The change Bengals coach Marvin Lewis forecast last week began last night, when defensive coaches Chuck Bresnahan and Ricky Hunley were fired.
Bresnahan just finished his third season as defensive coordinator, and the Bengals ranked in the bottom six in the NFL in yards allowed each season. They ranked 27th in yards allowed and 24th in points allowed in 2007.
Hunley was the linebackers coach the past five seasons.
"After meeting with all our coaches, I determined that it was necessary to make these changes," Lewis said in a statement. "Both Chuck and Ricky worked extremely hard this past year, and I wish them and their families the best as they move on in their careers."
Lewis moves into his sixth season as coach with his third defensive coordinator. The Bengals have finished in the bottom half of the league in yards and points allowed each season. In four of Lewis' five seasons, they finished 27th or worse in yards allowed.
After a disappointing season (7-9), Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis fired defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan and linebackers coach Ricky Hunley Wednesday. Bresnahan, 47, guided the defense to finishes of 28, 30 and 27 among 32 teams in NFL rankings the past three seasons. This was the first season a Lewis coached Bengals team finished under .500.
"These are very difficult decisions that affect the lives of coaches and their families," Lewis said in a release. "But after meeting with all our coaches, I determined that it was necessary to make these changes. Both Chuck and Ricky worked extremely hard this past year, and I wish them and their families the best as they move on in their careers." Hunley, 46, joined the Bengals staff in 2003.
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis defended his staff earlier this week, saying, "I'm very pleased ... They have gone through some trying times with new players and injuries." A prophetic quarterback Carson Palmer said following the final game against Miami: "A lot of things need to change. One of the biggest keys to this year was that we got out-executed. We didn't do our jobs correctly enough to give us a chance to win games."
Len Pasquarelli of ESPN.com said Lewis will likely consider several possibilities, including Donnie Henderson, who has previously served as a defensive coordinator with the New York Jets and Detroit Lions and who was a Bengals' consultant this season.
One by one, Bengals players left Paul Brown Stadium yesterday carrying garbage bags full of equipment and mementos. It is unclear how many will ever return, and it might not become clear for a few months.
Around here, a 7-9 record generally has been an opportunity to preach patience, to emphasize the good and the chance it could become great. Coach Marvin Lewis has said this 7-9 season will spur significant offseason change, but he has declined to offer specifics.
"There's got to be revisions in things we do, and understand there has to be an urgency, sweeping it clean," he said yesterday, during his annual end-of-the-season news conference. "What happens a lot in coaching, you get stale. We've got to find a better way, a new way of looking at things. We have to take a critical look at those things."
Quarterback Carson Palmer predicted "a hard and long offseason. We've got a lot of issues, a lot of problems to iron out."
Adam Schein of Fox Sports News Was Not So Kind To Marvin and His Gang!
Well along with the New Year comes the end of the year football grades given out by a multitude of sports writers. The Bengals not only failed the season grade on Fox, but Bnegals fans were given notice that we could be in store for a very interesting off season with based on the commnets Chad Johnson made during a Sirius redio inreview on Friday.
Schein's whose thoughts are below gave the Bengals a D on their season.
"A 7-9 finish is frustrating for Marvin Lewis. The defense was nonexistent. On Friday, we interviewed Chad Johnson on Sirius NFL Radio in his weekly spot. Ocho Cinco was on for 30 minutes. He says if he's the problem, he should go. It should make for a very interesting off-season."
Cincinnati wide receiver Chad Johnson hasn't been quite as outspoken this season as he was last year, but he still got a good zinger in on the Colts during this interview with NFL Sirius Radio.
Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson was a guest earlier this week on Sirius NFL Radio and talked about how the Bengals' offense and defense are both playing very strong football right now. "We're peaking at the perfect time. We're peaking when we need each other the most," he said. "I think we're playing better now that we have to dig ourselves out of this hole."
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Buffalo Wild Wings (Mason, Western Hills, and Harrison) will receive the 2007 award. Watch for their new ad on Growlzone.com coming soon, and an exclusive article on the new 2007 champion! Make sure you go to one of their locations soon to see why they were voted the 2007 Best Bar/Restaurant To Watch A Bengals Game At.
If you want a great sports atmosphere and great food from a great sports bar then go check out the 2007 Growlzone.com Best Bar/Restaurant Champion Buffalo Wild Wings (Mason, Westren Hills, Harrison) . There is no better place to watch the game according to our readers!
'There are some things around here that are a little stale,' he says.
Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis is big on slogans. Maybe his theme for next season can be:
Lewis sounded like The Riddler after the Bengals' 38-25 season-ending victory over Miami at Dolphin Stadium.
Last week, he said no major changes were forthcoming. Over the weekend, he said, "It's time to blow this whole thing up and start from scratch." On Sunday, he attempted to clarify everything after the Bengals closed with two straight wins to finish 7-9. The Dolphins ended 1-15.
"We're going to make sure everything is different," Lewis said. "But there's no changes you're going to know or perceive. So you can relax.
"My point is it's been five years (with one winning record). There are some things around here that are a little stale. We need to take all those doggone binders from five years of games and get rid of 'em — clean the offices, clean the boards, clean up as though we were new people coming in. The coaches have to understand that. The players have to understand that.
Story line The Bengals end a disappointing season hoping to win consecutive games for the first time this year. Given the opponent, there's no excuse for that not to happen. The Dolphins seemed headed for a winless season until upsetting Baltimore two weeks ago.
