Marvin Lewis: 'I Have The Fire' To Be An NFL Head Coach Again

Lewis has not been a head coach at any level since being replace by Zac Taylor in 2019.

Author:
Russ Heltman
Publish date:
Dec 23, 2022 10:35 AM EST

In this story:

CINCINNATI — Former Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis is ready to be the head man for an NFL team again. Lewis made his case on the latest Adam Schefter Podcast.

"Yes 100%," Lewis said about wanting to be an NFL head coach again. "I really do have the drive, have the fire, and the energy to do it, and I think that the week in and week out of the ups and downs, you know, the peaks and the valleys that you go through during an NFL season. I sit back and watch, you know, my friends and colleagues and peers. ... I feel the anguish on their faces. I know those looks, I know those feelings, and once in a while, you got to send an encouraging text to somebody that you know, 'it's gonna be better tomorrow,' and you just got to pull your marbles back together, put them in the bag, shine them up, get them ready to go again next week."

The Bengals all-time leader in wins (131-122-3), Lewis coached the team from 2003 through the 2018 season. He led Cincinnati to seven playoff appearances, most of any head coach, but zero wins.

He holds that dubious status but also deserves a ton of credit for lifting the franchise out of the basement in the 2000s.

"The difference in the National Football League is how you get to the details. How you coach the details," Lewis continued. "How you help put your players in position to be successful. Situational football, the details of the situation of football, and that's the challenge, you know, the daily challenge, and that's what drives you to be the best at that week in, and week out."

Lewis has not been a head coach since exiting Cincinnati. He was a part of Herm Edwards's staff at Arizona State over the last few seasons, but the Sun Devils fired Edwards in 2022.

Next up, Cincinnati faces New England on Christmas Eve. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET on CBS. You can watch via fuboTV—start your free trial here.

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