By Mark Curnutte
Enquirer staff writer

TAMPA, Fla. - The Bengals have not had a winning preseason since 1988, the last time they went to the Super Bowl.

Coach Marvin Lewis, whose first Bengals team was 1-3 in the preseason, would like to change the trend.

"You want to win and you want to have guys who can make winning football plays," Lewis said. "Teams that have successful preseasons generally have better-than-average chances to make the playoffs. And that's what you want to have."

The past 10 Super Bowl champions had a combined record of 30-12 in the preseason in the year they won the Super Bowl. Nine of those 10 teams posted .500 or better preseason records. Since 1995, the final four playoff teams (AFC and NFC Championship game participants) have combined for a preseason record of 95-53 (.642).

"You're not going to put your starting group back in to win the football game or keep them in longer to win the game," Lewis said. "You have to go in with a particular plan where you're going to match these guys against their group."

Still, winning is a priority.

When offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski is calling plays, Lewis said, "I want him to call plays to score touchdowns, whether it's the first quarterback or the third quarterback."

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E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

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