With a 3-6-1 record, the local media may still be afraid to call out Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, but, ESPN talking head Stephen A. Smith sure isn’t.
“14 years? How in God’s name do you still have the head coaching job?” Smith said of Lewis following Sunday’s 16-12 loss to the Bills. “I’m not saying he doesn’t know football, I’m not saying he can’t coach. Your record has to count for something. And you still don’t have one playoff victory on your resume. It’s the epitome of mediocrity.”
Smith also acknowledged he’s glad the people in Cincinnati are finally paying attention to him saying this.
I’m the last person to buy into something that Smith says. But, this is actually a pretty fair argument from Smith. The Bengals’ one-and-done playoff appearances are the epitome of mediocrity. How much longer can the Bengals employ someone who has spent over a decade as the head coach and hasn’t notched one playoff win? As Smith says, what other team would allow that?
Molly Qerim did make it known that the only head coach with more seasons coached without a playoff win is Jim Mora. Mora holds the NFL record for career regular-season wins (125) without a playoff victory. He was a head coach in the NFL for 15 years with the Saints and Colts and notched zero playoff wins during that span. Lewis is currently in his 14th season as head coach. Hopefully, the Bengals don’t let him get to 15 seasons without a playoff victory.
Smith believes the Bengals should fire Lewis right now. Which I certainly don’t agree with. Who could do better and would be available immediately to coach the team for the next six weeks? But, his thoughts about the Bengals continuing to employ someone who has shown to be nothing more than average are pretty accurate.
First Take co-host Max Kellerman said he didn’t agree Lewis should be fired immediately, but at the close of the season.
“What about the citizens of Cincinnati,” Smith reasoned, “does anyone care?”
What do you think about Smith’s latest rant, “citizens of Cincinnati”? Do you care?