Marvin has got to go...
Marvin has lost the team...
Marvin can't take us to that next level...
These are comments from many fans. The reason for the ferocious demand to see Marvin go? Well, the issues range from game management to personnel choices. Game management is a valid argument. But personnel decisions? Not even Lewis can predict such a dynamic future. He can't judge a player's health according to Nostradamus logs. Nor can he judge a player's past conduct as the sole reason for not picking someone up. Talent? Yea, I can agree there. As much as many demand that the team become the beacon of moral values, Lewis is much more concerned with winning -- at any cost. And with reason. That's his job. If he doesn't produce wins, the moral character of a select few never enters the equation -- though it's a big talking point for the anti-Lewis crowd.
Here's the thing. If Lewis is let go, what's the solution? So your homework this week is to project a Bengals organization, post-Lewis and tell me... who the Bengals will select as the next head coach. If we're so eager to promote the firing of one, then surely you have a solution. Right? I mean, you're not just mindlessly promoting firing Lewis simply to fire him, are you? You're not telling me that post-Lewis, without a head coach, is better than now, are you?
I do believe that this team needs to make sweeping changes. Perhaps even take a step back in 2008 to take two steps forward in 2009. Here's an interesting thought, wouldn't there be a lot of addition by subtraction? Consider that Justin Smith, Bryan Robinson, Landon Johnson, Rashad Jeanty (RFA) and Madieu Williams will be without contract for 2008. The future of Odell Thurman's role with Cincinnati needs to be determined, again, and the search for a Deltha O'Neal trade-suitor should be high on the "honey-do" list. No matter what I think, this team must change. Perhaps, radically.
More Nostradamus thinking from Dayton Daily News.
The NFL Network was set up for a big victory on Saturday, especially in the Midwest. Because snow, rain, ice and general weather doom caused many to stay home for the evening, they couldn't have traveled to the local bar or friend's house with DirecTV to see the NFL Network game. Realizing they really were missing out by not having the NFL Network on cable, that group might've been more motivated to cry foul to the cable companies.
And what was the game they missed? Cincinnati at San Francisco, the equivalent of Fading Interest at Who Cares. These football fans cuddling with loved ones under blankets or searching for 1,000th-repeat TBS movies weren't saying to themselves, "Gee, sure wish I had that football game tonight I can't get out to see." Instead, it was "When are the Patriots on?"
- The NFL schedules the games in advance. There's no way they could have determined if the game would have been between two teams with a combined 8-18 record heading into Saturday's game.
- While the NFL truly believes that are far beyond the power of God, they still can't force the hand of a weather front.
- No matter what the match-up, people just don't care about the NFL Network as most NFL executives and owners think that it's first and foremost in our nightly television schedules. Especially when many families sat at home on Saturday night watching movies.
YES, the Dolphins won.
I have to give credit to the Ravens. They've been the Bengals' best friends this season. Not only have 40% of our victories come against the Ravens, but they got beat by the one team that most Bengals fans feared. The now-not winless Miami Dolphins.
...and other NFL stuff.
Without a game Sunday, the networks in Cincinnati gave us some intriguing (not really) games. When I saw Cleveland's field for the Browns win over the Bills, I was pumped. I hate football being this suddenly pristine sport. Slop, freezing cold, snow and gail-force winds are always a variable that football fans love.
What I also got to see, was every single NFC East team playing against each other. The Eagles defense dominated Tony Romo to the tune of a 22.2 passer rating and the Washington Redskins' Clinton Portis took it to the New York Giants -- who don't look like a playoff team. What I also got to see was Brett Favre's record-breaking short slant pass to become the league's all-time yardage leader and another second half meltdown by the St. Louis Rams.
All in all, not a bad Sunday.