Looking back at Marvin Lewis' drafts (Rounds 1-3)...

2003
1. Carson Palmer - franchise QB lived up to can't-miss tag before a pair of serious injuries
2. Eric Steinbach - fled to Cleveland via free-agency and proceeded to make Pro Bowl
3. Kelley Washington - team let him walk; signed w/NE and then where he became role player

2004
1. Chris Perry - managed 73 carries in 3 years for 3.3 ypc...no longer in league
2. Keiwan Ratliff - cut by Bengals and Bucs, found way to Colts' roster
2. Madieu Williams - signed in the 2008 off-season by Minnesota and been injury riddled.
3. Caleb Miller - currently out of the game, never was much of a factor
3. Landon Johnson - left for Carolina via free-agency prior to 2008

2005
1. David Pollack - career-ending neck injury right when he was ready to break out
2. Odell Thurman - has been suspsended by NFL after rookie year and never was factor again
3. Chris Henry - roller-coaster career w/much trouble with the law; died in fall from truck.

2006
1. Johnathan Joseph - proved to be lock-down defender before leaving in free agency
2. Andrew Whitworth - has been versatile, but not overwhelming; capable NFL starter
3. Frostee Rucker - developed into nice role player, but left via free agency.

2007
1. Leon Hall - has emerged as an above average corner with even more upside to grow
2. Kenny Irons - injury forced released w/out him ever playing a down

2008
1. Keith Rivers - never developed fully and was dealt to Giants for 5th Round pick
2. Jereome Simpson - signed 1-year deal w/Vikings after up-and-down 2011 campaign
3. Pat Sims - looks as if he can develop into being productive role player
3. Andre Caldwell - he's a possession receiver at best; signed by Denver before 2012 season

2009
1. Andre Smith - after a couple of disappointing seasons, he started to emerge in 2012
2. Rey Maualuga - could prove to be the biggest draft day steals in Bengals' history
3. Michael Johnson - a raw talent that is beginning to be tapped into; immense upside
3. Chase Coffman - failure to learn playbook and inability to block made him disposable 

2010
1. Jermaine Gresham - the team is hoping to pencil in him at tight end for years to come
2. Carlos Dunlap - after an explosive rookie campaign, injuries have slowed his production
3. Jordan Shipley - promising rookie injury before having an ACL injury derail his career

2011
1. AJ Green - has emerged as one of the league's elite wide receivers, two-time Pro Bowler
2. Andy Dalton - has led the Bengals to back-to-back playoff appearences.
3. Dontay Moch - broke a bone in his right foot during preseason and never got on track

2012
1. Dre Kirpatrick – the corner was limited to just five games as a rookie
1. Kevin Zeitler – hopes to go from role player to difference maker up front
2. Devon Still – a non-factor during his rookie campaign; jury still out
3. Mohamed Sanu – showed great promise before suffering season-ending injury
3. Brandon Thompson – Limited to just three games as a rookie in 2012

COMPLETE BENGALS DRAFT HISTORY

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This week marks the 10-year anniversary of the Bengals hiring Marvin Lewis as their head coach:

January 14, 2003, the Bengals hired Washington Redskins defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis.

Lewis replaced Dick LeBeau, who was fired after a franchise worst 2-14 season. He beat out Tom Coughlin and Mike Mularkey for the job in Cincinnati.

Lance McAlister recapped the numbers on his blog:

--Lewis is longest tenured coach in franchise history.
--Lewis is the 2nd longest tenured coach in the NFL (Belichick)
--Career regular season record with Bengals: 79-80-1 .496
--Most wins franchise history.
--AP Coach of Year: 2009
--Playoff appearances: 4 (franchise record)
--Back to back playoffs (1st time since '81-'82), playoffs 3 last 4 years.
--10+ wins seasons: 3 (franchise record)
--Division titles: 2005, 2009 (1st in 15 years)
--Winning seasons: 4
--Playoff record: 0-4

BY SEASON
2003: 8-8
2004: 8-8
2005: 11-5
2006: 8-8
2007: 7-9
2008: 4-11-1
2009: 10-6
2010: 4-12
2011: 9-7
2012: 10-6

NFL cincinnati bengals, marvin lewis

Vegas oddsmakers have set the Bengals’ total wins at over/under  5.5.  ESPN released its Preseason Power Rankings on Tuesday and the team starts the year ranked No. 32 out of 32 teams.  Their franchise quarterback would rather retire than show up and endure Bengaldom and collect millions.

It may be premature to say that the franchise has hit rock bottom, especially considering that few teams know what the bottom feels like as well as the Bengals. However, the Jungle is likely to be a bit empty this season and there may not be a single home game broadcast in the Cincinnati area. The fan base has gone from jubilant to pissed off and now apathetic in a span of three years.

The last time the franchise was in such a lull was following the 2002 season, when it finished 2-14. It was then that Mike Brown hired Marvin Lewis. The coach was brought back for his ninth season this offseason and while there are many similarities within the franchise between then and now, the coach sees a stark difference between the teams.

“This football team now is put together differently. They’re tougher, they’re physical, they know how to go out there and compete,” Lewis told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “I didn’t know those things coming in 2003. I know what this team is made of now, I know who the leaders are, I didn’t know those guys then. It’s different.”

There is one thing you can say sure about the year ahead for the Bengals. Based off of fan and expert expectations this team can only go one way, up. The question that remains is how long will it take them to get there?

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Even though the NFL offseason has been quiet, Chad Ochocinco has not. Check out some of recent takes from an radio interview with The 2 Live Stews...

Is Carson Palmer done? Is he playing?
“I haven’t talked to him, but he’s not playing. He’s not playing. When someone goes out of character like that, especially a white guy with red hair that grows a random beard? When he says he’s going to do something he’s going to do it. He’s not playing.”

What are your thoughts on Marvin Lewis because he’s taken some shots at you too? Is that relationship repairable?
“I don’t know. Hopefully Marvin is doing this maybe to help me out. Maybe he is trying to cause some friction between himself and me. Maybe he doesn’t like me for real. He doesn’t like me well I don’t like him either. Maybe he’s doing this to help the situation out. Maybe he’s trying to do this to show Mike Brown I don’t think I can coincide with Chad, but dammit I can’t coincide with him either and if he really feels that way when I see him I’m going to whoop his ass.”

COMPLETE INTERVIEW (SportsRadioInterviews.com)

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Get your free football picks againt the spread and live football odds from our friends at Doc's Sports.

***

Less than three days after parting ways with Bob Bratkowski, the Cincinnati Bengals named Jay Gruden as their new offensive coordinator.

Gruden, the younger brother of Jon Gruden, has coached for seven seasons (2002-08) in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, earning a Super Bowl championship ring in 2002. He also ranks among the most outstanding players and coaches in the history of the Arena Football League, having won four league championships as a quarterback and two as a head coach. In 18 AFL seasons as a player and head coach, he never missed the playoffs.

In 2010, Gruden was head coach and general manager of the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League. He led the Tuskers to the UFL championship game, where they lost to Las Vegas. In accepting his new position with the Bengals, he resigns as head coach of the UFL's new Virginia franchise. He had been hired to that job this past Jan. 12, after the Tuskers ceased operations.

"We are excited to have Jay join us and give us a new direction offensively," said Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. "He has proven himself a consistent winner in a variety of positions and has earned tremendous respect in the coaching profession. He's going to provide the energy and attacking style that will best suit our offensive skill players and quarterback.

"This is something I wanted to get right, to take the time to make the best decision," Lewis said, "and I appreciate the support I got from (Bengals president) Mike Brown in the process. The offense is where we need to show improvement, and when we do, we'll show that this team is ready to win the division again like we did just a year ago. Our defense is strong and still improving, and one thing we did in 2010 was to develop a number of very promising new players. Jay is a key addition to this process."

My Take: I am going to play the wait-and-see approach on this one.  At 43, Gruden is definitely on the rise. However, he is mostly unproven at this level. His West Coast-style offense is more up the alley of what Carson Palmer ran at USC, but will his arrival change the tune of the Bengals’ quarterback, who requested to be traded last month or he may considered retirement.  It is believed that Gruden’s system will be easier for younger players to pick up on and with the team entering serious rebuild mode that could be a plus. Either way, he’s not Bob Bratkowksi and that alone is a positive.

NFL cincinnati bengals, 2011 nfl offseason, jay gruden, marvin lewis, mike brown, carson palmer

from NFL.com...

The Cincinnati Bengals fired longtime offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski on Monday, the first change in their coaching staff following a 4-12 season that's still reverberating through the franchise.

The move came two weeks after quarterback Carson Palmer asked to be traded because of the franchise's futility. The Bengals have just two winning records in the last 20 years.

"I want to thank Bob for his role in helping us win two division championships," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said in a statement released by the team. "But after reviewing our season in depth, we've decided it's best for the team to make this change at this time."

Bratkowski had been the offensive coordinator in Cincinnati since 2001, two years before Lewis took over as coach. The Bengals reached the playoffs in 2005 with a balanced offense that featured Palmer and a core of young receivers. Knee and elbow injuries limited Palmer over the next few years.

COMPLETE ARTICLE

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Listening to Chad Ochocinco talk on ESPN's “NFL Live” on Tuesday was just another reminder of why the Cincinnati Bengals need to just buy out his contract for $3 million and say goodbye.

While I did support his open-ended criticisms of the organization, he lost a ton of credibility when he told viewers he was going to change his name back to Chad Johnson as if anyone really cared.

"I don't have a choice right now," Ochocinco told ESPN's Trey Wingo. "I've done enough with the Ocho thing."

If the “Ocho thing” is spending your time doing bad reality TV shows rather than working to get better as a TEAM and a football player then following it up with a subpar season than yeah I guess it’s over.

Bengals’ coach Marvin Lewis responded to questions about Chad reaching out to the Patriots via Twitter to bring him to New England by saying, “Belichick is smarter than that”.

For the first time in a while I agree with Lewis’ assessment. It appears that a divorce is coming soon!

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Let's take a look at some of the coaching changes coming around the league...

BENGALS
The team’s agreement with Marvin Lewis is up and after eight years Lewis is unsure that he wants to stay in Cincinnati or not. There is reportedly interest from Pitt, who recently fired their coach. The 49ers also could talk to Lewis. On Tuesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted that the "Bengals expect HC Marvin Lewis now will remain in Cincinnati. The two sides expect to resolve any issues within next 24 hours”.  ESPN.com’s AFC North blogger James Adams explains why neither Lewis nor Mike Brown could do better.

BRONCOS
The Denver Broncos fired Josh McDaniels last month and now they are speeding up their search to find a permanent replacement. The Broncos tweeted on Tuesday that they will interview Falcons’ offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey on Friday in Atlanta. He struggled as the head man in Buffalo, but who didn’t. Known for his trickery during his time in the league, he could make for a logical fit to groom quarterback Tim Tebow.

BROWNS
Browns’ president Mike Holmgren isn’t ruling out a return to the sidelines after firing Eric Mangini, but don’t expect to see it happen now. The Browns have confirmed a pair of interviews with Falcons’ offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey, Giants’ defensive coordinator Perry Fewell, and Eagles’ offensive coordinator Marty Morningwheg.

Stay tuned for more updates...

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Despite back-to-back wins, many are still expecting Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis to move on at season's end.

Lewis talked about the situation with FanHouse.com:

“I think we’ll know something there by Monday or Tuesday,” Lewis told Thomas George of Fanhouse.com. “We [Bengals owner Mike Brown and Lewis] talk every day about the future. About the football team, the players and the personnel.

“We’ve got to decide how it is going to be. His vision of the football team and mine. There are certain things he wants to emphasize with me. Things that are important to him. I expect to hear those.”

COMPLETE STORY

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As Bengals’ head coach Marvin Lewis enters the final year of his contract, the debate has begun on whether or not the team should renew/extend his contract.

Lewis is entering his eighth season at the reigns. Only four coaches in the NFL have enjoyed a longer stint with their current teams – Jeff Fisher (TEN) – 17 years; Andy Reid (PHI) – 11 years; Bill Belichick (NE) – 11 years; John Fox (CAR) – 9 years.

Through seven seasons as coach Lewis has posted a 56-55-1 mark, won two AFC North championships and only had two losing seasons out of seven. That’s quite an accomplishment considering where the franchise was at before his arrival.

While I favor his return, I’m not sure it will happen. If it were going to happen, why hasn’t it already?

Team owner Mike Brown is as loyal as they come.  You have to look no further than offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski to figure that out. He’s set to begin his 10th season in that position. The next closest offensive coordinator around the league in that tenure is the Jets’ Brian Schottenheimer, who is beginning his fifth year in New York.

If I were a betting man, I would bet against Lewis being the Bengals’ coach in 2011.

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