No one is a bigger stickler for decorum on the field than Marvin Lewis. And yet he enjoys players who live on the edge of control. Always has, since the days of Odell Thurman. That’s fine: Every team would like to have players with the talent and fury of Burfict and Jones.
But when the fury escapes from the leash and costs you games, the coach is going to be the one held accountable. The irony is, Lewis likely saved Jones’ career, and gave life to Burfict’s. Now, he’s open to criticism because he can’t control their behavior on the field.
There will be Next Times, but there will never be another This Time. This time, the Bengals had the better team. The best team, in fact, that they’ve had in the Marvin Lewis era. “This is the best team I’ve ever been on. That’s the most disappointing part,’’ said Andrew Whitworth, here a decade.