Who has most pressure to improve for the 2014 NFL season?
By Kim Myers
Cincinnati Bengals
If you can’t decide on whether Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis or quarterback Andy Dalton is under the most pressure in 2014, it’s a good bet to just say the whole team is in the pressure cooker for the season. The team has reached the post season for three consecutive years. Yet, they haven’t won a playoff game since the Berlin Wall was up. With the Steelers and Ravens both having disappointing 2013 seasons, the Bengals weren’t in a better opportunity to establish their dominance and make a real, substantial run in the playoffs. Instead, they got bounced out in the first round by a Chargers team that snuck into the playoffs at the last minute.
The Bengals team is loaded with talent at every end yet their biggest weaknesses by far are their head coach and starting quarterback. Marvin Lewis has been on the hot seat so many times in his 11 years coaching the team; he’s almost numb to the affects. Still, he kept getting extensions in spite of the teams’ dreadful playoff performances. As far as Andy Dalton, he’s been consistently improving with each regular season and consistently underperforming with each playoff loss.
Many people consider the AFC North to be up for grabs this year, but Cincinnati still has the loaded roster. Coming off of three consecutive wasted trips to the playoffs, it’s put up or shut up time for the Bengals in 2014.