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Marvin Lewis has been the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals for 15 seasons, the second longest tenure behind Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. According to ESPN’s NFL reporter Adam Schefter, Lewis plans on leaving the Bengals at the end of this season.
Lewis took over the team in 2003 two years after he won the Super Bowl as a defensive coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens. The Bengals were coming off a 2-14 season, when Lewis took over and was able to turn things around and lead them to back to back 8-8 seasons.
In 2005 Lewis would lead his team to their first winning record (11-5) and their first division title in 15 years. They would go onto to lose to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Wild Card Game, a trend that would haunt Lewis throughout his tenure.
After a three year absence from the playoffs Lewis was able to get his team back on track in 2009 where they would go 10-6 and he would win Coach of the Year honors. But once again they were not able to win their playoff match-up against the New York Jets.
From 2010-2015 the Bengals would go onto make the playoff five out of those six seasons, but were never able to capture a playoff victory. His inability to win in the playoffs has been the main issue in Lewis’ coaching career.
Also much was made about the lack of discipline his players had in crucial situations during games. In a key play late in their 2015 playoff game against the Steelers, the Bengals were assessed two personal foul penalties which put Pittsburgh in field goal range and would cost the Bengals the game.
The last two seasons have been a disappointment for the Bengals, it is clear Lewis has not been able to motivate this team like he has in the past. Schefter also reported that Lewis will be on the short list for many teams for a head coaching job or even a front office position.
No matter how the rest of the season plays out Marvin Lewis will leave with the most wins by a head coach in Bengals history.
