A Closer Look: Marvin Lewis
Current job: Co-defensive coordinator at Arizona State
NFL job log: Lewis, 62, is one of the most seasoned candidates looking for a head coaching position this hiring cycle.
He joined the NFL after more than a decade of college coaching as the Pittsburgh Steelers linebackers coach in 1992. He became the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens in 1996 and won a Super Bowl with Baltimore in 2001. He spent one season in Washington as the assistant head coach/defensive coordinator, before accepting the head coaching job in Cincinnati in 2003.
Lewis took over a 2-14 Bengals team in 2003 and won eight games in his first season. He went 131-122-3 with the Bengals over the next 16 seasons. He was fired after Cincinnati's third straight losing season in 2018.
Specialty: Lewis is a defensive-minded coach having spent his previous 21 years in coaching before becoming a head coach as a defensive coordinator and linebacker coach in the NFL and college ranks. Baltimore's Super-Bowl winning defense of 2001 is considered one of the best units in the history of the game.
Career highlights: Lewis led the Bengals to seven playoff appearances in 16 seasons as head coach. He won NFL Coach of the Year honors in 2009. He led the Bengals to four division titles and had six seasons with double-digit victories.
Tim Twentyman's take: You have to like Lewis' experience taking over a floundering Bengals team in the early 2000s and turning them into a perennial winner in the league for more than a decade. From 2009-15, the Lewis-lead Bengals won at least 10 games in a season five times.
Lewis took over a 2-14 Bengals team in 2003 and won eight games in his first season. He led the Bengals to seven playoff appearances and won four division titles. I like the fact that he has a defensive background, as that's Detroit's biggest weakness heading into the offseason. Lewis' 0-7 record in the playoffs is a cause for concern, however.
Mike O'Hara's take: There's a lot to like about Lewis, and a lot of it has to do with his background as a defensive assistant and coordinator, and what he did as head coach of the Bengals.
In 2003 he took over a Bengals team that was 2-14 the previous season. The Bengals went 8-8 in '03 and '04, made the playoffs in '05 with a 10-6 record and were 8-8 again in '06.
There was more to come for the Bengals under Lewis. From 2008-15 they made the playoffs six times and won three division titles in the tough AFC North.
