Marvin Lewis, Pitt Football and the Bengals: A Coach Who Knows When To Jump Ship

Marvin Lewis has had it with Mike Brown and it sounds like he's turning his eyes towards Pitt and its football dilemma.

Things haven't been hunky dory in Cincinnati this season, what with this 4-12 followup to 2009 when Marv was named NFL Coach of the Year and the season ending loss to the Ravens on Sunday.

This season was as ugly as the Bengal uniforms and it sounds like Lewis has had it.

Reports have Lewis interested in the University of Pittsburgh job that became vacant under bizarre circumstances this past week.

Mike Hayward lasted all of 17 days with the Panthers, canned after his episode in South Bend that led to his arrest on domestic violence charges and they plopped him in the pokey before he finally posted bail, then found out that the folks at Pitt wanted nothing to do with him and the cloud of allegations that suddenly formed around him.

The opening has the attention of Lewis, who has a 60-66-1 resume in eight seasons with the Bengals. Lewis didn't sign an offered extension after last season and he's now demanding an upgrade to the facilities and the player personnel department there in Cincy—suggestions that won't sit well with owner Mike Brown.

It's not as though Lewis has any kind of leverage after this stinker of a season that saw a team that was supposed to be a playoff contender slip into the despair that goes with these kind of performances.

Sounds like Marv doesn't want to contemplate a high draft choice, sounds like he'd rather get off this listing ship of a franchise and get a fresh start on the collegiate level.

It's probably a good scenario for both situations.

Brown can dig up some unsuspecting NFL assistant and let him deal with the mess while Lewis can ride into Pittsburgh and bring the prestige of his National Football League career with him.

Let's face it, Pitt has a lot of egg to wipe off its face with the Hayward situation. It turned out to be a school's worst nightmare and its not like the Panthers have been getting covert calls from Jim Harbaugh telling them how much he'd like to coach in the Big East.

Lewis, like most of us, had most likely grown weary of the TO/Ocho Cinco Comedy Hour and the Panthers represent a good opportunity in a football-crazy town and just happen to be in a BCS conference.

Time to get off the wreck of the Cincinnati-Fitzgerald?

Apparently, Lewis thinks so and a change of scenery might do him good.