FC’s Lewis gets another opportunity in Pittsburgh
Cincinnati head coach and McDonald native Marvin Lewis has a 7-18 record against the Steelers.
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis takes the field in the first half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2015, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Frank Victores)
PITTSBURGH – It’s been a long time since Marvin Lewis held a coaching job in Pittsburgh. Twenty years, in fact.
But it always remains a special trip for Lewis, not because he’s near where he grew up in McDonald or graduated from high school at Fort Cherry, but because of the opportunity it presents to his teams on a seemingly yearly basis.
He’ll get that chance again today when the Bengals (6-0) visit the Steelers (4-3) at Heinz Field.
Since Lewis left his first NFL job as a linebackers coach for the Steelers on Bill Cowher’s first coaching staff in 1995, the teams for which he has been part of have played Pittsburgh at least once each season.
Lewis, 57, hasn’t always thrived in those games. For example, since becoming head coach in Cincinnati in 2003, Lewis is just 7-18 against the Steelers. But he is 5-7 against the Steelers in Pittsburgh while with the Bengals.
The former Baltimore Ravens and Washington Redskins defensive coordinator, Lewis has continued to build on what he learned as a young defensive assistant in Pittsburgh.
“Obviously, my roots in the NFL started there,” said Lewis, who also spent two seasons as a linebackers coach at Pitt before being hired by Cowher in 1992.
“But, it’s been a while since I’ve been there. So, I’m sure some things have changed. I still think the fundamental things for Mr. Rooney is still the same. It’s about hard work, what you are doing today and not yesterday. That was the key element for Pittsburgh. Never worry about yesterday. It’s all about today. That’s the one thing the Rooneys stand for.”
Despite his record agaisnt the Steelers, Lewis is the winningest head coach in Cincinnati Bengals history with a 106-90 record.
Lewis and fellow Fort Cherry High School graduate Marty Schottenheimer have combined for 306 career NFL wins as head coaches.
Schottenheimer with 200 NFL wins, ranks seventh on the NFL’s all-time list. Lewis is 35th.
One thing that has eluded Lewis – much like Schottenheimer – has been playoff success. Though Lewis has won three AFC North titles and an NFL Coach of the Year award in 2009, his teams are 0-6 in the postseason.
Despite leading the Bengals out of a decade of futility – they hadn’t made the playoffs in the 12 years before he took over – Lewis isn’t worried about his postseason record.
“I’m not concerned about the first playoff win,” Lewis said. “I’m just concerned about us winning the next football game.”
If he does that, perhaps he can count himself even with Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. The two have gotten to know each other over the years and both are members of the NFL competition committee.
This year, the competition between the two on the field was taken to a different level.
Tomlin’s oldest son, who also is named Mike and is a freshman in high school, scored the final touchdown in a 50-7 victory by North Catholic over Fort Cherry.
Tomlin wanted to make sure Lewis heard about the touchdown in what he called, “mop up duty.”
“I guess he’s one up on me,” Lewis said with a laugh.