By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

PHOTO GALLERY

16 game photos

Marvin Lewis remained positive, his voice calm and upbeat as he met with the media after his first game as an NFL head coach.

"We're here for the long haul," he said bravely.

But when his news conference was finished and he walked alone down the hall toward the coaches' dressing room, he looked down at the floor and his shoulders were noticeably slumped.

His Bengals had been thoroughly humbled by Denver 30-10, and Lewis' honeymoon was officially over. The man in whom a sellout crowd had invested such high hopes had seen his team get booed before the first quarter ended.

And yes, it hurt.

"The day was a disappointment," Lewis said. "I don't matter. Us winning or losing is important. I'm disappointed for our fans. I think everybody here today was ready to jump on with both feet. I appreciated their support. We're not going to disappoint them every Sunday like this. Hang with us. We'll be back."

The day and the season began with a promise not felt among the Bengals or their fans in years. The home team was introduced as "Marvin Lewis and the Cincinnati Bengals" amid a fireworks display. Throughout the commotion, Lewis walked calmly toward the sideline, passing a sign near the players' tunnel that read, "In Marvin We Trust."

With each setback on the field, Lewis remained unflappable, his arms folded across his chest one moment, hands on hips the next. There was no waving his arms in desperation the way Bruce Coslet did. He seemed very much a man in control, even though things were spiraling out of control on the field.

"My emotion is not going to help us block or tackle better," Lewis said. "We've got to do that with people we put on the field. Yelling and screaming doesn't fix what's wrong. If I'm yelling and screaming, they're going to put their tail between their legs. ... That doesn't help them."

That's not to say Lewis was all sweetness and light on the sideline.

"He's got a fire about him," said defensive line coach Jay Hayes. "He got after people today. It's not like it was all roses. He was encouraging loudly and criticizing fairly loudly."

In the end, though, the Marvin Lewis era began much the same way the Dick LeBeau era ended last December - with a lopsided defeat.

But the players say it's far too early to give up on their new head coach.

"I'm not carrying Marvin Lewis to the hospital on a stretcher right now," cornerback Artrell Hawkins said. "Marvin has been here before. He knows what it takes to win. He's experienced setbacks and failures.

"Everything in this locker room, everything on this field, has his name on it. He's not going to give that up. ... He's seen what it is to get that championship ring. Now he wants to do it for himself, for his team."

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E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com

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