Should Mike Brown Fire Marvin Lewis?

Should Mike Brown fire Marvin Lewis? This is a question that many fans in Cincinnati are asking these days. After an 0-4 start to the 08' season, it appears Marvin Lewis is now officially on the hot seat, or is he?

If you following the Cincinnati Bengals closely, as I do, you know that the answer to this question is not as obvious as one may think. The majority of Bengal fans will tell you that Marvin Lewis MUST go, but does owner Mike Brown feel the same way? I believe his father, Paul Brown, would agree with the masses, but why doesn't Mike? What is it that Mike Brown sees in Marvin Lewis that makes him want to keep the guy around another season as head coach? Does he see some glimmer of hope in the 0-4 start that we don't?

First, before I start ripping Marvin apart, I will admit that up until last season Marvin Lewis has done an outstanding job turning this franchise around. In 2003, when Lewis was hired as head coach, he took over a team that had no concept of winning. His job wasn't just to come in and coach a football team, he was asked to changed the culture in Cincinnati, a city that only experienced 52 wins in the entire decade of the 90's. I think he has been pretty successful in doing that.

In Marvin's first season with the Bengals he posted an 8-8 season after the team went 2-14 the year before, a significant improvement considering the franchise hadn't reached the 500 mark since 1996. One key factor in Marvin's success was Mike Brown's willingness to let Marvin Lewis run the organization as he wanted, something that Mike Brown hadn't done since taking over the franchise in 1991. The phrase "In Marvin we trust" was being recited around Cincinnati as if it became the official motto of the city.

In 2004, Marvin's second season with the Bengals, he handed the keys to the offense over to 2003 first overall pick Carson Palmer. There were certainly some growing pains expected with Palmer, but the team still managed to go 8-8 after Palmer didn't take a single snap at quarterback his rookie season. Palmer ended his first season completing 263/432 passes for 2,897 yards with 18 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. Palmer first season as starting quarterback sparked an excitement the city hadn't seen since reaching the Super Bowl in 1988.

In Marvin's third season as head coach in 2005, the team made the Playoff's for the first time in 15 years. However, this is also when things started to go south for Lewis. On the second play of the AFC Wild Card game against their divisional rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Palmer was hit by Steeler DT (and former Bengal) Kimo von Oelhoffen, tearing Palmer's MCL, ACL and PCL. Many thought Palmer would never play again.

Rumors also surfaced that during halftime of the 2005 Wild Card game star wide receiver Chad Johnson was involved in an altercation with head coach Marvin Lewis and had to be restrained by wide receiver coach Hue Jackson, now quarterbacks coach with the Baltimore Ravens. This was an early indication of things to come in the Marvin Lewis era.

After a remarkable recovery, Carson Palmer didn't miss a single regular season game during the 2006 season. However, it wouldn't be the performance of Marvin's starting QB that raised questions, it was his teams performance off the field that caused concern. In total the Bengals have had ten players arrested under Marvin Lewis, nine of which Lewis drafted himself. Several were suspended by the league for multiple games, most prominent being WR Chris Henry, who one Hamilton County judge called a "One Man Crime Spree."

To make matters worse, in the second game of 2006, David Pollack, the Bengals first round draft choice in 2005 (17th overall) broke his neck and never played another down in the NFL. Things started to crumble from there.

Since the Bengals playoff appearance in 2005, the Bengals have finished with records of 8-8 in 2006, 7-9 in 2007 and are off to and 0-4 start in 2008. The decision to fire Marvin Lewis rests solely in the hands of owner Mike Brown.

Why the Bengals SHOULD fire Mike Brown:

1. Marvin has lost this team!

I believe it is apparent after watching Chad Johnson's media circus all off-season that there is obviously something wrong internally. To cause a player, who at one time was one of the NFL's most well respected, to speak out in the manner that he did against this organization....there has to be some serious bad blood between the two. If the once  happy Chad Johnson is upset, who is next? I am curious as to who on this team actually wants to play for Marvin Lewis? WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh is up for a new contract after this year, do you think he will re-sign with an organization with Marvin Lewis still as the head coach? I seriously don't think so! If there is any hope in keeping the core of this team in Cincinnati, it has GOT to start with the hiring of a new head coach, someone the player believe in.

2. Marvin simply doesn't know how to manage a game.

I have never, in my entire life, seen a coach mismanage a game as much as Marvin Lewis. Seriously! Marvin Lewis has made so many bad decisions since taking over in Cincinnati it isn't funny. You can count on 1 critical mistake from Marvin every game, and that is a on the low end. The most recent during the Bengals 20-12 loss against the Cleveland Browns last Sunday when the Bengals, with backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick at the helm, entered the 4th quarter with a 6-3 lead and NO TIMEOUTS! How does a coach manage to waste all his timeouts with a 6-3 lead before the 4th quarter? That is absolutely unacceptable! Maybe it would be forgivable if it happened every once in a while, but this happens all the time with Marvin Lewis as the coach! He just doesn't have enough experience as a head coach to manage a game! Some guys just make better coordinators, Marvin is one of them.

3. Doesn't have what it takes to coach under Mike Brown.

Lets face it, being an NFL head coach under Mike Brown is a very difficult thing to do. The biggest knock on Mike Brown is that he doesn't like to spend money. While that may or may not be the truth, it takes a certain kind of coach to be successful under Brown. The coach must be able to contribute in areas that many other coaches don't. There are only two teams in the NFL that don't have General Managers, the Bengals and the Oakland Raiders. Therefore, the coach must also excel in scouting college players for the NFL draft, signing free agents and hiring assistant coaches, among other things. It is apparent in the number of players that can't seem to walk the straight and narrow OFF the field that Marvin is unable to handle the load that is required of him.

Can anyone else? Up to this point, No! I would absolutely LOVE to see Mike Brown hire a GM, but until this happens Brown must find a coach that can do a better job in all areas than Marvin Lewis.

Why Mike Brown WON'T fire Marvin Lewis:

1. It's early!

What good would firing Marvin Lewis after 4 games do? Regardless of what history says, the Bengals are not out of the hunt just yet. It would be extremely hard to make the playoff's at this point but it may be too early to fire your head coach with no replacement in sight. Lets just wait and see what Marvin can do in the next 4 games. If he wins some games maybe he stays, if he continues losing he is gone by week 8.

2. Mike Brown's loyality.

As a Bengal fan I see this ALL the time! Remember back when Mike Brown released Eric Steinbach and signed Willie Anderson to an extension? Mike Brown is an extremely loyal person and that clouds his judgement when it comes to operating a football team. I see it all the time, players getting overpaid, troubled players getting NUMEROUS chances that they wouldn't receive elsewhere, old players getting extensions and the future being let go. It is sad. As I mentioned already, the Cincinnati Bengals are in DESPERATE need of a General Manager, but until that happens Mike Browns loyalty will continue clouding his judgement when it come to personnel decisions.

3. Marvin Record.

As the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals Marvin Lewis has a record of 42-42. If Robert Kraft were the owner of the Cincinnati Bengals Marvin Lewis would have been out of a job some time ago, but lets face it, we are talking about the Cincinnati Bengals. Marvins record is AMAZING considering what he has been asked to do. Again, this is the same franchise that only one 52 games in the 90's! Marvin Lewis has almost as many by himself in half the time as the organization had in the previous decade! 

4. SEASON TICKET WAITING LIST! 

Enough said! As long as their is a demand for tickets to watch the Bengals play, Marvin Lewis HAS to be doing something right in the eyes of Mike Brown. This is extremely disappointing considering there is obviously a market for professional football in Cincinnati, don't we deserve better? As long as Mike Brown continues to make money of this team in the way that he has, I wouldn't expect a change anytime soon.

But hey, there is always next year! (And next, and next, and next...)