CINCINNATI (AP)Marvin Lewis showed up for his first news
conference as the Bengals head coach in 2003 wearing his Baltimore Ravens Super
Bowl ring.Every time he waved his right
hand
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the 200 diamonds gleamed yellow and white in the bright television lights.It was
more than an eye-catching fashion statement. Lewis was setting the bar high for
himself and his team.¡±It¡¯s for a reason,¡± Lewis said. ¡±What I¡¯m going to hammer
home to our guys is that we¡¯re not that far away.¡±Fifteen years later,
postseason success is even farther away for the Bengals, who haven¡¯t won a
playoff game since the 1990 season.Yet Lewis is still in Cincinnati, getting
another chance ¨C his 16th and counting ¨C to deliver on the optimism he flashed
that January day so long ago. He has the second-longest current tenure in the
NFL, trailing only New England¡¯s Bill Belichick, who has won five Super
Bowls.It¡¯s highly unusual for a coach to stay with any team so long, something
that Lewis fully appreciates.¡±I think a lot of people talk about it quite a
bit
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to do that.¡±In the quick-to-change NFL, it¡¯s shocking for a coach to stay with a
team so long with so little success. The Bengals have reached the playoffs seven
times in Lewis¡¯ 15 seasons, losing every time. They made the playoffs five
straight seasons from 2011-15 and lost in the first round each time, setting an
NFL record with their five straight quick exits.Lewis¡¯ 0-7 coaching mark in the
playoffs is the worst for any coach in NFL history. Yet, he got a two-year
contract extension at the end of last season from owner Mike Brown, who is
averse to change and thinks Lewis has done a good job despite the results. The
Bengals are coming off back-to-back losing seasons.¡±We remember the five
previous seasons we got to the playoffs,¡± Brown said. ¡±I don¡¯t think there¡¯s
convincing evidence we can¡¯t get the job done around here. I think it¡¯s to the
contrary. And we¡¯ll see how it turns out.¡±I put my bet down and I¡¯m going to
ride on it, and people can judge when it¡¯s run its course.¡±As another losing
season wound down last
year
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Lewis was uncertain about whether he¡¯d return. The Bengals beat the Lions and
the Ravens to finish the season at 7-9, and Brown was convinced to stick with
him for two more years.¡±They were high-level teams giving it their best effort,
and we beat both of them,¡± said Brown of two teams that finished 9-7 and missed
the playoffs. The Lions fired Jim Caldwell after the season.The Bengals finished
last in the league on offense ¨C a franchise first ¨C and the defense slipped to
30th in the league against the run, its worst ranking since 1998. Brown thinks
the team came close to having a successful season, and he held his index finger
and thumb a half-inch apart to make his point.¡±Sometimes we fell short by about
that far,¡± he said. ¡±Nobody wants to remember that, either. We know that we have
to do better ¨C
believe
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where we can rebound best, rebound quickest with Marvin.¡±EIFERT OUT: Tight end
Tyler Eifert was among a group of players who worked out on a side field
Thursday while the rest of the team practiced. Eifert was limited to two games
last season because of a recurring back problem that required surgery. He signed
a one-year contract for 2018 and missed minicamp. Eifert declined to comment as
he left the field. Linebacker Vontaze Burfict also worked out on the side field.
He¡¯ll miss the first four games of the season on a suspension for violating the
NFL¡¯s policy on performance-enhancers.NOT YET READY: Receiver Devonte Boyd,
cornerback Davontae Harris, H-back Ryan Hewitt, guard Christian Westerman and
safety Tyrice Beverette also are being held out of practice as they recover from
injuries. In addition, the Bengals put offensive tackle Javarius Leamon on the
list of players who didn¡¯t report for camp, and they signed receiver Jared
Murphy.FIRST INJURY: Guard Rod Taylor injured his right knee during practice and
was taken off the field on a cart. Taylor is a seventh-round pick from
Mississippi.¡ª From the
outside
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the more dysfunctional organizations in the NFL. General manager Dave Gettleman
has been turned into a punchline after saying he won¡¯t trade Odell Beckham Jr.,
then promptly trading Odell Beckham Jr. Then he promptly went and made the shock
of the draft, taking Duke quarterback Daniel Jones much to the surprise of
everyone. The results have been predictable. The Giants are 2-5, bereft of
talent and already out of the national spotlight before November. But is it all
really as bad as it looks? Detroit Lions fans are well aware that the national
perception can often be wrong or misleading. So this week, we brought in Chris
Pflum¡ªwriter for Big Blue View¡ªto set the record straight. Is the future that
dark in New York? Is there anything or anyone to be worried about this week?
What happened to the Danny Dimes of three weeks ago?All that and more on this
week¡¯s First Byte preview podcast! Download and subscribe to the podcast on your
favorite audio platform: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher |
iHeartRadioThis week on First Byte:Is it truly a full rebuild for the Giants or
could they become contenders quick?On a scale of 1 to Matt Millen: How much do
Giants fans hate Dave Gettleman? Strengths and weaknesses of Daniel JonesInjury
update: How is Sterling Shepard progressing? Is Saquon Barkley the same guy
after his ankle injury? We discuss keys to the game: How to stop TE Evan Engram?
Can Giants make Matthew Stafford uncomfortable? Will the Lions ever be able to
run the ball again?PREDICTIONS!