Sports Radio Interviews

Marvin Lewis and the Bengals Need Carson Palmer to Play Better to Take That Next Step

The Cincinnati Bengals captured the AFC North Title last year for the first time since 2005 and looked like they had the formula for success in the playoffs as well. They have a quarterback that can make every NFL throw, they had a top-ten running game last year with the emergence of Cedric Benson, and their defense was also one of the best in the NFL as well. However, the Bengals happened to run into a buzzsaw with the New York Jets and were sent on vacation early.

I will give them credit though. The Bengals didn’t rest this offseason and made some improvements to their offense and added some pieces to their defense as well. Terrell Owens will get all the headlines because after all, he is T.O, but this Bengals team looks even more dangerous this season than they did last year and they sound hungry to show that last season wasn’t a fluke.

Marvin Lewis joined ESPN Radio with Colin Cowherd to talk about what he is looking for from his team in training camp, why there is so much parity in the NFL, why the team struggled so much late in the season as opposed to at the beginning, how tough it has been for Carson Palmer with all the new faces, and how tough the schedule is going to be this season.

On what he is looking for from his team in training camp:

“You’re not good until you go play. You don’t start where you left off last year. We’ve added some new people and pieces, but you have to really go out, learn, practice, execute, and get everybody moving in the same direction all the time. You can’t waste time and you can’t have the ‘my bad’ plays all the time and spread those out through 11 guys and multiply that up through each practice snap. Our execution, we just have to tighten things down and that’s what you’re looking for in training camp. To eliminate error.”

On why the team struggled so much late in the season:

“That’s the challenge and that’s the challenge for the guys to understand and do. That we were able to kinda stay in football games early in the season and figure out a way to win them. At the end of the year we weren’t making those plays to win them. At the end of the year we weren’t making those plays to win the game. We had the same opportunities but we weren’t making the plays to win the game. I think that’s it. It is a long season so you’re gonna be out with some guys for a while. Other guys have to step up and we have to play with the same confidence around the whole exterior of the group and we gotta put that new person in there and they’ve got to be able to do their thing and help us make plays.”

On how tough it has been for Carson Palmer with all the new faces on offense:

“Well he’s had to work overtime that’s for sure because we got Jermaine (Gresham) in here last Thursday so we’re really working hard. Jordan Shipley, I think Jordan has done a nice job but he’s still learning the things we’re doing, learning the spots, learning where to be, learning to read the coverages, learning how to read man, and learning how to do the things we have to do. When you add Antonio Bryant here hopefully soon again, you have a lot of moving parts on the offensive perimeter. Getting guys on the same page, seeing things through the same eyes, and as you said, Carson having to get with them all and make sure they’re all fitting in the right spots.”

On how tough the schedule is this season:

“The schedule is what it is and as soon as you finish the season before and you end up where you end up you basically know the team’s you’re going to play outside your division and also based on the rotation. Yes we have a schedule where we play some accomplished football teams. Six of the 12 playoff teams in ’09 and seven of the 12 in ’08, and ten of the last 12 world championship organizations, so we play a schedule of teams that are used to winning and we will be ready to play there’s no doubt about that. It’s a great schedule for our fans, it’s a great schedule for our team to play, and we need to make sure we’re hitting on all cylinders right out of the gate.”

Listen to Marvin Lewis on ESPN Radio here (Audio begins 22:30 into the podcast)

Tags: AFC North, Cincinnati Bengals, ESPN Radio, Marvin Lewis, NFL, Terrell Owens, The Herd on ESPN Radio