The resignation of Marvin Lewis was “a surreal moment” for the Cincinnati Bengals players.
Preston Brown claims he can only imagine Marvin Lewis leading the Cincinnati Bengals in the distant past.
That’s because Brown, a linebacker for the Bengals currently, was just ten years old and just beginning to figure out his football career when Lewis moved to Cincinnati sixteen years ago.
Brown, a former Northwest High standout from Cincinnati, has only ever known Lewis guiding the Bengals.
When the Bengals and the most successful coach in team history parted ways on Monday, it all changed.
“It’s kind of a surreal moment to see right now that he’s not here anymore,” Brown stated. Growing up here and watching Coach Lewis every day, it’s obvious that he is a Cincinnati native. I’m really shocked that he’s gone.”
Brown is an uncommon free agent signed by the Bengals who was raised close to Lewis. Similar sentiments were shared by others who were retrieving items in the locker room on Monday after the season-ending loss in Pittsburgh less than twenty-four hours ago. The majority of Bengals players have only ever played for Lewis, which is strange for a team that so strongly believes in drafting and developing young talent.
That goes for Andy Dalton, A.J. Green, Geno Atkins, Carlos Dunlap, Giovani Bernard and others.
Lewis met with the team and discussed his departure Monday morning.
“It’s a different experience,” Bernard said. “I know when a lot of the guys were saying bye you could kind of see the tears in his eyes. It’s one of those things where we feel for him, we understand the situation, we understand this is a business. But when you have a guy like coach Lewis around for that long, and the type of guy that he is to each and every single person in here, he’s not only a coach, but he is a father/mentor for a lot of these players, including myself.”
Lewis said his message to the team centered on improvement and getting back in the race to win the AFC North division. It was time for a change, Lewis admitted, but his comments to the media in front of cameras and to the players behind closed doors indicated hope for the future.
“I watched a guy yesterday in Sam Hubbard, who is going to win in this division, and that’s awesome,” Lewis said. “You got to keep putting people in place. Billy Price has to win in this division. Jessie Bates has to win in this division. Just like Carlo has, and (others). You have to keep putting people in place. Joe Mixon will win in this division. Andy (Dalton) knows how to win in this division. You got to put people in place, (like) A.J. You have to surround these guys with that. That’s the No. 1 thing.”
And the squad will take that going forward, according to third-year linebacker Nick Vigil.
“He said to us, ‘you know you’ve got a lot of talent in this room, a lot of young talent that’s going to play in this league for a long time,'” Vigil continued. “We simply need to keep striving and figure out how to win games toward the end of the season. He simply expressed his love and support for us.”
Bernard emphasized that players do not dictate how management makes choices. However, three losing seasons in a row made it possible to make changes. This season’s 4-1 start was capped off by defeats in nine of the following 11 games, starting with a defensive meltdown against the Steelers in the waning moments of Week 6 that had cascading effects as injuries mounted.
Promise gave way to a past era.
Even in camp we thought this year would be different,” Bernard said. “I’m sure every team says the same thing, but we really believed that at the beginning of the season. Guys go down. Next man has to step up and we just couldn’t keep up with that. But we definitely felt in the beginning of the season we had a roster full of playmakers.”
And the next coach will take over it.
Prior to this season, the Bengals’ roster was the second youngest in the league. Furthermore, a core group of veterans is expected to return in good condition and with plenty of remaining professional years. But this time, someone else will be spearheading the effort for the first time in sixteen years.
Lewis’s story “is all I really knew and to have an opportunity to play for him was a dream come true,” Brown stated. “Just going to remember the memories and just cherish them.”
