Bengals’ new and improved defense has made a stark impression on former Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis
Former Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis is loving what he’s seeing from his former team, specifically its defense. Lewis praised the Bengals’ Week 1 performance on the Inside Football show.
Former Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis is loving what he’s seeing from his former team, specifically its defense.
Lewis, now a part of the Inside Football show, raved about the way Cincinnati’s defense performed in Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“They played confident, they stripped the football,” Lewis said. “They were going after it each and every play. Adding [Boye] Mafe from the Seahawks, Jonathan Allen, Bryan Cook, who actually was a camper at the Marvin Lewis football camp and he reminded me that when I was there. Then their second-round pick, also, Cashius Howell. These dudes came through man. The two young linebackers were not a liability on defense, and then the secondary played their tail off, and that’s what they needed.”
Marvin Lewis likes what he sees from Bengals’ improved defense
Allen, Cook, and Mafe all made a significant impact in Cincy’s win over over the Bucs. The two defensive linemen each had a sack on Baker Mayfield, who was just a rookie for the Cleveland Browns during Lewis’ last year as the coach of the Bengals. Allen was but a second-year player for Washington at the time. Now he’s a veteran leader of Cincinnati’s defensive line. Cook, a Queen City native who did have brief coaching from Lewis at his camp, is the same for the secondary.
Lewis knows what it takes to play well defensively. It was his calling card for the Bengals, and the reason why he was hired for that gig in the first place. He won a Super Bowl coordinating the historic Baltimore Ravens defense in 2000.
There may not be a Ray Lewis at LB in Cincinnati, but the other pieces appear to be in place, and they know how to generate game-changing plays.
Tip of the cap to Bengals personnel department
Lewis lasted 16 years with the Bengals, and never once experienced an offseason quite like the one Cincinnati just had. Allen, Cook, and Mafe were all signed to free agent contracts that would’ve been complete anomalies during Lewis’ tenure. Add on a blockbuster trade for nose tackle Dexter Lawrence II, and the Bengals made the resources count back in the spring.
There have been some changes in Cincy’s front office since Lewis left the building, but he knows director of player personnel Duke Tobin was responsible for building his rosters the hard way back then. He’s not shy about giving him credit when it’s clearly earned.
“Kudos to Duke Tobin cause they get beat up on personnel all the time now,” Lewis said. “And [assistant general managers] Trey Brown, Steven Radicevic. A little bird told me that Duke may have got a game ball. I guess it was his 200th victory for being in the building, but also for the additions they did on defense.”
Tobin did get a game ball from Lewis’ successor, Zac Taylor. The Bengals’ 200th victory with Tobin on staff came at a serendipitous time for him.
Most of Lewis’ best years coaching Cincinnati featured a reliable defense molded by his teachings and principles. It’s encouraging to hear this year’s unit has what it takes to get back to that level.
“My gosh it was impressive. The confidence, the way they stripped it the football, the way they tackled, and took the football away.”
