FanPost

Defending the Marvin Lewis Extension to those who don't understand

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This is the old glass half empty, glass half full debate. They say "you settle for mediocrity", we say "at least it's not the 90's". They say "he hasn't won a playoff game", we say "at least we made the playoffs". My point is they don't walk our journey they don't know. Marvin is the best thing since sliced bread. They can come up with half empty statistics and I can come up with half full ones.

The Bengals are 1 of 10 teams that have made the playoffs 2 out of the last 3 seasons. That's right! Recent history.. "What have you done for me lately" logic suggest the Bengals are in the top 1/3 of the NFL in successfully making the playoffs. Three visits since 2005 with 2 division titles in which one we swept the entire division (Marvin is 10-8 against the deadly Ravens). When you look at his entire career with Bengals. Instead of saying "he has a losing record" try saying "He's had 3 losing seasons out of 9". One of which was without a "franchise" QB at the time.

Hopefully some of you get the point. That as Bengals fans we're an optimistic group. We have to be to survive our fandom. That optimism is carried differently by each and everyone of us. I'm more of a "skeptical optimistic" fan. I generally can't stand to hear the spun stats that favor the Bengals. The exact ones I'm using in this post. However Bengal Nation is a lot like a family to me. It's okay for me to beat you guys up but when someone else does it I'm going to defend you. On top of that I really do believe in Marvin Lewis and always have.

We hear Mike Brown talk of continuity and Steeler/Raven fans laugh at that because our continuity in there eyes is to continue being crappy. I see stuff like this on PFT

Yeah he has a losing record but he’s making progress. Continuity is what this franchise needs. Baby steps, Cincy, baby steps.

Well.. Yea.. Continuity is what we need after a visit to the playoffs with a young team. If you don't think we should continue with Marvin and continue with what we accomplished after last year than what the F!@# do you suggest we do? If the Steelers wouldn't have practiced continuity in down years they would have let Bill "the Chin" Cowher go after the 1999 season.. After all he had accumulated two back to back losing seasons. And if not then, maybe a year later after a "mediocre" 9-7 team that finished 3rd in the division and failed to make it to the playoffs for a third season in a row. Or maybe they would have had enough after going 6-10 in 2003? Obviously, if they would have given up at these depressing times they wouldn't have obtained, in 2005, their first Lombardi Trophy in modern era football. That's right... The first Super Bowl Victory for the team since 1979.

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The point is... You have to stick through the bad to get to the good. It's hard to justify "continuity" after a bad season. It's merely dumb and almost down right retarded not to practice it after a good one. You know the old saying "If ain't broke don't fix it".. Well as much as the fan bases for other teams would like to think the Bengals are broke.. Recent times suggest they're not and that they're getting better. If the Bengals were ever in circumstances where "continuity" is needed... Those circumstances are unraveling as we speak.. They have a very young, talented, and most importantly SUCCESSFUL ball team. I think it would be pretty damn stupid to go and split that up. And I think anyone that suggests Mike Brown was stupid for continuing with Marvin Lewis, is pretty damn stupid themselves... I do know one thing for certain, and I'm sure a lot of you are with me... I sure as hell don't want to go back to the kind of success we had under guys like Dick Lebeau.. Pittsburgh can keep that.. I'll take Marvin Lewis, his relationship with Mike Brown and his all star group of coordinators over that any day of the week.

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This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Cincy Jungle's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan, which is as important as the views of Cincy Jungle's writers or editors.