Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis got through his meeting without owner Mike Brown yesterday without a resolution.
Which is one thing for Lewis, since he has a bit more control of the situation and more options.
His assistants, on the other hand, are forced to sit and wait on his decision, while other jobs are opening and the scramble for future employment begins. Lewis at least seems sensitive to this, and acknowledged as much during his press conference with no news yesterday.
“Yeah it is hard. I spoke with [the assistant coaches] this morning, we met with them this morning about it, and I told them that as far as from my direction, I would get them [an answer on] where things are quick as I could,” Lewis said, via Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com.
“It’s unfortunate that they’re stuck in this limbo right now that way. They’re aware of it and so forth, so that also makes an urgency for both parties that way, because they’re basically free agents as well. The urgency has to happen on both sides.”
Ostensibly, Lewis would want most of them to stay if he stays. But defensive coordinator Paul Guenther has already been mentioned as a possibility for the potential Jon Gruden staff in Oakland. Others are probably working the phones feverishly, trying to find a chair for next year, without even knowing if they have one available in Cincinnati.
The decision on the future of Lewis and the Bengals could come soon. And the way Lewis keeps talking about how it’s “complicated” makes it seem like upgrading things for his assistants could be a factor in his decision on whether he wants to coach there for a 16th season and beyond.
But for now, they wait for word from the boss.