Marvin Lewis’ 2nd Chance Players Fittingly Ruined Bengals Season

Back in the 1970s, the Oakland Raiders under owner Al Davis became known as the “halfway house of the NFL.”  In other words they were a team that embraced giving players who were oddities, malcontents or even part-time criminals a chance to save their careers donning the Silver and Black.  All that mattered is whether they had the talent to play good football.

It’s hard to argue with the results.  Despite being the most penalized team in the league at that time, they won three Super Bowls from 1976 to 1983 and were constant playoff contenders.  Fast forward to the new millennium and there’s no doubt the team that has taken the torch of that philosophy is the Cincinnati Bengals.  Head coach Marvin Lewis has signed or drafted several players who have questionable backgrounds on and off the field, believing enough in his convictions and coaching that he could get them to play like top professionals.

It worked for a time.  Cincinnati has made the playoffs seven times under his direction with players like Chad Johnson, Tank Johnson, Vontaze Burfict and Adam “Pacman” Jones having a huge hand in the success.  Players who also had run-ins with law enforcement.  At the same time, many people wondered how long it would be before this willingness to offer such a long leash would come back to bite him.  In the wild card playoff against Pittsburgh, the answer finally came out as Burfict and Jones combined to cost Lewis is first-ever postseason victory.

Leading 16-15, the Bengals still held the Steelers outside field goal range with just seconds remaining.  A Ben Roethlisberger pass sailed too high for Antonio Brown but Burfict, either unable or unwilling to stop, capped a reckless and dirty performance by nailing the receiver in the head.  That produced a 15-yard personal foul.  Not to be outdone, Jones got into an argument with Pittsburgh linebackers coach Joey Porter, a known instigator dating back to his playing days.  Jones snapped at the bait and produced another 15-yard penalty.  The Steelers wasted no time kicking the winning chip shot field goal.

Will the Cincinnati Bengals fire Marvis Lewis for what is now an 0-7 record in the playoffs as head coach?  Well they didn’t the first six times, so that’s a tough sell.  No, what he should be fired for is not understanding that this is a different era of NFL football and players like that, while still human beings, more often than not don’t change.  They were bound to screw up eventually, and it seems so poetic they did so at the worst possible time.