Arriving in '03, Marvin Lewis was all smiles. Where have the smiles gone?
It can be said Marvin Lewis has had a magical, yet maddening, reign as head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals the past seven years.
When he took the job, Lewis did what his predecessors could not – restore hope and re-establish pride to the orange and black faithful. (During his first training camp in 2003, I recall believing with certainty, even when sober, Marvin would bring us a Super Bowl sooner rather than later.)
ROOKIE SENSATION – Marvin’s charisma, leadership and his will to win provided pure pleasure during that rookie year in ’03. Even after his two best players (Cory “shoulder pads in the stands” Dillon and Takeo “I’m not smart enough to recognize what’s good for me” Spikes) chose not to drink the “Marvinade,” Lewis simply shrugged and said “Next….”
And the team got better, quickly.
Lewis’ young Bengals learned how to win while shedding the habit of losing – no easy task. Marvin could do no wrong and the Bengals reached the Mike Brown Promised Land in his first season – a .500 record.
It was a beautiful thing.
And when it came to using the media to proselytize the doubtful, which after the lost ’90s was just about everyone, Marvin was The Maestro. Looking back, I wonder if it was just because the first-time coach was new that he seemed so passionate, so believable and well, so likable. There, I said it. Because Marvin was truly likable when he first came to Cincinnati.
Fast forward to ’10. On the heels of his 2nd AFC North Division crown, Marvin no longer sees the media as a tool to reach his people. You can see it, hear and feel it – the resentment, irritation and contempt when he speaks to the press.
SO, WTF HAPPENED? Why the long face, Marvin?
Can it be he’s been beaten down by the ‘whiffing’ sounds of Bengals ownership? It appears at every turn Marvin has had to beg, fight and justify his desire to zig, while ownership wanted to zag – frequently to save a couple bucks by steering around an approaching toll booth. It’s enough to make a head coach want to bite the hand that feeds him.
I believe the turning point came with the re-signing of Chris Henry. After Henry, with his life in tatters, was divorced from the team in ’07, Marvin went public saying the Bengals were NOT interested in re-signing the trouble WR.
A short time later, guess who the Bengals front office signed off the reclamation heap. It seems that’s the moment Marvin said, “No mas.”
So given his high level of aggravation, Marvin’s complete and total disdain for the media is partially understandable … I mean, who wants to explain everything they do in their job, without being able to spread the blame upward. Unfortunately, Marvin seems to have forgotten that when he speaks to the media, he’s really speaking indirectly to us, the fans – those who can largely influencing how long he’s welcome here.
We loved that Marvin did his phoenix routine upon arrival, restoring the once proud Bengals franchise. But I am not alone saying that when Marvin speaks now, I bristle. Worse yet, I tune it out, because I know it’s nothing but a string of mindless, meaningless clichés. (OK, I confess I do listen sometimes for comic value, seeing if I can predict which stupid cliché’s coming next.)
For perspective, here’s what sports writer extraordinaire Paul Daugherty wrote in his January 18, 2003 Cincinnati Enquirer column:
He stood at the podium, impressive, a handsome man in a custom suit, careful to flash the Super Bowl ring he won two years ago as defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens. Then he square-shouldered his way through 35 minutes of skeptical questions as though he were swatting bugs from a picnic.
“We’re going to set some things straight right away about how things are going to be,” Mister Lewis said. “We’re going to become better professionals.”
On second thought, maybe Marvin has always been spewing clichés – they just sounded fresher seven years ago. But Marvin’s clichés are aging like fish – they only stay fresh for so long.
Nuff said.
Tagged as:
Chris Henry,
fiddle,
grassy knoll,
Marvin Lewis,
Paul Daugherty,
rookie sensation,
Steelers & Redskins oh my!,
Takeo Spikes,
Timzilla is flatulent,
turn that frown upside down,
Where is the love?,
WTF
Bengals Newswire
Will The New Season Bring Back The Old Marvin?
by Nuff Johnson on 07/02/2010 · 0 comments
Arriving in '03, Marvin Lewis was all smiles. Where have the smiles gone?
It can be said Marvin Lewis has had a magical, yet maddening, reign as head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals the past seven years.
When he took the job, Lewis did what his predecessors could not – restore hope and re-establish pride to the orange and black faithful. (During his first training camp in 2003, I recall believing with certainty, even when sober, Marvin would bring us a Super Bowl sooner rather than later.)
ROOKIE SENSATION – Marvin’s charisma, leadership and his will to win provided pure pleasure during that rookie year in ’03. Even after his two best players (Cory “shoulder pads in the stands” Dillon and Takeo “I’m not smart enough to recognize what’s good for me” Spikes) chose not to drink the “Marvinade,” Lewis simply shrugged and said “Next….”
And the team got better, quickly.
Lewis’ young Bengals learned how to win while shedding the habit of losing – no easy task. Marvin could do no wrong and the Bengals reached the Mike Brown Promised Land in his first season – a .500 record.
It was a beautiful thing.
And when it came to using the media to proselytize the doubtful, which after the lost ’90s was just about everyone, Marvin was The Maestro. Looking back, I wonder if it was just because the first-time coach was new that he seemed so passionate, so believable and well, so likable. There, I said it. Because Marvin was truly likable when he first came to Cincinnati.
Fast forward to ’10. On the heels of his 2nd AFC North Division crown, Marvin no longer sees the media as a tool to reach his people. You can see it, hear and feel it – the resentment, irritation and contempt when he speaks to the press.
SO, WTF HAPPENED? Why the long face, Marvin?
Can it be he’s been beaten down by the ‘whiffing’ sounds of Bengals ownership? It appears at every turn Marvin has had to beg, fight and justify his desire to zig, while ownership wanted to zag – frequently to save a couple bucks by steering around an approaching toll booth. It’s enough to make a head coach want to bite the hand that feeds him.
I believe the turning point came with the re-signing of Chris Henry. After Henry, with his life in tatters, was divorced from the team in ’07, Marvin went public saying the Bengals were NOT interested in re-signing the trouble WR.
A short time later, guess who the Bengals front office signed off the reclamation heap. It seems that’s the moment Marvin said, “No mas.”
So given his high level of aggravation, Marvin’s complete and total disdain for the media is partially understandable … I mean, who wants to explain everything they do in their job, without being able to spread the blame upward. Unfortunately, Marvin seems to have forgotten that when he speaks to the media, he’s really speaking indirectly to us, the fans – those who can largely influencing how long he’s welcome here.
We loved that Marvin did his phoenix routine upon arrival, restoring the once proud Bengals franchise. But I am not alone saying that when Marvin speaks now, I bristle. Worse yet, I tune it out, because I know it’s nothing but a string of mindless, meaningless clichés. (OK, I confess I do listen sometimes for comic value, seeing if I can predict which stupid cliché’s coming next.)
For perspective, here’s what sports writer extraordinaire Paul Daugherty wrote in his January 18, 2003 Cincinnati Enquirer column:
He stood at the podium, impressive, a handsome man in a custom suit, careful to flash the Super Bowl ring he won two years ago as defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens. Then he square-shouldered his way through 35 minutes of skeptical questions as though he were swatting bugs from a picnic.
“We’re going to set some things straight right away about how things are going to be,” Mister Lewis said. “We’re going to become better professionals.”
On second thought, maybe Marvin has always been spewing clichés – they just sounded fresher seven years ago. But Marvin’s clichés are aging like fish – they only stay fresh for so long.
Nuff said.
Tagged as: Chris Henry, fiddle, grassy knoll, Marvin Lewis, Paul Daugherty, rookie sensation, Steelers & Redskins oh my!, Takeo Spikes, Timzilla is flatulent, turn that frown upside down, Where is the love?, WTF