Del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Furl
Google
Reddit
Stumbleupon
Y! MyWebNFL COACHING HOT SEAT
Bengals, Browns coaches under pressure
Who will take the Battle of Ohio? Fourth straight loss of the season could spell doom for either coach
Friday, September 26, 2008
CINCINNATI — The Bengals' Marvin Lewis and the Cleveland Browns' Romeo Crennel are similar in many ways.
They're NFL head coaches — two of the league's six African-American mentors — whose squads are 0-3.
The difference? Crennel acknowledges and accepts the fact he's on the hot seat while Lewis doesn't.
Their winless teams collide Sunday when the 70th "Battle of Ohio" unfolds at Paul Brown Stadium, with the Bengals holding a 35-34 series lead.
Nearly half (48.4 percent) the 600-plus respondents in a DaytonDailyNews.com poll believe the losing coach should be fired. If that happens, either owner — Cincinnati's Mike Brown or Cleveland's Randy Lerner — will eat a big contract.
Lewis is signed through 2010 at a yearly salary believed to be at least $3 million, while Crennel was rewarded in the offseason with a contract extension through 2011 in the range of $4 million annually.
"There's pressure on coaches when you win," said Crennel, whose 10-6 squad from 2007 has gone in the tank. "When you don't win, there is more pressure. Only time will tell about the outcome of Sunday's game and how it impacts my future in Cleveland.
"All I know is that if I can win the ball game, I have a better chance of staying here than if I don't win the ball game."
The pressure also is mounting on Lewis, whose squad is 0-3 for the first time since his inaugural season of 2003. The Bengals topped out in 2005 with a playoff berth that accompanied an 11-5 record. Now it has bottomed out.
Nevertheless, Lewis believes he's secure enough that his ouster won't come calling on Monday if his team fails the day before.
"Oh, I don't think it has a bearing on my future," Lewis said. "Beyond that, it's up to (the media) if you think it does. It's serious (business) to me, but it's got nothing to do with my future. And if it does, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.
"So you don't have to worry about me losing sleep over it, other than the fact that I want to win the football game. But my future doesn't cause me any worry, OK? So if you ever have to ask questions or you're thinking about questions (regarding my future), we can dispel that one right now — ever. If my future has anything for me to worry about, it doesn't."
Lewis said "both teams are looking at it the same way, and have each other circled. You've got to get ready to win the football game."
Crennel called it "a must win" for both clubs.
"Whoever wins is not totally out of it," he said. "It looks like the (AFC North) division is going to be a tough division. Everybody is playing tough teams. So it's not over by probably a long shot. Whoever doesn't win has a long way to go."
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2253 or cludwig@DaytonDailyNews.com.
Hot seat six-pack
NFL head coaches on slippery slope:
Romeo Crennel, Browns (0-3) — Randy Lerner bolted from owner's box early in Baltimore; not a good sign for Crennel.
Marvin Lewis, Bengals (0-3) — Turned the club's losing culture around, but one playoff berth in five years doesn't cut it.
Lane Kiffin, Raiders (1-2) — His relationship with owner Al Davis is so cold, the team plane has to stop for de-icing.
Scott Linehan, Rams (0-3) — Once considered "The Greatest Show on Turf," the scoring circus has closed down.
Herman Edwards, Chiefs (0-3) — He took over for a legend in Dick Vermeil, but myriad problems have engulfed him.
Rod Marinelli, Lions (0-3) — President and CEO Matt Millen got the ax this week; can Marinelli's ouster be far behind?
