Marvin Lewis

The Bengals coach joined Cincinnati.Com Monday to preview the team's training camp, which opens Friday, and its prospects for the upcoming season.

Andy Knight (Jul 26, 2004 12 PM)
Good afternoon and welcome to today's online chat with Bengals coach Marvin Lewis. Coach Lewis will be with us momentarily, so please feel free to begin posting your questions now.

sweetdude (Jul 26, 2004 12:02 PM)
Hey Coach, what do you think you have to work on the most in training camp?

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:02 PM)
We have to work at simulating live football as much as we can.

Andy Knight (Jul 26, 2004 12:02:27 PM)
Coach Lewis has now joined us, so please continue posting your questions. Thanks for being with us today.

hudeypop (Jul 26, 2004 12:02:49 PM)
Are you planning on getting out the shovels and garden hoses to motivate your players again this year or do you have a new trick your bag your holding out on?

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:02:49 PM)
We will allow the season to dictate out buzzwords.

BengalMatt (Jul 26, 2004 12:04:09 PM)
Hi Marvin. What will be the breakdown for time for each quarterback during the preseason games?

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:04:09 PM)
Carson (Palmer) will play the majority of our snaps with our first group. We will be sure to allow Jon (Kitna) to get his snaps in with our first players.

Andy Knight (Jul 26, 2004 12:04:36 PM)
Enquirer sports reporter Mark Curnutte answers your e-mail questions each Wednesday online at www.cincinnati.com/bengals

Guest (Jul 26, 2004 12:05:12 PM)
Hello Marvin....thanks for the turn around so far...I like th e depth on the o-line, what can we look for with the d-line? I believe that is where it all satrts.

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:05:12 PM)
Our defensive line actually has as good a depth as the offensive line. But with players that haven't been here with the Bengals.

bengals4life (Jul 26, 2004 12:05:43 PM)
good job last year coach! do you think the defense will be better at stopping the run this year?

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:05:43 PM)
I would expect us to do a better job of tackling and playing 11 people together.

bigJohn (Jul 26, 2004 12:06:14 PM)
Coach Lewis..what can we as Bengals fans do to help give the bengals more of a edge in home games ?

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:06:14 PM)
Continue to be loud and show your passion and spirit.

Andy Knight (Jul 26, 2004 12:06:36 PM)
Did anyone read the article about Carson Palmer in Sports Illustrated this week? If so, feel free to send your questions about that to Coach Lewis.

Redman4192 (Jul 26, 2004 12:07:24 PM)
Hello Coach Lewis! First up, glad to have in you Cincinnati and good luck this season. My question is regarding Carson Palmer. If for some reason he is not living up to your expectations, at what point do you consider inserting Kitna?

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:07:24 PM)
Carson and all of our players understand their responsibilities to play winning football. The quarterback's job is always under a larger microscope.

Ace (Jul 26, 2004 12:07:59 PM)
Marvin, I got my first 2005 football video game last week, and they have Darryl Gardner on the Bengals. Can you let us know what happened to the deal that everyone was sure was going to go through?

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:07:59 PM)
My son informed me of that. It goes to show you can never believe what you read in the papers.

BWeaver (Jul 26, 2004 12:09:00 PM)
Do you see any rookie holdouts this season? Thanks, and WhoDey!

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:09:01 PM)
The trend across the league has been very slow this year. I anticipate 90 percent of the contracts to be finished by Friday.

Andy Knight (Jul 26, 2004 12:09:09 PM)
Please keep in mind that this is a moderated chat. Your question will appear only if and after Coach Lewis has responded to it. Thank you for joining us today.

Gramps (Jul 26, 2004 12:10:30 PM)
Will you maintain or increase the conditioning program this year as compared to last year? P.S. you have done an outstanding job with this team!

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:10:30 PM)
Conditioning of our football team will always be a priority.

whodey4life (Jul 26, 2004 12:11:35 PM)
hello coach, how is peter warricks knee holding up with training camp starting?

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:11:35 PM)
I'm hopeful that Peter will continue to progress with the rehab of his knee. We'll have to monitor him and his practice time.

bengalmania (Jul 26, 2004 12:12:27 PM)
Coach, what do you think are our stongest positions and weakest

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:12:27 PM)
I believe we are stronger in each of our positions. We have better depth and understanding of the players at the position.

Andy Knight (Jul 26, 2004 12:13:14 PM)
Don't miss Mark Curnutte's NFL Insider column each Sunday in the Enquirer.

SFC Wilson IRAQ (Jul 26, 2004 12:13:23 PM)
Hello Coach Lewis, I am in Iraq and was wondering "Do you thing the Offensive Line is strong enough to protect the QB to prevent a repeat of history with young Bengal QBs?"

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:13:24 PM)
It's unfortunate that people continue to compare Carson Palmer to past quarterbacks here.

cincy4life14 (Jul 26, 2004 12:14:25 PM)
Coach Lewis, who are the leading candidates to return punts and kick-offs this year?

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:14:25 PM)
Peter Warrick still remains our No. 1 punt returner. We have Deltha O'Neal and Jamal Broussard to also share duties. Patrick Johnson and Chris Perry will add a much-needed punch to our kickoff return team.

Todd in Springfield (Jul 26, 2004 12:15:02 PM)
Coach, what do you think your biggest challenge will be for this upcoming season?

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:15:03 PM)
Our biggest challenge remains to fight from the ground up. What we did last year wasn't good enough and it is history.

marvismyhero (Jul 26, 2004 12:15:28 PM)
Coach, great job so far. Can we hope to see more of Kelley Washington this season? Gotta love that squirrel dance.

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:15:28 PM)
Kelley has had a fine offseason and embraced the opportunity to get Peter's snaps.

John Robert Doe (Jul 26, 2004 12:16:31 PM)
Coach Lewis, the Ricky Williams saga is hitting the NFL and media pretty hard. What are your feelings on the situation, and is there any trade talk regarding the Bengals and Dolphins.

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:16:31 PM)
For the Dolphins, it comes at an unfortunate time. All teams will always listen regarding any type of player moves and evaluate it based on what's best for the future of their team.

SpenDawg (Jul 26, 2004 12:17:21 PM)
How is Dennis Weathersby doing?

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:17:21 PM)
Dennis is in Southern California continuing his rehab and will be one of our 80-plus players on our training camp roster. He will be unable to participate in the 2004 season.

Guest (Jul 26, 2004 12:18:05 PM)
Marvin, how are you going to keep your team from being overly excited for the new season, since they will be soaring with confidence going into the 1st regular season game against the Jets?

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:18:05 PM)
As a professional, we have to do our jobs and keep our eye focused on the target.

Andy Knight (Jul 26, 2004 12:18:37 PM)
Coach Lewis is receiving a lot of questions and is trying to answer as many of them as possible. Please keep watching your chat window to see if he responds to yours. Thanks for your patience.

Jeff-StBernard (Jul 26, 2004 12:19:29 PM)
Coach can you talk about the difference it makes having Kevin Hardy back at the SAM and how Caleb Miller and Landon Johnson can help the team this year? What do you see their roles as being?

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:19:30 PM)
Kevin will continue to provide leadership and now be at a position where we can use his physical talents. Caleb and Landon are getting a crash course of playing linebacker in the NFL.

hjt7979 (Jul 26, 2004 12:20:11 PM)
Coach Lewis, Any plans to decorate the inner wall facings with black and orange!!! Good luck this season

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:20:12 PM)
There are some proposals to decorate our inner stadium walls.

Andy Knight (Jul 26, 2004 12:20:19 PM)
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FCPUSA (Jul 26, 2004 12:21:05 PM)
Hello Marvin... I'm a die hard Bengal fand in Atlanta, GA I was wondering what if any plans are there to expand live coverage of games in my (Southeast) market. No Bengals games are offered via cable. Only dish type special pay services are offered, and I don't think even they offer bengals coverage. Thanks. Go Bengals 2004.

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:21:05 PM)
The NFL TV package is a regional package. We do have the three national TV games. (Miami and Denver at home on Sunday and Monday nights and at Washington at 4 p.m.)

Staffman (Jul 26, 2004 12:21:27 PM)
Is there any truth to Carson Palmer having trouble with grasping the play book??

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:21:28 PM)
Carson is the playbook.

BCALL4 (Jul 26, 2004 12:22:14 PM)
Coach Lewis... Conditioning wise what are you going to do in training camp to avoid a showing like the Denver game last year?

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:22:15 PM)
Our conditioning nor the black pants played no part in the Denver Broncos out-playing us.

dman (Jul 26, 2004 12:23:04 PM)
how will you and your players plan to be involved with our community this year? A lot of kids and adults look at you and your staff as role models.

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:23:04 PM)
I'm hopeful our players will continue to grow and immerse themselves in the many community-oriented organizations as they did last year.

sean (Jul 26, 2004 12:24:08 PM)
Coach, what area of offese/defense concerns you the most?

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:24:08 PM)
We must protect the football on offense. Defensively, we must play better on third down and eliminate explosive plays.

eightballmu (Jul 26, 2004 12:25:01 PM)
Coach, with Carson Palmer taking his first regular season snaps this year, will there be different strategy to help him relieve pressure as he adapts to the NFL?

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:25:01 PM)
As I said earlier, this is Carson's team and we must provide him an opportunity to be successful. We all must do our jobs better than we did them last year.

Shaner (Jul 26, 2004 12:25:33 PM)
What will be the biggest surprise to the fans this year based on what you know about the team?

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:25:33 PM)
I'm excited about our ability to make more explosive plays.

Andy Knight (Jul 26, 2004 12:26:23 PM)
A reminder, this is a moderated chat. Your question will appear only if and after Coach Lewis has responded to it. Thank you for joining us today.

Luke (Jul 26, 2004 12:26:30 PM)
Are there any plans to sign Rudi to an extension during the season?

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:26:30 PM)
An extension for Rudi could possibily happen. It is difficult to work on these things during the season.

Guest (Jul 26, 2004 12:26:53 PM)
We are all hoping to see a breakout season for Carson Palmer and everything looks like it will be that kind of season...but if Carson struggles, let's say 0-4, when do you decide to makde a change?>

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:26:53 PM)
If we are 0-4 because of our quarterback play I will make a change.

tonybengalsfan (Jul 26, 2004 12:27:21 PM)
who do you believe will be the stand out defensive player this year

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:27:21 PM)
I'm excited to see Justin Smith begin to take over and dominate football games.

Bengalman (Jul 26, 2004 12:27:59 PM)
Coach, given that Carson's the declared starter, do you think Kit can out perform at camp to change your mind??

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:28:00 PM)
Jon has played very well this offseason. I feel comfortable that we have two capable quarterbacks.

eightballmu (Jul 26, 2004 12:28:36 PM)
In regards to the new field turf, besides everyone benefitting from the consistency of the surface, are there certain styles of play/players that will benefit more?

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:28:37 PM)
I believe our entire football team will benefit from the new field. It gives us a great practice option during bad weather, as well.

Jeff-StBernard (Jul 26, 2004 12:29:18 PM)
Coach, can Matthias Askew help us this year? I mean, on game day.

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:29:18 PM)
Matthias will be given an opportunity to help us this year.

PoppyBengal (Jul 26, 2004 12:30:10 PM)
Speaking of the black pants... which is your favorite uniform combination?

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:30:10 PM)
I really like all of our new options. My favorite might be the orange jerseys and black pants.

bengalmania (Jul 26, 2004 12:31:20 PM)
Coach, When we signed Nate Webster, alot of people were comparing him to Ray Lewis. Do you believe that he can reach that level, in his career.

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:31:20 PM)
Nate compared very favorably to Ray at Miami. We are gaining a player of Ray's range and has been well trained as a pro.

Andy Knight (Jul 26, 2004 12:31:59 PM)
Coach Lewis has time for only a few more questions. Thanks again for being with us today.

Angus (Jul 26, 2004 12:32:07 PM)
Coach, how much do you think an entirely sold out home schedule will contribute to the team's performance?

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:32:08 PM)
The home-field crowd made a difference last year.

Ryan Yunt (Jul 26, 2004 12:32:30 PM)
How has Robert Geathers looked in Mini-camps? Will he be viewed a a pass rush specialist if he can crack the rotation?

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:32:30 PM)
Robert has shwon great athletic ability and an ability as a pass rusher.

Todd in Springfield (Jul 26, 2004 12:33:08 PM)
Coach, how do you anticipate using Chris Perry this year? Will he split time with Rudi, or will he primarily be a third down back?

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:33:08 PM)
We will work to use Chris in a lot of different situations as a ball-carrier and receiver.

matt35621 (Jul 26, 2004 12:33:45 PM)
Do you think that Chad will have the patience to help Carson grow comfortable during games? Or will he be more concerned with his receiving less chances?

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:33:45 PM)
The pressure has been put on Chad to mature and understand the inside and out of his assignments. That will take the pressure off Carson.

Pablo Dr (Jul 26, 2004 12:34:56 PM)
Hey, Coach, my previous question was about Carson Palmer.... that seems to be answered. However I am curious.... do you have any regrets about not being able to pick up Warren Sapp? I had mixed feelings.... and am sure the folks back there did the same. Paul in New Mexico

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:34:56 PM)
Each year in free agency we need to explore players. Some we will sign. Some will chose not to. We have to look at the big picture.

flabengal (Jul 26, 2004 12:35:33 PM)
C oach Lewis, First of all: Thank you for making me proud to be a Bengal fan again, Keep up the good work. Do you see any of the young DL(Patterson, Moore, Geathers, Scott or Askew) making a big contribution this year?

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:35:33 PM)
I'm anxious for our young group of defensive linemen to prove they belong.

John in Mainville (Jul 26, 2004 12:36:34 PM)
Coach, Will Skip Hick's performance in NFL Europe buy him any extra reps early in camp?

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:36:34 PM)
Skip performed well in NFL Europe. He must pick up where he left off on the field and elevate himself in the classroom and as a blocker.

B1 (Jul 26, 2004 12:37:46 PM)
Coach, will you be looking at the waiver wire for any help on the defensive front while in training camp?

Marvin Lewis (Jul 26, 2004 12:37:46 PM)
Too much attention is being placed there. You play defense with 11 players.

Andy Knight (Jul 26, 2004 12:37:54 PM)
Unfortunately, we're out of time for today. Our thanks to Coach Lewis for joining us, and thanks to all of you who logged in with questions.

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