88Comrade2000 Posted January 11, 2003 Share Posted January 11, 2003 >>Got this off ESPN, The Bengals as of Friday are still confuse on who they want to hire as their Head Coach. The Article Reads as Follow. CYA 6FT2IN Friday, January 10 Lewis and Coughlin in the picture, and maybe Mularkey By Len Pasquarelli ESPN.com After speeding to warp drive just one day earlier, the Cincinnati Bengals' search for a new head coach slowed considerably Friday as team officials deliberated over both candidates granted a second interview and discussed whether to keep a third possibility in the mix. While several national outlets identified Washington Redskins defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis as the frontrunner for the job, league and Bengals sources denied they have settled on him. In fact, it is likely now that club officials will wait until the results of the Pittsburgh-Tennessee divisional round playoff game Saturday to determine their next move. Cincinnati owner Mike Brown and other team officials were impressed enough with Steelers offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey to consider him still a part of the process. Mularkey will remain in contention for the job, however, only if the Steelers are eliminated Saturday from the playoffs. A Pittsburgh defeat would permit Cincinnati management to meet again with Mularkey, who first interviewed last Saturday morning. If the Steelers defeat the Titans, it will prolong Mularkey's season and all but remove him from consideration for the Cincinnati job. Under the league's altered anti-tampering guidelines, a team may have just one interview with a coach whose team is still in the playoffs. The Bengals want to have a coach in place no later than Monday, so they can at least have a skeleton staff at the Senior Bowl all-star game in Mobile, Ala. A Steelers defeat likely would earn Mularkey an interview on Sunday or Monday and Cincinnati officials would then make a relatively quick decision on the three candidates for the job. Team management huddled with former Jacksonville Jaguars coach Tom Coughlin for a second time Thursday morning and then met with Lewis on Thursday evening and Friday morning. There were rumors much of the day Friday that Lewis had been offered the position, but he insisted as he departed Cincinnati that wasn't the case. "No offer," Lewis said. "I'm still interested and I think the Bengals are too. But I haven't gotten an offer. We'll just continue to wait and see. I feel good but that doesn't mean anything." Some of the rumors surrounding Lewis were based on a report that Bengals assistant coaches still under contract had been apprised by management they could begin seeking other jobs. But that has been the case all along, Brown permitting assistants to interview with other franchises if they had the opportunity. In fact, the longtime defensive line coach Tim Krumrie, a former Bengals player, accepted a similar position with the Buffalo Bills on Friday. Neither was there any substance to reports that Coughlin had decided to remove his name from consideration. A source close to Coughlin said Friday evening that the former Jacksonville coach remains "very interested" in the job. Despite published reports of an alleged "rift" between Coughlin and Brown, the Bengals owner was very impressed with the former Jaguars coach in their first meeting. Bengals sources also have shot down published reports that Brown favors Coughlin while other family members, such as Brown's daughter, team vice president Katie Blackburn, prefer Lewis. Neither side expected the Thursday meeting to result in a job offer and that was the case. But the interview, which lasted about half as long as the first meeting with Coughlin, could go a long way toward deciding how interested Coughlin really is in the job, and how much the Bengals want him. Last week, Coughlin said he felt the Bengals were "a sleeping giant," a team with more talent that many observers thought. Coughlin presented to Cincinnati management a so-called "action plan" he spent much of the weekend compiling. In essence, it is Coughlin's view of what changes, additions or alterations the Bengals must undertake to reverse their fortunes. Sources said that not every issue in the "action plan" is a deal breaker, but that Coughlin believes some changes are necessary for the franchise to be competitive. "The bag is empty," said a source familiar with the interview. "Tom went in and put everything on the table. Now we'll see how they react." How team officials react to his suggestions could be an even more critical factor than salary for Coughlin, who has two seasons remaining on his Jacksonville contract, at $2.4 million per year. Then again, it is unlikely that Lewis would accept the job without some enhancements to the current state of the franchise. In a marathon session that lasted nearly eight hours, and is believed to have covered virtually every aspect of the football operation, Cincinnati officials met with Coughlin last Friday about the vacancy created when Dick LeBeau was fired the day after the season finale. Three days before the Coughlin interview, they had interviewed Lewis, the first of the candidates to meet with ownership. Coughlin, 55, also was fired by the Jaguars the day after the regular season concluded. Hired by owner Wayne Weaver, about 18 months before Jacksonville even played its first game, Coughlin was the only coach the franchise ever had. He is clearly is the most proven out of the candidates. In eight seasons with the Jaguars, he compiled a 72-66 record, taking the team to the playoffs on four occasions. The fact his tenure ended with three consecutive losing campaigns might have overshadowed the brilliant job Coughlin did from the outset of the franchise's existence. The team advanced to the AFC title game in only its second year, 1996, losing to the New England Patriots. In 1999, Coughlin led the Jaguars to a league-best 14-2 record, but Jacksonville was upset by Tennessee in the conference title matchup. One potential sticking point is that, unlike his Jacksonville job description, Coughlin would not have total control of the Bengals' football operation. Coughlin essentially functioned as his own general manager while with the Jaguars, but the Bengals do not have a GM and Brown has said he will not vest total power in one man. It is believed, however, the Bengals are prepared to provide their new head coach more power than any of his predecessors. Lewis, 44, has long been regarded as one of the NFL's top defensive minds. He has interviewed for at least three head coach vacancies over the past two offseasons, and came close to landing the Tampa Bay job last spring, before Bucs ownership vetoed a deal brokered by team president Rich McKay. Three weeks ago, Lewis turned down the Michigan State job. While he has said he won't accept any job, just to break into the head coach fraternity, Lewis might be hard-pressed to reject the Cincinnati position if it is offered. As an African-American candidate, he will come under enormous pressure to accept the position, especially with league officials placing so much emphasis lately on the need to hire minority candidates. In his interview Thursday and Friday evening, Lewis also asked officials for some enhancements to the program. The Bengals have one of the smallest coaching and scouting staffs in the NFL and it is unlikely they could lure any candidate without some upgrades.<< I saw a post on another board and someone who's look at the cincy papers/boards/etc.. says there's a hitch in the lewis deal. Mike Brown is rooting for a Steelers loss because he wants to look at Mike Mularkey. I think Lewis doesn't get the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skins57 Posted January 11, 2003 Share Posted January 11, 2003 Lets hope they are right, either way it is over by Monday night Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog Posted January 11, 2003 Share Posted January 11, 2003 The Bengals job is for a desperate candidate, or for an eternal optimist I don't think the Bengals know HOW to begin to set the foundation for turning things around. I can see where a cash-strapped owner won't want to compete for elite free agents in the open market, but to refuse to hire an extra scout or two or enlarge the size of the coaching staff........these are relatively low cost moves to ensure that a quality coach is hired and has a decent chance of being successful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrangeSkin Posted January 11, 2003 Share Posted January 11, 2003 Lewis needs to go. RIGHT NOW. If he stays one more year, he'll serve as nothing but a distraction for the team. George Edwards will be the DC here for the majority of SS's tenure, so why not just get it over with right now? The Bungles are probably offering Lewis less as a HC than he's getting as a DC for the 'Skins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montilar Posted January 11, 2003 Share Posted January 11, 2003 Know what the hold up likely is? Coughlin is cheap. with his jag contract still being paid out for two more years, Brown wants him as he'd be cheap. But, Lewis won't rock the boat demanding input in the player personnel dept like Coughlin would. Brown still wants a coach who will leave him as the head honcho and kiss his butt. Brown can't decide which is more important to him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlanta Skins Fan Posted January 11, 2003 Share Posted January 11, 2003 If Mularkey loses on Saturday, he gets a shot at the Bengals job. If he wins, he's out of the running. That's all you need to know about the Bengals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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