Why Marvin Lewis should be the #1 choice

by BobPurkey34 on Jan 3, 2026 1:29 PM EST

Reader BobPurkey34 outlines his reasons for hiring Marvin Lewis:

It's Black Monday in the NFL, which means one thing and one thing only for coaches on the hot seat. Will they have a job in 2011? Next week? Even tomorrow?

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis is one of them.

After an abysmal season where the Bengals finished 4-12 in a year where many experts predicted them to at least make the playoffs, multiple reports have surfaced that he will not be returning to the position, as his contract is set to expire after the season. Even during his press conference following the Bengals 13-7 loss to Baltimore, Lewis joked about his status.

I can't answer where things are for me. Officially today, I'm unemployed.

Which brings up the next point. Lewis should be the top choice for the Pitt job, and Steve Pedersen would instantly redeem himself if he is able to hire Lewis.

Not that it needs to be said, but Lewis has an extremely strong background in the Pittsburgh area, having grown up in Washington, Pa and coaching linebackers at Pitt from 90-91, then with the Steelers from 92-95. Despite having to put up with questionable characters year in and year out in Cincinnati, Lewis remains one of the classiest men in the NFL and would certainly bring a ton of credibility back to the Panthers football program.

Of the three things Pitt should be looking for in it's next coach, he brings immediate stability as a defensive mastermind - remember he was the DC of arguably the best defense in the modern era, the 2000-01 Ravens. He also brings instant credibility, as he has been coaching college/pros since 1981. There is no recruit out there today that wouldn't know the name Marvin Lewis. And most important, he brings proven success, as both a Super Bowl winner and a D I-AA Championship with Idaho State.

Now to be fair, it would take everything in Pedersen's power and then some to lure Lewis away from the NFL. He could have a DC position nearly anywhere in the league next season.

But, Lewis is not so different from the Wannstedt hiring. The Stache served as Dolphins head coach from 2000 to 2004, his last season finishing 4-12 like Lewis. He was then brought in with a great deal of knowledge of the western Pennsylvania area and having ties with Pitt as both a player and GA. Would Pedersen be able to bring in another NFL guy?

Time will tell, but Pitt won't do much better than Marvin Lewis.

Poll

Would Marvin Lewis be a good fit at Pitt?

Yes

59 votes

No

73 votes

132 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

i'll take a pass on marv lewis

don’t get me wrong we could definetly do worse than lewis (and we probably will ) but i’d like a college guy not an nfl guy. there’s alot more charlie weis’s and wannstache’s than pete carroll’s in my opinion. it’s a pretty large transition from one level to the next and unless the guy coming from the nfl really understands the limitations of college players or has extraordinary talent at every position (pete carroll) it’s a pretty tough fit.

by panthro on Jan 3, 2026 5:56 PM EST reply actions

I understand what you’re saying but truth be told, Wannstache was the best coach at Pitt in years. Yeah, he had some shortcomings and the team wasn’t great when he took it over, but once he started getting his players in, the success followed. And I know the expectations this year were huge and probably excessively high, but I didn’t ever see it. This team had issues on defense from day 1 and the fact Romeus was out nearly the entire year didn’t help either. It’s also even harder to win with a new quarterback playing a pro-style offense and while Sunseri wasn’t terrible, he was never all that good.

Letang Clan - ain't nothin to puck with

by BobPurkey34 on Jan 3, 2026 8:14 PM EST up reply actions

Firing a mediocre former pro head coach with Pittsburgh connections...

…then hiring a mediocre former pro coach with Pittsburgh connections doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. Of course, it sounds like exactly the kind of thing Steve Pederson would do, but that hardly makes it a good idea.

Adam
Black Shoe Diaries, SB Nation Pittsburgh, Daily Collegian Sports, BT Powerhouse, @fugimaster24
God Created the World Out Of Nothing, Paterno Built A National Superpower On Cow Fields...

by fugimaster24 on Jan 3, 2026 7:15 PM EST reply actions

It does sound like what Pedersen would do.

BUT, I don’t think it’s fair to call Lewis a mediocre pro head coach either. He finished his Cincy career at 60-67 which isn’t bad considering both the division he was in and the fact that in a number of those years, his teams just weren’t good. Chuck Noll couldn’t have turned some of those Bungle teams into winners.

Letang Clan - ain't nothin to puck with

by BobPurkey34 on Jan 3, 2026 8:17 PM EST up reply actions

Well

He just re-signed with Cincinnati anyway, so it doesn’t matter.

Adam
Black Shoe Diaries, SB Nation Pittsburgh, Daily Collegian Sports, BT Powerhouse, @fugimaster24
God Created the World Out Of Nothing, Paterno Built A National Superpower On Cow Fields...

by fugimaster24 on Jan 4, 2026 4:05 PM EST up reply actions

Yep.

There’s still a lot of quality names out there for Pedersen to consider. Bradley, Mike Leach, or even gasp, Rich Rodriguez

Letang Clan - ain't nothin to puck with

by BobPurkey34 on Jan 4, 2026 4:13 PM EST up reply actions

Say no to DickRod.

by SlingStone on Jan 5, 2026 12:34 PM EST up reply actions

They may consider him briefly

But I think the NCAA issues will keep him from becoming a serious contender. After this Haywood situation, Pitt is looking for someone squeaky clean … you’d think, anyway.

by CardiacHill on Jan 5, 2026 12:40 PM EST up reply actions

And who could be cleaner then Bradley?

And he apparently wants the job. The Rooney family wants him to get the job. Nordy needs to grab Pederson by the balls an tell him to start negotiations.

by SlingStone on Jan 5, 2026 12:51 PM EST up reply actions

Not interested

I can’t imagine that Lewis is really interested. He can make more in the NFL as a coordinator without having to deal with the hassle of recruiting, alumni, etc.

And I’m not saying he couldn’t work out. I’d be more happy with him than I was with Haywood. But I’d probably want someone with more of a college track record. Wannstedt was at least a coordinator in college before at a major university. Other than two years as a linebackers coach at Pitt, Lewis has only served as position coaches at smaller schools.

by CardiacHill on Jan 3, 2026 8:12 PM EST reply actions

Yes I’m sure he can. But is that his entire motive? I’m not sure.

I bet Wannstedt could have made more as a DC in the NFL somewhere after he got fired from the Miami job in 04. If Lewis wants to still be a head coach, I’m not sure there will be any pro openings for him. He’s also getting older now too and maybe he would want to return home.

I know it’s more ideal to have someone with a college track record but honestly, we won’t find the perfect candidate anywhere. Say Bradley is the favorite for the job, you could come right back and say he has no head coaching experience. Lewis has quite a lot of it now, and he did it dealing with some of the worst characters in football. If Lewis can coach in that Cincy madhouse, he can coach anywhere. And even though his experience recruiting isn’t where others is, I’m sure his name alone and pedigree would be a big factor for potential recruits. You get a kid from Georgia, South Carolina with Haywood/Bradley coming to their door and it’s like, I don’t know much about this guy. But Marvin Lewis, oh yeah he coached some great defenses and won a Super Bowl, he can get me to the NFL. Big difference.

Letang Clan - ain't nothin to puck with

by BobPurkey34 on Jan 3, 2026 8:26 PM EST up reply actions

I'll pass

Nice post, but I’m not interested at all in Marvin Lewis. He’s basically Dave Wannstedt, without the strong Pitt ties, all over again. I don’t think Pitt will actually interview him either, rather those reports are just internet speculation.

At this point, Tom Bradley would be my preferred choice.

Hail to Pitt, Hail to Pitt Every Loyal Son

by mikeo90 on Jan 3, 2026 11:41 PM EST reply actions

Why are you not interested at all? I don’t get how a comparison with Wannstedt is a bad thing like you imply. He turned the team into something very respectable in a few years and once he started getting his guys into the program, you saw the results. I know 7-5 this year wasn’t the result anybody wanted but come on.

Bradley would be a great choice no doubt. But why is he so much better than Lewis? He’s never been a head coach. Lewis has just as much experience as he does. And I’d say Lewis is an even better defensive guru than Bradley. I know Bradley has been on the college scene for a lot longer than Lewis has but in terms of recruiting, guys like Lewis just have that name recognition no matter where he goes.

Instead of bringing in a defensive coordinator that might well be a good head coach, why not bring in one who’s done it for years at the highest level?

Letang Clan - ain't nothin to puck with

by BobPurkey34 on Jan 4, 2026 12:06 AM EST up reply actions