oldschooler Posted July 27, 2018 Report Share Posted July 27, 2018 “I have to go in and make it different. That’s all. You know what I mean? You’re talking about a nebulous situation, but that’s my job, that’s my goal, is to make it better and give us the opportunity (to win a Super Bowl).” – Marvin Lewis, Jan. 3, 2018. There was a window, a moment, to seize change. Marvin Lewis’ contract was expiring in January, and the Cincinnati Bengals had a choice. Was it time to shake things up with a Pro Bowl quarterback still in his prime? The Bengals also owned the No. 12 overall draft pick, and with a large class of new quarterbacks about to enter the league, should the club look to a future without Andy Dalton? The club elected to stay the course. But just how difficult is the road to Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta for the pair? It’s one that’s never been traveled. This marks the eighth season of the Lewis-Dalton era, tying them for the sixth-longest run in the National Football League as a head coach and starting quarterback combination. That fact in and of itself is rare, but not unusual. What they hope to do in 2018, however, would be historic. Since the NFL and AFL merged in 1970, no coach-quarterback combination has achieved their first playoff victory this late in their tenure together. This is their last stand – 2018 and 2019. That is the length of Lewis’ deal, and Dalton signed through 2020 and the age of 34. If they succeed legacies can be rewritten, futures stabilized. But if it doesn’t happen, if a third straight losing season is chiseled in the record books and a top 10 pick looms in 2019, it could signal a sea change at Paul Brown Stadium. “We all gotta strive for the same thing,” Lewis said of winning a championship. “And it’s he and I.” Marvin Lewis and Andy Dalton are entering their eighth season with the Bengals. If they win their first playoff game in 2018, it would be historic. Michael Nyerges, Cincinnati Enquirer More: Daugherty: Can Andy Dalton reach the 'elevation' the Cincinnati Bengals need? More: Cincinnati Bengals' Vontaze Burfict, Ryan Hewitt to miss start of training camp More: Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert will start training camp on PUP More: Report: Former Bengals cornerback Adam 'Pacman' Jones to try out for Cleveland Browns More: First month free: Subscribe to unlimited digital access to Cincinnati.com Get the latest Bengals news. Download our app on both the Apple App Storeand Google Play for Android users. The mountain “Everybody wants to win the Super Bowl. Obviously. That’s what we all want to do. We’re going to make our best effort to do that. But it starts with simply winning each and every game, one by one by one. It’s a simple concept. It’s a difficult concept.” – Bengals owner/president Mike Brown, Jan. 19, 2018. Simply, Mike Brown felt Marvin Lewis gave his organization the best chance to win its first Lombardi Trophy, which is why he re-signed the head coach for two more years in January. That decision also kept together one of the longest tenured coach-quarterback duos in the NFL: 1. Bill Belichick/Tom Brady (18) 2. Sean Payton/Drew Brees (13*) 3.Mike Tomlin/Ben Roethlisberger (12) t4. Mike McCarthy/Aaron Rodgers (11) t4. John Harbaugh/Joe Flacco (11) t6. Lewis/Dalton (8) t6. Ron Rivera/Cam Newton (8) 8. Pete Carroll/Russell Wilson (7) 9. Dan Quinn/Matt Ryan (4) 10. Four entering their third season. 11. Five entering their second season. 12. Fourteen entering their first season. *Payton was suspended for one season. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/bengals/2018/07/25/cincinnati-bengals-head-coach-marvin-lewis-and-quarterback-andy-dalton-last-stand/786266002/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldschooler Posted July 27, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saphead Posted July 31, 2018 Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 On 7/27/2018 at 7:50 AM, oldschooler said: That is very interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|High School Harry| Posted July 31, 2018 Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 They only get one more change before they get one more chance. and so on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie_B Posted July 31, 2018 Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 2 years, simply because that's what Marvin's contract says. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Le Tigre Posted July 31, 2018 Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 "That fact in and of itself is rare, but not unusual." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluhartz Posted July 31, 2018 Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 5 hours ago, High School Harry said: They only get one more change before they get one more chance. and so on. yea really.. one more chance in 2018!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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