The hiring of Marvin Lewis marked the end of the Lost Decade. In the wake of an extended period of football futility, most of Lewis’ tenure as head coach has been spent trying to steady a team that has lurched and backfired and stalled like a stick-shift AMC Pacer with a 16-year-old behind the wheel.
In Lewis’ first two seasons, he lifted a team that had gone 55-137 in their 12 years under Mike Brown’s ownership and got them to repeat 8-8 records. Then in 2005, a high-flying offense and an opportunistic defense surged to become division champions for the first time since the demise of the AFC Central. And Bengals fans rejoiced.
But the following years exposed the team’s weaknesses. They had plenty of talent but lacked the fortitude to overcome in the face of adversity. Playing a division winner’s schedule was more than they could handle in 2006, and a collapse at the end of the season dashed more than just playoff hopes. Fan discontent and disillusion began to settle in again.
In 20...
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December 26, 2012
