The Baltimore Ravens could be bringing back a familiar face to fill their vacant head coaching spot.
Experience
The Baltimore Ravens would prefer a new head coach with experience.
Bill Cowher would be great. A lot of teams have expressed interest in the former head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, he has constantly insisted that he’s not ready to get back into coaching just yet.
Pete Carroll is another coach that the team could be interested in. However, his yearly flirtation with the NFL has always led to him staying in the college ranks.
Right now, Baltimore Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome has stated that his team is not at the point where they’re willing to trade draft picks in exchange for a head coach with experience.
Familiar Face
Marvin Lewis isn’t your typical head coaching candidate, though.
From 1996 to 2001, Marvin Lewis was the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. He was the architect of the 2000 Baltimore Ravens defense, which is still considered one of the best defenses of all time. Fans in Baltimore still think fondly of Marvin Lewis.
That success led to Marvin Lewis becoming one of the most coveted assistants in the league. The Cincinnati Bengals received nearly unanimous praise from around the league for hiring Marvin Lewis to resurrect their franchise.
Five years later, though, and Marvin Lewis finds himself with a bit of heat on him. He’s in the hot seat despite having 4 winning season and only 1 losing season. Expectations were raised this past season, and a 7-9 record wasn’t nearly good enough for the team.
It’s no secret that Marvin Lewis would love to have the head coaching job in Baltimore. There, he would be able to mold a defense that has two of the best players in the NFL in linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Ed Reed. There’s very few coaches in the league who don’t find that to be appealing.
Plus, Marvin Lewis would be able to command respect from the players faster than other coaches. His familiarity with the organization makes him that much more appealing of a candidate.
However, the problem for the Baltimore Ravens is that Marvin Lewis has 3 years left on his contract. The Cincinnati Bengals aren’t going to allow him to leave without compensation.
Closing Thoughts
There’s a lot of good candidates out there, but Marvin Lewis seems to be the best fit for the Baltimore Ravens.