By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

When it became obvious Dick LeBeau was on his way out as the Bengals' coach, some of the team's veteran leaders would find themselves in idle moments speculating on who the next head coach would be.

"Marvin Lewis was a guy whose name we kept bringing up," offensive tackle Willie Anderson said.

On Tuesday, that speculation became reality when Bengals president Mike Brown announced that Lewis, former defensive coordinator for the Washington Redskins and the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens, had been hired as the ninth Bengals head coach and the first African-American head coach in the organization's history.

Anderson was ecstatic.

"The Bengals should be commended for going outside the organization and doing something against their character by getting an outside guy," Anderson said. "They're opening up now. It's kind of like they're being hip to understanding what's needed."

No one has accused Mike Brown of being hip, but the Lewis hire resonated with the players as a cutting-edge decision by a man many considered incapable of making such a decision.

Artrell Hawkins had been following the search and said that Lewis was his favorite from among the names he heard were the finalists.

"Number one, he's qualified," said the five-year cornerback from the University of Cincinnati. "He's done well in the situations he's been in. Second, it sends a positive message to the community that has had some race-relations problems that the Bengals are willing to give a shot to an African-American.

"The other thing is that he's a defensive coach. From what I read about him and what I hear, he gets guys to perform well for him. If we want to think about winning a championship, championships are won on defense."

Linebacker Brian Simmons also was pleased to see that the Bengals were willing to hire an African-American head coach, but that was far down on his list of qualifications. After five years of losing, he just wants to be coached by someone who knows how to win.

"I don't care what color the coach is," Simmons said. "I want to win games. That's what it's about. It's a great opportunity for him and I'm glad he did get the job. He has a great football mind. He knows the game real well. That's what we need."

Defensive end Justin Smith was happy to see the Bengals hire a defensive coach to lead the team.

"It sounds like we're heading in the right direction," Smith said. "Being a defensive player, I'm a little biased. I've seen what he did in Baltimore and with the Redskins. If he can bring some of that talent here through free agency and help us out and get us back on track, that would be great."

Anderson was especially excited about the prospect of a fresh beginning under a head coach who hasn't been associated with the past 12 non-winning seasons the Bengals have fashioned.

He played against Lewis' defensive units in Baltimore, and what he saw were smart players who performed with a passion that seemed to flow from their coach.

Lewis' challenge will be to instill that passion into a group of downtrodden players who don't know what it's like to win consistently on the professional level.

"It has to be different," Anderson said. "We have to change everything that's been associated with 12 years of losing football, from the way we practice to the way we do walk-throughs to what time we eat lunch.

"We need an overhaul of ideas and attitudes. I just hope the Bengals let him come in and run his own training camp. Let him do what he needs to do."

E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com

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