Thursday, December 21, 2000
LeBeau not obvious choice, just right one
The irony about Dick LeBeau is the qualities the Cincinnati Bengals now celebrate are the same ones they have long overlooked.
He stands for subtlety in a business that favors self-promotion. He shows steely poise in a sport that prefers passion of the foaming-at-the-mouth variety. In the heat of battle, he conveys the calm of a British butler at high tea.
These things are laudable, but they are not loud. They do not attract much attention and they do not generate many job offers. LeBeau has been hiding his light under a bushel for so long now it could be a kerosene lamp. If you weren't watching carefully, you might have judged him a wallflower.
Understated is not always synonymous with underrated, but the two terms are equally apt in LeBeau's case. He became a head coach for the first time at 63 years old and by happenstance, as the second choice in a sudden crisis, but he has proven a stabilizing force for this forlorn football franchise. The Bengals are only 4-8 since LeBeau replaced Bruce Coslet on Sept.25, yet they have responded to him with enthusiasm and effort.
Team captains Willie Anderson and Takeo Spikes expressed support for LeBeau in a meeting Tuesday with Bengals president Mike Brown. Brown extended LeBeau's contract Wednesday at an undisclosed salary for an unspecified term.
“It's probably unfair that he came to this chance so late,” Brown said. “I remember thinking about (Vince) Lombardi, and how he got his chance when he thought it was too late for him to get it. Maybe the fact that Dick was a man about things made it harder for him to get noticed.”
Low-key approach
In an NFL career that dates to 1959, LeBeau has played in three Pro Bowls, coached in three Super Bowls and always projected the image of a man who never perspires. As a defensive coordinator, his serenity supplied stark contrast to coaching caricatures such as Sam Wyche and Bill Cowher — so much so that his cool may have been counterproductive to his career.
When LeBeau's defenses performed poorly, Bengals executives would make unflattering whispers about his work ethic, alleging he was often the last coach to report to work and the first to leave. This perception helps explain how LeBeau frequently was passed over for head coaching opportunities — including Sept.25, when Mark Duffner was given first crack at replacing Coslet — but its validity grows more dubious by the day. Leadership is not determined by the length of one's hours, but the depth of one's character.
“I like the way he weathers tough times,” Brown said of LeBeau. “He doesn't buckle under to it. He's the same on the good days as on the bad days. He's sensible; he's straightforward. His attitude, his demeanor, his poise impressed me. Maybe he should be that way because both of us have been around long enough that we ought to act like adults.”
At last, a chance
LeBeau is a grown-up in a game largely populated by emotional adolescents. He is the same age Dick Vermeil was when the St. Louis Rams won the Super Bowl last season. His maturity suggests Methuselah.
“You could talk to Dick LeBeau about pretty much anything,” said John Jackson, the sage tackle. “That's a rarity in a coach and a person.”
Had Coslet been more successful or Duffner more ambitious, all of LeBeau's attributes might never have been known. Sometimes the identity of the best candidate becomes clear only after the position has been filled.
E-mail: tsullivan@enquirer.com.
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SULLIVAN: LeBeau not obvious choice, just right one