Marvin Lewis is still in Cincinnati because of the last 15 years he spent there.
But upon signing his new two-year deal to stay for a 16th and likely 17th, he said that things always change to some degree.
“You’re going to have to start from scratch regardless, so you might as well start from scratch with someone you understand, you know,” Lewis said, via the Associated Press. “Everybody can always look at what’s negative from it, but the only way we can go about it and do it positive is to get back to work and go about it.”
There are going to be staff changes, as longtime line coach and assistant head coach Paul Alexander is gone after 23 years. Also, defensive coordinator Paul Guenther will be allowed to interview for the same job with the Raiders once they’re through wiping their feet on the Rooney Rule and hire Jon Gruden.
The Bengals have yet to win a playoff game, but has generally kept the Bengals competitive (which not everybody in Ohio can say). And that 125-112-3 record was apparently enough to convince owner Mike Brown to keep Lewis around.
“I think sometimes there’s a tendency to think that the grass is greener, and it doesn’t necessarily end up that way often,” Lewis said of NFL owners. “So I think if they feel good about the relationship they have and where they’re headed that way, I think it’s a little different that way.”
Brown is obviously content with the grass he has, or content enough for the next two years.