Ranking 32 NFL head coaches based on presidential potential

9. Marvin Lewis – Cincinnati Bengals

Harkening back to the days of drafting Akili Smith, there was once a time when the Cincinnati Bengals were considered the punchline of the NFL (along with that other Ohio team, of course). But ever since Marvin Lewis took over the head-coaching duties back in 2003, things have changed substantially. The Bengals have become a perennial playoff threat and, though the front office has certainly had a helping hand in that, it’s Lewis who — for all his faults — has been the driving force.

Perhaps the greatest asset that Lewis has brought to the Bengals, especially in recent years, is his flexibility. When you look at “damaged-goods” guys like Pacman Jones, Lewis has been able to game-plan around those players in ways that are not only creative, but effective. That’s an undoubtedly valuable asset, to be able to see any player or situation and see how to squeeze production out of it—something that’s never out of demand when you’re president.

The reason Lewis isn’t higher than No. 9, of course, is the string of playoff woes. No matter how impressive they are in the regular season, Lewis and his team have a proverbial self-destruct button that always seems to get pressed in the playoffs. Considering the consequences of choking in high stakes situations as president, Lewis falls somewhat shy of what we’d consider our top-tier coach-president candidates.

Next: No. 8 Gary Kubiak