)McC Wrote: He came at you from everywhere, non-stop. He attacked you from beginning to end. He beat you to a bloody pulp. Yes, he had great players. But I'm talking about the way he coached. Bend but not break? Are you kidding me? He would bend and then break you. There were seasons when I worried if the Bengals would even score on them. In either game.

What the **** happened? How did we get from there to here? What broke in that guy that turned him into this guy?

This is a terrific point and I wish I could give it rep more than once. The Cincinnati Bengals had awful defenses throughout the 1990s and back in 2003 everyone thought Marvin Lewis would bring the Baltimore style defense to Cincinnati. Not even Mike Zimmer accomplished that — but he got closer than Marvin ever did.

While it’s true the players make a YUGE difference, coaching does too. Marvin certainly had it good with the Ravens. Imagine coaching Peter Boulware, Ray Lewis, Sam Adams, Chris McAlister, and Tony Siragusa in their primes! Marvin ran a base 4-3 in Baltimore with Adams and Siragusa at defensive tackle.

Since 2003 have the Bengals had quality defensive players like the ones I just mentioned? Emphatically, no! With that said, Marvin wasn’t brought to Cincinnati to coach defense. He hired Leslie Frazier for that.