Another NFL Analyst Praises Marvin Lewis With Hiring Season Quickly Approaching

Marvin Lewis could be make his NFL return next month

CINCINNATI — Marvin Lewis isn't back in the NFL yet, but that may change next month. 

There's plenty of buzz about the 62-year-old potentially getting another shot to lead a team. 

Lewis posted a 131-122 record during his 16 seasons with the Bengals. After two years away from the NFL, multiple teams are reportedly interested in talking to him about their potential head coaching vacancy. 

He's currently the co-defensive coordinator at Arizona State on Herm Edwards' staff.

First, former Bengals linebacker Takeo Spikes endorsed Marvin Lewis. He praised him for changing the culture in Cincinnati. 

NFL analyst and former Baltimore Ravens cornerback Domonique Foxworth jumped into the mix on Friday. 

"I'm tired of people evaluating Marvin Lewis like fans. Like fans have full-time jobs, they've got other things to do. So at the end of the day, they look at things like playoff record and/or Super Bowl championships. They're like, 'OK, he's the GOAT. He's not.' We are better than that. We have to take into account context. What Marvin Lewis did at Cincinnati is as impressive as we've seen just about any other coach short of Bill Belichick do," Foxworth said on ESPN's First Take. "What he did there was he increased their winning percentage by 21%—from the 10 years before he got there to his time there. He did that. You know what Bill Belichick did—he did it by 31%. Those Hall of Fame coaches that we have in the NFL right now, that is as impressive as it gets. I think Pete Carroll—11%. Andy Reid—8%. I think Harbaugh—7%. And also, to the point, don't be a fan. And understand that context matters. Everyone in the league knows that while Marvin Lewis was in Cincinnati, they were renowned as the cheapest organization. They didn't have a general manager. They had a spartan, kind of scouting staff. They didn't have the facilities of other people [teams]. So what he did there is tantamount to like a No. 16 seed making it to the Elite Eight. And everyone looking at them and saying, 'But you didn't win a championship. You're a failure. You're a bad head coach.' Context matters. And it's underappreciated how much he did with little. Like he is running this race every year - or he was - with a weight vest on. He managed to win the division four times, got them to the playoffs seven times. You know how many times they did either of those things in the 10 years before he was hired: Zero. And he did all this in a division with two coaches who are probably going to go to the Hall of Fame in Harbaugh and Tomlin."

Foxworth never played for Lewis, even though both spent time in Baltimore. 

Lewis was a good NFL head coach that helped the Bengals get back to relevance. He wore out his time in Cincinnati, but that happens after 16 years and an 0-7 record in the playoffs. 

Lewis interviewed with Dallas and Washington for their head coaching jobs last season. With the success that defensive coaches like Brian Flores and Ron Rivera are having, there's a real chance that he gets another shot at being an NFL head coach next month. 

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