The week that was

The Marvin in Cincinnati appears to be bullet proof

The Marvin in Cincinnati appears to be bullet proof
Marvin Lewis of the Bengals. Wikipedia

Remember the scene in Pulp Fiction when Vincent (John Travolta) accidentally shoots Marvin in the face? Well our Marvin (Lewis) is downright bulletproof.

Lewis and his Bengals knocked the Lions and Ravens out of playoff contention in back to back weeks and in the process saving his job. I joked on twitter that after the win in Baltimore, the Bengals would reverse course and give Marvin a 5-year extension. Well, I was wrong. It was two years.

By all accounts Marvin was gone. That’s what makes the win in Baltimore nothing short of a miracle. Fourth and 12...under a minute to play...Andy Dalton finds Tyler Boyd for a 49-yard TD to snatch victory for the jaws of defeat. Lost on no one in Cincinnati by the way, is that these are precisely the games that Lewis would lose...especially in the postseason.

Yet despite back to back losing seasons and an 0-7 postseason record; Marvin Lewis will return for a 16th season at the helm of the Bengals.

In a strange way you almost have to admire team president, Mike Brown. He’s known as a guy who doesn’t like change. He’s a fan of Lewis. Brown praised Lewis as “an important member of the Cincinnati community and the Bengals for the past 15 years.” I wonder if Brown still receives DVDs from Netflix too.

Now there will be a overhauling off the coaching staff. Lewis said he’s “starting from scratch”. There is also the fact the Bengals don’t have an indoor practice facility. They take a bus to the University of Cincinnati when it’s too cold.

In the end, Brown and Lewis deserve each other. You have an exec that fears the unknown. And for good or for bad you know what you’re getting with Marvin. And the players love that dude. To a man, you seemingly can’t find anyone to say anything bad about the second longest tenured head coach in the NFL. The first has had a bit more success in New England.

So Bengal fans will just have to rally. They’ll convince themselves that this year will be the year. Hell, forget the Super Bowl. A win in the postseason will be validation enough.

And remember, when Marvin Lewis took over the Bengals they were a laughing stock. Unfortunately, they’ve become a punch line.

You can listen to my radio show, The Sports Bosses , weekdays at 10am ET on SBNation Radio. Follow me on Twitter @mediarodriguez

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Nick Chubb will make a great addition to Houston's backfield. Photo via: Wiki Commons.

Over the weekend, reports emerged linking the Texans and four-time Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb, with mutual interest in a potential deal.

The contract is expected to be a one-year, incentive-heavy deal, but it’s contingent on Chubb passing a physical. He’s working his way back from a severe knee injury suffered in 2023, followed by a broken foot that sidelined him for the final three games of the 2024 season.

According to The Athletic's Dianna Russini, Chubb has passed his physical, so a deal should be official in short order.

Impact on the offense

If Chubb can return to anything close to the player he was before the knee injury, this will give the Texans offense a tremendous lift. Chubb, still only 29 years old, is one of the best backs in the league when he's right. Chubb rushed for 996 yards in his rookie season, and then ripped off four-straight seasons with over 1,000 yards. With his best year in 2022 (1,525 yards) before blowing out his knee in Week 2 of 2023.

Pairing Chubb with Joe Mixon could create a dynamic duo in Houston's backfield. And should Mixon miss time like he did in 2024 with an ankle injury, Chubb could step in without the offense missing a beat.

Chubb could also make a big impact in goal line situations. At 227 pounds, he's a big load for defenders to take down.

One thing is for sure, if the Texans make this deal official, nobody can say the front office isn't doing their best to surround CJ Stroud with top level talent this season. With a revamped offensive line and a slew of new playmakers, we should expect the Texans to get the offense back on track in 2025 and beyond.

Official!

It's a done deal, per KPRC 2's Aaron Wilson. A one-year contract worth up to $5 million.


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