As I sat on my dad’s couch and watched the Bengals and Steelers face off Sunday afternoon, I couldn’t help but get pumped up right along with the fans in Cincinnati. The Bengalis spent most of the 1990s in the same position the Lions have been in over the last five years - losing seasons, draft busts, Quarterback controversies and coaching carousels. They were, in fact, the worst team in the NFL through most of the decade. And yet, there they were on Sunday, division champions and hosting a playoff game.
The game was a hopeful glimpse into the future for Lions fans, as the turnaround the Bengals have made is exactly what the Lions are pursuing right now.
While Cincinnati appears to have made several correct decisions on both sides of the ball, the best decision the franchise made was hiring Marvin Lewis. Lewis has done seemingly everything right since taking the reigns of the Bengals three years ago. The draft has gone well, free agency has been successful, the coaching staff blends well with each other, and the players have bought into the system. It all adds up to a team that is taking the first steps in creating that winning culture that so many teams in the NFL crave.
Now as Matt Millen undertakes the search for his third coach in his five years in Detroit, the example of the Cincinnati Bengals hovers in front of him as proof that it can be done. No more excuses can be accepted. Millen is 0-2 attempting to find a coach that can take what he has, add a few pieces and build a winner. Now his time is up.
The Lions are undoubtedly the worst franchise in football since the calendar turned, replacing the once-battered Bengals at the top of the heap. The Bengals found their man, and the team found themselves back in the playoffs. Sure, they lost, but just showing up to play put them at a level that the Lions would love to find themselves this time next year - “Respectability.”
Kevin Antcliff is a freelance sportswriter and former Editor in Chief of Motor City Sports Magazine. You can read more from him at kevinantcliff.com