Marvin Lewis endorses Andy Dalton, takes blame for Bengals' lack of postseason success
Former Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis defended Andy Dalton for years at Paul Brown Stadium.
From making it clear that the organization wasn't seriously looking at quarterback in the 2017 NFL Draft, to saying the pieces around Dalton needed to play better, Lewis has always had Dalton's back.
He continues to endorse his former signal-caller.
“He’s extremely smart,” Lewis told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “By lunchtime on Tuesday, he had the opponent down pat. He’ll be a good aide for a young guy and if something happens, he’ll be ready to go.”
The Bengals released Dalton on Thursday. He exits as the Bengals’ all-time leader in completions (2757), touchdown passes (204), passer rating (87.5) and 300-yard passing games (28).
Dalton and Lewis spent eight years together in Cincinnati. The duo went 68-50-2 over that span, but their run ended with a whimper. The Bengals failed to make the playoffs in Lewis' final three seasons. Dalton went 18-24-1 as a starter from '16-'18, which led to the Bengals parting with Lewis after the 2018 season.
The biggest knock on the duo isn't what they did in the regular season, it's what they failed to do in the playoffs.
Lewis finished 0-7 in the postseason in 16 seasons with the Bengals. Dalton was a big part of that, finishing 0-4 in the playoffs.
“Andy’s contribution was not a negative ever in the playoffs,” Lewis said. “But he gets blamed for it, even though I should get the blame as the coach.”
Despite Lewis' endorsement, Dalton deserves blame for his postseason struggles. He completed 55.7 percent of his passes for 873 yards and finished with one touchdown and six interceptions in four postseason starts.
Dalton's best season ended with an injury, not a playoff loss. The three-time Pro Bowler was in the MVP race during the 2015 season. Dalton led the Bengals to an 8-0 start and they were in contention for a postseason bye. He broke his thumb while making a tackle in a Week 14 matchup against the Steelers following an interception.
The Bengals went on to lose that game, along with a critical matchup in Denver two weeks later. Cincinnati didn't get a bye and ultimately lost to Pittsburgh in heartbreaking fashion with AJ McCarron under center in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
The Bengals haven't been back to the playoffs since. They hope rookie quarterback Joe Burrow can help turn things around.
As for Dalton, Lewis doesn't have any doubts about his ability to help a team.
“Wherever he ends up, he’ll be an asset.”
