Thinking Skins Posted January 9, 2003 Share Posted January 9, 2003 Bengals focus on Coughlin, Lewis -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brown likes Coughlin; daughter Katie pushing Lewis By Mark Curnutte The Cincinnati Enquirer Signs point to the Bengals narrowing their coaching search to two candidates - Tom Coughlin and Marvin Lewis. Is Mike Brown ready to turn over control of the Bengals to his daughter Katie? The choice of a new coach might tell. (Glenn Hartong file photo) | ZOOM | The Bengals are not expected to conduct a second round of face-to-face interviews but are talking on the phone to the two coaches and their agents. Gary O'Hagan, Coughlin's agent, said the Bengals have been in contact, and he disputed an ESPN.com report that the Bengals and Coughlin are disagreeing about personnel control. "There is absolutely no conflict," O'Hagan said Wednesday. Also on Wednesday, a colleague of Jimmy Johnson's refuted a report by a Cincinnati television station that the former Cowboys and Dolphins coach was a candidate to coach the Bengals. Several league and club insiders say Bengals president Mike Brown seems to be thinking Coughlin can do for the current roster what Forrest Gregg did when he was hired before the 1980 season. Coughlin profile Lewis profile Gregg, like Coughlin, a noted disciplinarian, took a loosely run 4-12 team coached by Homer Rice in 1979 and led it to the Super Bowl in just his second season. Coughlin's eight years of head-coaching experience with the Jacksonville Jaguars include two AFC Championship game losses. He is considered the coach who could reshape the Bengals into a more successful team most quickly. There could be a dispute brewing between Brown and his daughter and heir apparent, Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn, about who should be the franchise's ninth head coach. Brown apparently is sold on Coughlin; Blackburn is believed to be pushing Lewis, the Washington Redskins' defensive coordinator. Telephone messages left for Lewis and his agent, Ken Landphere, were not returned Wednesday. The Bengals are not commenting publicly about the coaching search. The Bengals want to have their new coach in place by the weekend. Brown will lead the Bengals' contingent to Mobile, Ala., on Sunday to scout practices for the Senior Bowl college all-star game, which will be played Jan.18. In concert with Brown, the new coach could begin building his staff while scouting college players. Lewis has not been an NFL head coach, but as a successful defensive coordinator, he is considered the top head-coaching candidate coming out of the assistant ranks. If hired, Lewis would become just the third African-American head coach in the league. Jacksonville on Tuesday interviewed Dennis Green, who is African-American, but Lewis is not believed to be a candidate with the Jaguars to fill Coughlin's old job. Coughlin was fired Dec.30, the same day the Bengals fired Dick LeBeau after a 2-14 season. The third outside candidate interviewed by the Bengals was Steelers offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey. Interviewed Saturday in Pittsburgh by Brown and his family, Mularkey would not be available to talk again until Saturday night at the earliest because Pittsburgh has a playoff game Saturday at Tennessee. Mularkey appears to be a possible candidate to replace Coughlin in Jacksonville. The Bengals also interviewed two of their current assistant coaches - defensive coordinator Mark Duffner and running backs coach Jim Anderson. Anderson, like Lewis, is African-American. If he is not hired as head coach, Anderson probably will be retained as running backs coach. An assistant with the Bengals since 1984, Anderson has coached four different running backs - James Brooks, Harold Green, Corey Dillon and Lorenzo Neal - to a total of eight Pro Bowl berths. Duffner's future with the club is less certain, especially if Lewis - a defensive coach - is hired. E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@DCGoldPants Posted January 9, 2003 Share Posted January 9, 2003 and all these years I thought little Katie just wanted a Pony. Meanwhile, she wanted Marvin Lewis. dumb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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