Pro Football Weekly: Marvin Lewis Is A Lame Duck And Has Lost The Locker Room

While making bold predictions isn't something we do lightly, it wouldn't be that far fetched to bet the house that Marvin Lewis is spending his final season in Cincinnati. Last year's Coach of the Year winner was expected to sign an extension when his demands reportedly increased to more functioning upgrades that includes an indoor practice facility. Those demands, speaking with conjecture based on the facts we've been presented, have stalled negotiations for an extension.

Lewis, who began the year with a 56 wins, needed nine wins to become the winningest coach in Bengals history. Sam Wyche won 61 regular season games and three playoff games, giving him 64 for his career. The best Lewis can do now is tie Wyche for 64 wins and that's easily accomplished by winning out the rest of the schedule against teams like the Jets, the Saints, the Steelers, the Chargers and the Ravens.

In one Pro Football Weekly piece talking about how the Bengals (the bad version) are back.

"This is the last year of Marvin's deal, and it shows," one veteran talent evaluator told PFW. "He's a lame duck. It looks like he has lost the locker room. The players know, and they're just not laying it on the line."

Aside from the fact that if that's true, then the players not laying it on the line have zero professional pride, begging the question, why would you want them here in the first place. When asked about Lewis beyond this season, Carson Palmer deflected the question:

"I have no idea. I can't think past the New York Jets. I can't think of the end of the season, I can't think about a coaching situation, player situations, all those things will happen and unfold when it's time to happen. Right now I'm just focused on Thursday night."

In other totally related news, the Minnesota Vikings fired head coach Brad Childress on Monday.