Marvin Lewis: To Fire or Not to Fire?

There is something about the Cincinnati Bengals squad that I have not been able to figure out in the first five weeks of the 2008 season.

At times, the Bengals look awful. Words can't even describe how bad they looked against the Ravens, Browns, and Titans. It made me sick watching them play in those games.

Then again, they seem to have no problem with teams in the NFC East. If a few key plays had gone their way, the Bengals could have easily knocked off the Cowboys and Giants.

If the Bengals looked so good against the Cowboys and Giants, then how on earth are they 0-5? All eyes appear to be on Marvin Lewis.

Is it time for Lewis to go?

It sure does, if you ask me.

I'm sure there are plenty of Cincinnati fans who believe it is time for Marvin Lewis to go. There is nothing more frustrating than to have high expectations for a season only to start off 0-5.

I'll give Lewis credit where it is deserved. Lewis led the Bengals to their first winning season in 15 years back in 2005. The Bengals even had the opportunity to host a home playoff game (don't worry Bengal fans, I won't go into any more details about the game, I know how painful it still is). Unfortunately, it has been all down hill for Lewis since that 2005 season.

I'm sure most fans will agree with me, Lewis has absolutely no control over his players.  Cincinnati has had 10 players arrested over the past couple of years. No matter what Lewis does, his players just can't seem to stay out of trouble. It has gotten so bad for their players, the Bengals even made the top of the list for teams to next have a player arrested (5:1 odds, I didn't even know they had statistics like this!).

Look at the way the whole Chris Henry incident played out. If Henry learned how to stay out of trouble, he could be one of the top receivers in football. In his first two seasons in the NFL, Henry recorded 15 touchdowns, but Lewis couldn't find a way to keep Henry out of trouble.

Whether you look at the time he was pulled over for a D.U.I or the time he punched a man and threw a beer bottle at his car, Chris Henry just always seems to be getting in trouble.

When Cincinnati released Henry in March 2008 after his latest arrest, I actually thought the Bengals were finally gaining control of their players. What makes me laugh the most is that Cincinnati cut him, only to re-sign him before the start of this season.

The Tennessee Titans released Pacman (I'm sorry, I'm still not used to "Adam") Jones because of his off-the field troubles. The Philadelphia Eagles released Terrell Owens for all of the drama he was causing for the organization. This was the approach I thought the Bengals were taking.

It seems that the Bengals are becoming the team that everybody who gets in trouble can play for. Don't get me wrong, Cedric Benson has the potential to be great. Was I surprised when I saw he reached a deal with Cincinnati? Of course not. Why wouldn't the Bengals give a player who has been in trouble with the law a chance to play for their football squad?

Cincinnati's disappointing 0-5 start has fans already looking forward to next season. Many fans are wondering whether or not Lewis should be released as head coach. Even though it has only been five weeks into the season, we have already seen the firing of Lane Kiffin from the Raiders and Scott Linehan from the Rams.

So what should the Bengals do?

If you look at the situation from a positive perspective, the firing of Marvin Lewis could give the organization a chance to see a coach with more discipline. With all of the arrests the Bengals have had over the years, there obviously isn't as much discipline on that team as there should be.

Cincinnati needs to bring in somebody that will turn the franchise around and give enough discipline to keep the players in line. Between all of the players getting in trouble with the law and Ocho Cinco talking our ears off, the Bengals need to bring in a coach that knows how to keep their players in line, like a Bill Parcels.

Unfortunately, most teams who fire a coach in the middle of a season don't get a well-known available coach, such as Marty Schottenheimer, in the middle of the season. In most scenarios, most teams will hire somebody who is already on staff. Somebody who has an idea of how the team is run and can handle the position for the rest of the season. If Lewis is fired before the end of the season, I wouldn't be surprised if defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer took over.

Now from the negative perspective. If the Bengals were to fire Marvin Lewis, the new coach would be handed one messy situation. Cincinnati is already off to an 0-5 start. There is a lot of pressure on the Bengals organization to start winning.

The players who have been on the Cincinnati squad with Lewis since 2003 may have to adjust to playing under a new coach. Sometimes this can take players quite some time to get used to. Obviously, every coach has their own way of running things. There is a pretty good chance that whoever would take over would have a different approach than Lewis. Some players may like this, others may not.

No matter what happens for the rest of the season, I think it's safe to say that the Marvin Lewis era will be coming to an end if the Bengals don't make any improvements. Behind Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson, and T.J. Houshmandzadeh, the Bengals could easily have one of the best offenses in the league. Cincinnati pretty much has the same exact team as it did back in 2005 when they won the AFC North and made it to the playoffs.

There is no excuse for the Bengals to be 0-5. When a team with that type of talent struggles, the first person to blame is usually the coach. The Bengals have barely made any key changes over the years to improve their team, especially the defense. Nobody likes change, but I think it's necessary for a team like the Bengals.