Thinking outside the box

[Horsemen]

Alright my friends...

It's something we've all been talking about lately on virtually every Bengals Forum. Some good ideas, some not. Some ideas being pure fantasy. Look deep down we all know it, Bill Cowher, Jon Gruden, Tony Dungy, none of these guys are EVER coming here. It's nice to fantasize but it isn't going to happen. It will either be a first time coach or a lesser named retread. Remember that Mike Brown wanted to go the retread route with Tom Coughlin but Pumpkin talked him into hiring Marvin Lewis.

The one thing we need to hope for is a coach who will insist on his own staff whom can coach up talent. With that I give you some candidates I have come up with.

Retreads-

Marty Schottenheimer. He's at the top of the retread list. The man has heaps of experience with poor ownership yet having gobs of success in spite of the cards he was dealt. There's noone in the NFL that can compare when it comes to getting alot from a little. You don't need probowlers at every position to succeed with his system, all he needs is intelligent, high character, hardworking players that are coachable.

The one knock I keep hearing is he like Cowher or Gruden would never come here. False. He still wants to coach and wants one last shot at a ring. He also seriously wanted the Buffalo Bills head coaching job. The Bills, the one team known to be cheaper than us. If he's willing to take on that clusterf*** in order to try and get his ring? He'd take over the Bengals for that shot.

Brian Billick- Another one who was willing to take over the Bills in order to keep coaching. He's was a Bengals fan growing up and whle unspectacular it's an option.

Marty Mornhinweg- According to I think it was S.I. in an in depth report Marty M was ranked as the most likely to be another Belichick. The report took into account NFL trends, what successful franchises look for in a head coach, ability/intelligence and a bunch of other stuff. Out of all of that Mornhinweg consistently came out on top as did Belichick years ago. The parallels are there including Marty failing his first go around with a terrible franchise before returning to work under one of the leading head coaches in the NFL, Andy Reid.

Obviously it isn't a lock that he'll build some dynasty or even win a Superbowl, the data only suggests the man has all the tools to win. It is with that I include him as an option.

Tony Sparano- He turned the Dolphins around and consistently has had them performing at a high level as a team. Not saying he WILL be fired however rumors are he's on the hot seat possibly and doesn't fit in with the Hollywood aura the Dolphins owner is going for. If he's fired it wouldn't be a bad idea to check him out.

First timers-

Brian Schottenheimer. He is THE hot candidate these days. He too has everything you look for. Pedigree, comes from two different winning systems(The Schottenheimer AND Belichick trees), ad he's an offensive mastermind. He's also young, mid 30's. A guy you can build around for decades. The good news is he's likely high up on Mike Browns list. As we all know Brown loves the whole father/son thing and family affair. This one is one of my favorite options.

Brad Seely. Here's where my thinking outside of the box comes into. The same thinking outside of the box that turned the Ravens around. For those unfamiliar with the name Seely is currently the Browns S/T Coordinator. Previously he spent a decade as the Patriots S/T Coordinator under Bill Belichick. Interestingly enough he's the one Coordinator to spend more than a few years with The Hoodie and also the one despite consistently having top 5 units never promoted to an OC(he's an offensive minded S/T Coord.)or Head Coach.

The one knock against the Belichick tree is very few have ever succeeded. The thing to keep in mind is everyone so far off that tree have been fast tracked. They were promoted to Coordinator, fielded a good unit and quickly hired as a head coach. Seely on the other hand was entrenched in the system for a decade. The Belichick system is a very disciplined system that is based on coaching up average talent into a winning unit.

One thing that stands out is Special Teams coaches, these guys get the table scraps every year. They get a unit full of 2nd and 3rd stringers and have to coach those players up and teach them the fundamentals. Brad Seely is the BEST in the NFL at doing that. We need a leader who can take raw talent and coach it up. Everyone else goes for the glitzy guys meanwhile guys like Ozzy Newsome grab a S/T Coordinator, promotes them and the Ravens are in the AFC Championship hunt regularly. Brad Seely deserves alot of consideration.

Russ Grimm. Russ needs serious consideration for one BIG reason: He was hand picked by the Steelers as Cowhers replacement. As the story goes after being given the job the Rooneys whom invented the racist Rooney Rule BS were pressured into giving the job to Mike Tomlin to not come off as hypocritical.

I hate the Steelers as much as everyone folks, but they know how to build teams, pick talent AND pick good coaches. Grimm was that pick. If he was good enough to fill Cowhers shoes he is good enough for us to consider.

Ron Rivera. The yearly hot candidate. Rumor has it he was to be the Cowboys head coach when Parcells left however Jones felt he needed someone with more experience. That is neither here nor there but Rivera has been ready for several years now. A players coach WHILE a strict disciplinarian. Gets alot out of his units and commands respect. He would be a good candidate to consider.

John Harbaugh- It is unlikely but possible. Again, the Brown Family loves the NFL family tree deal and will possibly look towards this gentleman. Not a bad idea, one thing about College coaches is they excel at coaching up raw talent. He has done a good job at that, turned around a College team AND has them beating the "NFL caliber" schools.

Kirk Ferentz. Another College coach. Also unlikely but again thinking outside the box he is the one Belichick assistant to have wet onto success. Mr. Ferentz is excellent at getting the most out of his players and has been rumored to maybe move onto the NFL for awhile now. A testament to his ability is the amount of players he has sent to start in the NFL. Some of the talent he has molded into NFL starteres are: Eric Steinbach, Matt Roth, Chad Greenway, Sean Considine, Bob Sanders, Aaron Kampmann, Nate Kaeding, Dallas Clark, John Babineaux, Robert Gallery(Ok yeah, bad tackle but a good guard), Shonn Greene, Pat Angerer, Brian Bulaga, Tony Moeaki ect.

Thoughts? Ideas? Like the ideas? Dislike them?

As a supplement of sorts to the above: I understand the frustration with Mike Brown, no GM and all of that. I agree that he isn't a good owner and is a liability to this franchise. I disagree that EVERYTHING is hopeless as long as he owns the team. Despite his shortcomings he has shown at least to me he WOULD like to win and I believe we CAN catch lightening in a bottle with the right candidate and go to the Superbowl. Just recently two other dirt cheap teams, the Cardinals and Saints have both overcome their management to make the Superbowl strictly off hitting on the coaching staff at the right time.

With an intelligent head coach and fresh staff coaching up the talent we do have while instilling discipline I think we CAN turn the corner.

[volcom69]

You forgot John Fox carolina will not bring him back. I think he is a great coach, but that org. for some reason dosnt want Fox to win......oh wait sounds to close to home!

No but anyways i would take John Fox i like the way he coaches, but just thought i would tell you that you left him out.

[kenyon1977]

The problem with Marty Schottenheimer is that, just like you pointed out. His system works but you ahve to have smart players. According to Brat and Zimm they have dumbed downt the offense and defense as much as possible and these morons still can't get it.

So I guess we need someone willing to wear a Barny suit and show the plays with playdoh linemen and crayons.

[jjakq27]

Can we bring all of them in and make one staff out of them?

I didn't realize this but Billick was born in Fairborn OH. Not sure about him as the next coach though. His abrasiveness and know-it-all attitude seems to wear on people.

Like lil Schott but I want somebody mature enough to stand up to the Brown family. Not sure if he is old enough or confident enough to do it. At least Marvin could always flash that SB ring for some instant cred. Seely has the pedigree but are we willing to take a chance on an unproven guy?

Grimm might be the tough taskmaster that they need. And he too has some cred being part of the Hogs. The Steeler revenge factor is always good motivation for the coach and the team. It worked when they hired Forrest Gregg after he was fired by the Browns.

But before that takes place though I think the team needs to decide what they are going to be in the future. Are they going to be the Steelers or the Ravens on defense or the Colts or the 1988 Bengals on offense or something else?

Pittsburgh's success comes from that continuity of their system. Even after LeBeau came back to Cincinnati, other guys came in and kept the same system and the team drafted guys to fit that system. Baltimore's success on defense has been because they have that one guy (Ray Lewis) that is the difference maker and tone-setter. Maybe Marvin was just lucky that he had Ray at the beginning of his prime in 2000 otherwise he might have been an average DC.

Marvin has had three DC's during his tenure. People can blame Mike Zimmer but most of the guys were drafted when Chuckie Cheese was the DC. Zim was able to bring in a few FA's like Tank and RoyW but to me they are stop gaps. But the continual trait of drafting tweeners (Pollack, M. Johnson) or trying to convert them has to stop. Find a system and stick with it on defense. 3-4, 4-3, zone blitz or whatever. This is why I think they might give Zimmer a shot of Marvin is no longer the coach. Give him a chance to draft his own guys and craft his own defense.

On offense, Brat has to go. The offense has gotten stale and predictable and they too need to decide what they will be going forward. Run oriented, pass happy or what? The run seemed to work last year but the line is suspect. Carson is more of a rhythm passer and is not so good during those long spells of just handing off the ball then having to make a key pass or throw. I think that ambiguity has killed them offensively.

I think it is interesting that they only coach that they lost was Hue Jackson to Atlanta a few years back. He is doing quite well in Oakland as their OC. If Zimmer gets the job, would he come back here since they worked together in ATL? Or should he be on the short list of candidates for the HC job? No other guys on this staff seem to be on anyone's short list other than Zampese every so often but he has never ascended beyond his current spot. I'm not sure what that says about him.

[kingwilly]

I have been pimping the former LSU D-coordinator, and current Nebraska HC, Bo Pellini.

I also would not mind them making a run at Hue Jackson, who is the OC out in Oakland.

I am a bit frazzled about who should/could be the next head coach.

No matter, the current staff needs to be shown the exit. Blow the whole thing straight up. Right down to lippincombe, the human tadpole.

[Trevor]

Hell yes to john fox

[ArmyBengal]

Horseman, very well thought out thread and I like the breakdown for sure.

I will defer this to others that may have more knowledge on the coaches available. It's not my thing.

I will say however, there is change to be made and I would prefer it NOT come from the college ranks.

College head coaches do NOT have a good history of success coming into the NFL and our currently situation with players doesn't present the best environment for a green coach not use to multi millionaire attitudes. Give me someone who has been around it for a while.

[walzav29]

I like Billick, Grimm, and Brian Shotenheimer. Marty has never won anything so I don't want him.

[Horsemen]

You forgot John Fox carolina will not bring him back. I think he is a great coach, but that org. for some reason dosnt want Fox to win......oh wait sounds to close to home!

No but anyways i would take John Fox i like the way he coaches, but just thought i would tell you that you left him out.

I disagree on it sounding like our situation. Last year when the Chiefs interviewed Scott Pioli for their GM position something he said stuck out to me: He reportedly told their owner the team needed blown up and the roster rebuilt. He also stated anyone can fill a team with FA's and go 8-8 every year. He then reportedly asked the owner if he wanted that or to be built for the long run. That stuck with me because that's exactly what we've done and no coincidence, that's the average record under Lewis.

Anyways John Fox is a bit better as a coach than Lewis. The guy continually gets another mediocre franchise into and wins playoff games. He also got that team a fieldgoal away from being Superbowl champions. It is for that reason I excluded him. ESPN isn't wrong when they say he WILL be a hot commodity in the offseason. I doubt Brown is willing to meet the demands of John Fox nor pay him the money he will command.

[ShulaSteakhouse]

Limit your list above to those who realistically have no shot at any other job first, like Marvin when he was hired(or Coslet, or Shula, or Lebeau, who had/has no other shot at being a HC either).

I'd cut out hot college coaching candidates as well, they're already in better gigs.

Marvin's two playoff losses, two winning seasons, and ability to not go 2-14 every other year, in almost a decade of coaching here, can probably be viewed as a moderate success.

[Horsemen]

Like lil Schott but I want somebody mature enough to stand up to the Brown family. Not sure if he is old enough or confident enough to do it. At least Marvin could always flash that SB ring for some instant cred. Seely has the pedigree but are we willing to take a chance on an unproven guy?

One of the things i've noticed with Mike Brown is he's a sucker for the kids of former NFL coaches. He's the son of THE man and he seems to relate best to those types. He's also from what i've heard friends with Marty. Brian has the confidence and quite a bit of maturity for his age. It is my hope and I really do THINK if Brian was the man that Mike Brown would put in a bit more effort and have more give to see the young man succeed. They would have the common bond of huge shoes to fill and he would maybe cave to Brians wishes more often than Lewis.

Plus like I said, Marty and Mike are either friends or on friendly terms, forget which but they've known one another for years. Brian would have his father to lean on, a sort of "hey I need this, how to I approach it with Mikey?" Better yet and strictly a wet dream of mine would be Brian convinces Brown to make his father a GM/Consultant to help out with talent acquisition.

As for Seely I would at least consider risking it. Especially if Mangini and McDaniels get themselves fired. They're good coordinators and as we seen, Belichick doesn't bring back assistants after they leave. Seely would quite possibly name McDaniels his OC and Mangini his DC, deferring to them in those aspects. That would be a really good situation to be in.

The other reason to consider risking it is that system is a taylor made fit for the Bengals. Mike Browns biggest folly was not going after Belichick who is the GM, HC, DC and OC all in one. But aside from them part of the system is consistently turning over the bottom of the roster and digging through UDFA's to coach up every year. It's a pretty thrifty system that IF we could get someone in here to install it the right way we'd be in great shape for years.

Grimm might be the tough taskmaster that they need. And he too has some cred being part of the Hogs. The Steeler revenge factor is always good motivation for the coach and the team. It worked when they hired Forrest Gregg after he was fired by the Browns.

But before that takes place though I think the team needs to decide what they are going to be in the future. Are they going to be the Steelers or the Ravens on defense or the Colts or the 1988 Bengals on offense or something else?

Yeah, i'm kind of waffling on who i'd prefer between Grimm and other candidates. He has NFL cred, he's tough as nails, knows offense and HATES the Steelers for what they did to him. He's also confident enough and vocal enough to go toe to toe with Brown.

It's a tough decision but the main reason I keep waffling is... The Steelers made this guy Cowhers successor. They only went to Tomlin because of NFL pressure. If the Steelers chose this guy he's GOTTA have it going on. Plus indeed, we need a tough taskmaster in here and he's off the Cowher tree. Maybe this should be the pick.

Without a doubt the team needs to decide their identity. That WAS left up to Lewis when he came in, he could just never decide. I would say the more important issue would be find someone who has a system and go full bore with whatever it is. If for example it's Grimm, his style is the Cowher Steelers so run with that. Let him pick the staff he needs as well as the players he needs.

Marvin has had three DC's during his tenure. People can blame Mike Zimmer but most of the guys were drafted when Chuckie Cheese was the DC. Zim was able to bring in a few FA's like Tank and RoyW but to me they are stop gaps. But the continual trait of drafting tweeners (Pollack, M. Johnson) or trying to convert them has to stop. Find a system and stick with it on defense. 3-4, 4-3, zone blitz or whatever. This is why I think they might give Zimmer a shot of Marvin is no longer the coach. Give him a chance to draft his own guys and craft his own defense.

On offense, Brat has to go. The offense has gotten stale and predictable and they too need to decide what they will be going forward. Run oriented, pass happy or what? The run seemed to work last year but the line is suspect. Carson is more of a rhythm passer and is not so good during those long spells of just handing off the ball then having to make a key pass or throw. I think that ambiguity has killed them offensively.

Skipping ahead: No on Hue Jackson as HC. He isn't ready to be a head coach yet plus there are better candidates.

Backtracking: If you asked me a year ago I would have told you we need to promote Zimmer to HC. I no longer will say that. For one big reason; Zimmer and Bratkowski are good friends. They hang out together, their families vacation together. Brat NEEDS to go. If Zimmer is handed the reigns he isn't going to ask for his friend to be replaced. Zimmer being promoted is a virtual lock Bratkowski and others keep their jobs.

Sometimes continuity is good. Other times it isn't and this is a case I would firmly state it ISN'T a good thing. Everything is stale right now, the entire staff has grown complacent as have the players and this team needs a big shake up. Clean slate, new system, new coaches, fresh ideas across the board. Were in a funk and the players aren't believing so it might just be what we need.

[Horsemen]

Limit your list above to those who realistically have no shot at any other job first, like Marvin when he was hired(or Coslet, or Shula, or Lebeau, who had/has no other shot at being a HC either).

I'd cut out hot college coaching candidates as well, they're already in better gigs.

Marvin's two playoff losses, two winning seasons, and ability to not go 2-14 every other year, in almost a decade of coaching here, can probably be viewed as a moderate success.

In fairness both Tom Coughlin and Marvin Lewis were hot prospects with shots at going elsewhere. The difference between then and now? We've had winning seasons since and we have more talent on this team. All the above mentioned candidates are realistic. Some are longshots, others will look at the roster, see what they'll have to work with and want to try their luck with it. The only really iffy ones are Ferentz and Harbaugh.

As for Lewis being looked at as a success, taking his entire body of work i'd call that a failure.

[w8th]

"The difference between then and now? We've had winning seasons since and we have more talent on this team."

Maybe.. let's see...

CB - Three very good CB's (of course one is in the last year of his contract and one has a neck injury)

S - Old, often injured and nearing the end.

LB. - Young - don't seem to make plays very often.

DL - Couldn't rush the passer if their life depended on it.

QB - who knows... Maybe a new OC and scheme could revive a once promising career.

RB - solid

TE - young and promising - still too early to tell

WR - two are old and near (if not at) the end. A rookie looks very promising as a slot receiver

OL - looks mediocre at times, struggles more often than not...

It all goes back to too many low round busted draft picks. Some due to injury, some due to poor drafting.

Compared to when Marvin got here..

OL was better, he knew we had the number one pick and could get Palmer. Dillon is similar to Benson. CB's definitely better. Really I think the talent level is probably about the some. Better in some areas, worse in others.

Opinions.

If I were guessing on the next coach it would be Hue Jackson. History with the club and probably no other options as a head coach. Plus his offense in Oakland is clicking right now.

[MARVIN=W'S]

Realistic options-

Paul Alexander

Bob Bratkowski

Ken Zampese

Mike Zimmer

Does that get anyone exited? Didn't think so...

Bengals 2011 get your season tickets now!!

[ShulaSteakhouse]

Limit your list above to those who realistically have no shot at any other job first, like Marvin when he was hired(or Coslet, or Shula, or Lebeau, who had/has no other shot at being a HC either).

I'd cut out hot college coaching candidates as well, they're already in better gigs.

Marvin's two playoff losses, two winning seasons, and ability to not go 2-14 every other year, in almost a decade of coaching here, can probably be viewed as a moderate success.

In fairness both Tom Coughlin and Marvin Lewis were hot prospects with shots at going elsewhere. The difference between then and now? We've had winning seasons since and we have more talent on this team. All the above mentioned candidates are realistic. Some are longshots, others will look at the roster, see what they'll have to work with and want to try their luck with it. The only really iffy ones are Ferentz and Harbaugh.

As for Lewis being looked at as a success, taking his entire body of work i'd call that a failure.

Not to be snarky but let's live in reality:

Name one single other team that legitimately was interested in Marvin Lewis as a HC at the time...there weren't any. He had been passed over for years...for a reason. Like the Bengals' free agents, they target guys they don't have to negotiate with, nor who are in high demand, if in any demand at all.

The Bengals' kicked the tires on Coughlin and quickly dismissed him as a candidate after one interview when he said he wanted some things changed before considering the position. He would've never come here under the circumstances.

Marvin Lewis was desperate for a HC position. Coslet and Lebeau basically did it as a favor to the Brown family, and hell one "quit" to retire out of frustration, which is unheard of in the NFL.

That Marvin didn't completely destroy his career here is why I view it as a moderate success. LeBeau was the one guy who could still fall back on a DC position after returning for his brief tenure here. Marvin could possibly do the same or catch on as a consultant or head scout somewhere.

Of course Marvin's over-all record is a failure, no one here succeeds, no one has under Mike Brown, ever, and they never will. We're just hoping he steps down or passes on before we all do.

[Horsemen]

Not to be snarky but let's live in reality:

That's exactly where I am living.

Name one single other team that legitimately was interested in Marvin Lewis as a HC at the time...there weren't any.

WRONG. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The final two were Jon Gruden and Marvin Lewis. Had a trade not been possible for Gruden it's a fact Lewis would have been their Head Coach. Luckily for them Al Davis is a dumbass and traded them Gruden. Unfortunate for us we gave Lewis a job.

The Bengals' kicked the tires on Coughlin and quickly dismissed him as a candidate after one interview when he said he wanted some things changed before considering the position. He would've never come here under the circumstances.

Quickly dismissed? I thought you wanted to hang out in reality? Mike Brown wanted Coughlin and was ready to hand him the job. Pumpkin and Troy Boy wanted Lewis talking Mikey into bringing the guy here.

Anticipating the day she fully takes over, yet?

Look, the guy at the time was considered the hot candidate. Teams were interviewing him and interested in the guy when we were and he came a breath away from taking over for Dungy in TB. That's not to say he would have reached success there, that's just to say there was legit interest including from a team that was in the playoffs in the few years prior. If the fact they traded for someone else means Lewis sucked and wasn't a good enough candidate for you? Well then what's your issue with my list? Brian Schottenheimer, Russ Grimm, Ron Rivera and Brian Billick? All four have recently came a hairs breath away from HC jobs, being in the top two(or offered a spot)only to barely miss out. That would put them in the same boat as Lewis in your eyes, no?

[BengalPimp]

If Marvin is gone after the season, they should hire Phil Jackson. The dude has 11 rings and has said this is his last year Coaching Basketball.....

What's that you say? He has no football knowledge? Well, that didn't stop Mikey from hiring Shula...or even Coslet...

Seriously though, I think Mikey gives Marvin an extension. Think about it.....Hiring a new Head Coach means Mike Brown will actually have to make a difficult decision....His dumbass will take the easy way out and extend Marvin....

That said, i still believe Marvin will be a successful NFL coach, unfortunately it will probably be with another Team.

[Horsemen]

Moving along....

It seems time to throw on a few more candidates to hopefully consider. First things first: Look, we all KNOW it's a long shot. It's a very small chance that Mike Brown changes anything and there's a likelyhood either Lewis returns OR Brown promotes one of our assistants. Take that as read. This threads about the OTHER 5%. The 5% chance Mike Brown goes looking for a head coach outside of the current staff, wanting to make changes no matter how small they are. The candidates I list are the ones we would realistically have SOME sort of shot at. A few are long shots, a few are possible. Now let's get restarted...

Rob Ryan- There's alot of hype lately for the guy. This one is a tough one to peg as good or bad. The drawback is he's just now a candidate, mainly because of his twin brothers success. As we've seen, NOBODY is a bigger believer in that than Mike Brown. There's also the deal that he's never really produced an elite unit. Of course you have to take into consideration the guy has been DC of the Raiders and Browns and done well in both.

The pros would be he's the perfect mix of coach, he is a hardass that the players love and play hard for. He's excellent at coaching up players, he's a pretty smart guy and he's very fiery, just like his brother. He would bring with him a certain swagger that would become the identity of the team. He also believes in the core fundamental of success, you build your team with hardworking, high character, high motor smart players. Obviously none of that is a guarantee of success. Nothing is.

As for the chances at signing him? He wanted the Raiders head coaching job last year. If he's willing to coach the Raiders? Yeah, he'd be willing to come here and coach.

Mike Pettine- The current defensive coordinator of the NY Jets. Made his splash into consideration through turning the 16th ranked Jets defense into the #1 ranked Defense in one season through coaching and despite only adding two new starters to the lineup. What's most impressive is as part of that he improved their passing defense from 29th to 1st, receiving defense from 29th to 1st, improved on first downs from 24th to 1st, 3rd downs from 14th to 1st and from 29th to 10th in 4th down conversions ALL in his first season as DC.

The two big drawbacks on the guy are that he came from the same team as Lewis and he's only been a DC for two seasons for the Jets. Prior to that he was the OLB coach for the Ravens. HOWEVER although he lacks alot of DC experience he is highly regarded for his innovative football mind developing the computer based programs the Ravens use. Part of his expertise was assisting in the developing of the Ravens defensive playbooks as well as making up their scouting reports, and game tape for the coaches to work. Although a young DC with 2 years of experience with success he has experience with scouting as well as part of the head coach duties. A gentleman definitely worth looking into.

Jason Garrett- AKA the Iceman. Why the Iceman? For the last several seasons Jason Garrett was one of the hottest HC candidates in the NFL. Two years after being made the highest paid coordinator in the NFL and hand picked successor to Wade Phillips, now Garrett is on his way out of Dallas and out in the cold. It is for that reason he makes the list. Frankly nobody else is likely to offer him a head coaching job. The positive? Up until this season his offensive units were some of the best in the NFL. His playcalling wasn't bad. Negative? His playcalling has been horrible this season. The magic could be wore off or he's play calling his way out of Dallas. This one is a possibility to be explored.

[Horsemen]

If Marvin is gone after the season, they should hire Phil Jackson. The dude has 11 rings and has said this is his last year Coaching Basketball.....

What's that you say? He has no football knowledge? Well, that didn't stop Mikey from hiring Shula...or even Coslet...

Seriously though, I think Mikey gives Marvin an extension. Think about it.....Hiring a new Head Coach means Mike Brown will actually have to make a difficult decision....His dumbass will take the easy way out and extend Marvin....

That said, i still believe Marvin will be a successful NFL coach, unfortunately it will probably be with another Team.

Couple things....

1: As I said earlier, Mike Brown wanted Tom Coughlin who is currently admiring his shiny ring and trophy. Unfortunately he listened to his daughter. My faith is coming from a place that had Brown went with his gut the last time we would have picked the right coach.

2: Lewis is unlikely to even sniff another HC job anytime soon much less to great success. He still can't manage a game to save his life nor call the right plays.

3: For those reasons alone he will likely to return, bringing us back to the days of celebrating 8-8 seasons like Colts fans celebrate 14-2 seasons.

[ShulaSteakhouse]

Grrr, Coughlin wasn't hired, because he wanted additions/changes (such as a better video room/equipment) and would not take the job unless his contract had that included, among a couple of others things reportedly. That was an immediate problem and things went nowhere. This was widely reported. I don't know about all the personal family drama, I think that's speculation.

Marvin wasn't a serious candidate for any HC jobs at the time he worked out the contract with the Bengals, and had been passed over for every available job, that was his position at the time. The Bucs' ownership didn't want him, he had nothing left.

My point is that he had no bargaining power, Coughlin did, guess which one the Bengals' went for?

It will be the same thing in the future, so thoughts of hot college coaches or even NFL assistants or big name coaches coming here, are highly improbable.

You have Paul Alexander and Mike Zimmer to choose from, unless the Brown family gives Marvin the keys or makes major changes, which never happens.

PS - I know Marvin turned down the Michigan State job and much more money than the Bengals would give him, but he had already made that decision to stay in the NFL, so it wasn't a factor here.

[kingwilly]

In the theme of the thread, who will be fired first:

1. Wade Philips

2. Brad Childress

3. Marvin Lewis

4. John Fox

[BengalszoneBilly]

In the theme of the thread, who will be fired first:

1. Wade Philips

2. Brad Childress

3. Marvin Lewis

4. John Fox

Wade Phillips for sure.

[DC_Bengals_Fan]

In the theme of the thread, who will be fired first:

1. Wade Philips

2. Brad Childress

3. Marvin Lewis

4. John Fox

Wade Phillips for sure.

Chilly's got to be gone too. That presser last night where he took a swipe at Favre and then pretended it was a joke was completely bizarre.

[COB]

Mike Brown wanted Coughlin and was ready to hand him the job. Pumpkin and Troy Boy wanted Lewis talking Mikey into bringing the guy here.

Is this true? I can't remember this, though I've seen it promoted on this board a couple times. I'd really like to know if any legitimate media reported this as being true.

[BengalszoneBilly]

In the theme of the thread, who will be fired first:

1. Wade Philips

2. Brad Childress

3. Marvin Lewis

4. John Fox

Wade Phillips for sure.

Called it!

Wade Phillips fired by Cowboys after 3 1/2 seasons as coach

By Cindy Boren

Wade Phillips has been fired as coach of the Dallas Cowboys by Jerry Jones.

Jason Garrett, the offensive coordinator and occasional heir apparent, will be the interim coach. He's long been a hot commodity as a head-coaching candidate and has been paid like a head coach by Jones in order to keep him on staff. Now he gets his chance to try to turn around the Cowboys with half the season remaining. The regime chance was first reported by Bill Jones of Dallas' CBS affiliate.

Phillips, 63, was 34-22 in his fourth season as the team's coach; more significantly, he was 0-2 in the playoffs. Momentum for his firing had been picking up speed and comes on the heels of the Cowboy's 45-7 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night.

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