Leader of the Pack

Shortly after the Ravens demolished the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV, Lewis had the chance to interview for the Buffalo Bills head coaching job. Blow their doors off and he'd get the opportunity to run his own franchise. Sure, there was the matter of competition from Tennessee defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and N.Y. Giant defensive coordinator John Fox, but it was Lewis who was thought to be in the driver's seat.

And he deserved to be. The Ravens were world champions and Lewis would get more credit for the title than any other defensive coordinator since Buddy Ryan game-planned the 1985 Chicago Bears' defense. The Ravens weren't just competing with the best teams in the NFL last year - they were competing with the best teams in history. Their defense set an NFL record by allowing just 165 points last year. They recorded four shutouts, one shy of the post-merger record held by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Running against this group proved to be futile. They allowed just 970 rushing yards, the first team to hold opponents under 1,000 yards since the 16-game schedule was instituted. That total was the fewest rushing yards allowed by any defense since the 1964 Bills gave up 913 yards in a 14-game season in the old American Football League.

But more than their accomplishments, this was a unit that played with passion and precision. While the 4-3 setup that the Ravens used was standard, the results were anything but. The Raven's defense was like the precise engine of NASA's finest rocket - ready to fire up and take flight in just a matter of seconds.

The accomplishments of the Baltimore defense brought Lewis plenty of well-deserved praise. They were also expected to bring him several head-coaching opportunities. With teams like the Jets, Lions, Bengals, Browns, Bills and Chiefs needing new head coaches, it appeared clear that Lewis would get at least one offer.

But New York, Detroit, Cincinnati, Cleveland and the Kansas City all made their head-coaching hires prior to the Super Bowl. That meant that Lewis (and the Giants' Fox) would miss out on those potential employment opportunities.

As Lewis prepared his defense's gameplan for the Giants, Williams would interview extremely well with Buffalo's new president/general manager Tom Donahoe. He showed up with graphs, charts and an impressive knowledge of the Buffalo personnel situation. Former Buffalo defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell also interviewed for the job. A few days after the Super Bowl, Lewis went up to speak with Donahoe. It was clear from their meeting that Lewis was still unwinding from the Super Bowl triumph and did not have his full attention on the new opportunity. The same held true for Fox when he spoke with Donahoe. Williams got the job.

"I feel the same way about these guys as when we were looking to hire a coach the last time in Pittsburgh (in 1992)," said Donahoe. "Our candidates were Mike Holmgren, Bobby Ross, Bill Cowher, Dennis Green, Dave Wannstedt and Kevin Gilbride. We chose Cowher, but we thought every one of those guys were worthy of being a head coach. I think time has proven we were right, just as I feel all four of these guys are ready and capable of being successful head coaches in the NFL."

Hiring Lewis would have been easy for Donahoe. After all, he was the favorite and even Bills owner Ralph Wilson Jr. had an interest in hiring Lewis. Donahoe was also familiar and friendly with Lewis, based on their days together in Pittsburgh.

But Donahoe was adamant all along that he was going to hire the guy who he thought best fit the Buffalo Bills. It is not an exaggeration to say that Williams, with whom Donahoe had no real personal relationship as he did with Fox and Lewis, was extremely impressive in his interview.

Missing out on opportunities is the price a great defensive coordinator on a championship team will always have to pay. If your team is still alive as the conference championship games and the Super Bowl roll along, then your chances of getting a head-coaching job for the upcoming season disappear. Those openings tend to get filled before the Super Bowl, so coaches like Lewis miss a number of opportunities.

But Lewis won't be kept on the outside forever. He is too polished, too professional and too good at his job. He has been coaching for 21 seasons and has made major progress at every level. From his first job as a linebacker coach at his alma mater Idaho State through his current position as the Ravens' defensive coordinator, his defensive units have been marked by fierce tackling and forcing turnovers.

After Idaho State, Lewis moved on to Long Beach State, New Mexico and Pittsburgh before he moved to the NFL and the Steelers. Lewis couldn't have picked a better spot to break into the NFL when he joined Bill Cowher's staff in Pittsburgh in 1992. During his four seasons as the Steelers linebackers coach, he learned his craft working under coordinators Dom Capers and Dick LeBeau, credited with being the innovative force behind the zone blitz, a confusing scheme in which linebackers blitz and linemen drop back into coverage lanes. That set has become extremely popular and successful in the NFL.

With Lewis overseeing an impressive group of linebackers in Greg Lloyd, Kevin Greene, Chad Brown and Levon Kirkland, the Steelers' defense was never worse than third in the league overall during his four seasons.

Lewis continued to progress after coming to Baltimore prior to the 1996 season. Last year, the Ravens led the league with 49 takeaways. That thieving philosophy was never more apparent than it was in the 34-10 win over the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV. In that game, CB Duane Starks scored on a 49-yard interception return late in the third quarter, and that was one of five Giant turnovers in the game.

"That is how we like to play the game," Lewis said. "You pressure your opponent every opportunity you can and you force mistakes."

"I think in recent history, they're very, very good," said Lewis about a unit that shattered the 1986 Chicago Bears' mark for fewest points allowed in a season. "But I think the focus all along was winning the championship and we were able to do that last year."

That philosophy gave the Ravens one of the most destructive defenses and makes Lewis the leading candidate for a head-coaching job when hiring season starts at the end of the 2001 regular season.

To this point in the story, no mention has been made that Lewis is an African-American. To a large degree, it does not matter when talking about Lewis's drive, intelligence and his ability to motivate. But in the National Football League and major-college football, African Americans have long been left out of the head-coaching mix. When Lewis was not hired during the most recent offseason, there was quite a bit of negative reaction within the African-American football community even though Herman Edwards was hired to coach the N.Y. Jets. That hire may have been a good move for Edwards, but the non-hiring of Lewis was a bitter pill for the African-American coaching community to swallow.

"Here is a guy who constructed what may be the best defense ever, but only one out of seven or eight teams talked to him," Tony Dungy, one of three black coaches in the NFL, said after Lewis didn't get the Buffalo job.

"Everything happens for a reason, and Marvin will end up in a better place," Dungy said. "But that doesn't let the league off the hook. There is something wrong with the process. It's flawed."

The current rule doesn't allow a team to talk to a prospective coach until his team is out of the playoffs. It was imposed in 1994 after Dave Wannstedt and Norv Turner, both on the Dallas staff, interviewed for head coaching jobs in Chicago and Washington while the Cowboys were en route to Super Bowls.

Commissioner Paul Tagliabue tried last year to ease the pressure on teams needing coaches by pushing back the scouting combine to late February and the start of free agency until the beginning of March. But teams still try to hire coaches as quickly as possible.

During Super Bowl week, Dungy and Gene Upshaw, the executive director of the NFL Players Association, publicly praised the progress that was being made. Cottrell was also being considered by the Bills before Williams got the job. Cottrell eventually was hired by the Jets as their new defensive coordinator.

"The fact that Ted Cottrell, Marvin Lewis, Maurice Carthon and Herman Edwards were candidates indicates that there are plenty of qualified black coaches in the pipeline and they'll continue to come to the fore and will continue to be hired," said Bill Polian, president of the Indianapolis Colts.

"There is a procedure in place where a team that has interest in a Super Bowl assistant can express that interest," Polian says. "I think we can work with that."

The waiting game is a difficult one for head coaching candidates - especially those who are working for championship-caliber teams. While Lewis may have missed out on a chance to be hired last year, his return to the Ravens thrilled head coach Brian Billick.

"It's only a matter of time before Marvin is a successful head coach," Billick said. "The best thing that happened to our staff this year was that Marvin decided to stay with us."

It is not a perfect system, but the fact that there are more minority candidates being considered for head-coaching positions than there were five years ago shows progress. However, those steps won't matter if African-Americans aren't hired to head-coaching positions. Lewis would appear to be the first in line - based on his talent and ability.

Fox joins Lewis as top candidate

It's almost a matter of course. The top coaches on Super Bowl teams are generally thought of as head-coaching timber. John Fox, the defensive coordinator of the Giants, easily fits the bill. Like Marvin Lewis, he interviewed for the Buffalo Bills' head coaching slot last year, but he was unable to secure that position.

Fox, 46, has been coaching at the college and pro level since 1979. He is thought of as a tough guy and an innovator and is clearly in line for a head coaching spot in the NFL in the foreseeable future. Another name that could very well be on the "hot" list by the end of the season is New Orleans offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy. The 37-year-old McCarthy completely retooled what had been a regrettable New Orleans offense and helped get that team to the NFC West championship last year despite numerous injuries to key personnel.

While few observers gave the Packers a serious chance before the start of the season, Green Bay has gotten off to a quick start and its defense has played exceptionally well. Defensive coordinator Ed Donatell has been thought of as a coach on the rise for several years. If the Packers can exceed expectations this year, the 44-year-old Donatell could become a serious candidate.

Among offensive coordinators, few are in a better position to advance than 40-year-old Bronco offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak. Kubiak was John Elway's backup quarterback in a playing career that spanned from 1983-91 and has been coaching ever since. He rejoined the Broncos in 1995 and has been learning from Mike Shanahan, clearly one of the best and most innovative coaches in the business.

Ted Cottrell has been coaching since 1973, and the 54-year-old defensive leader may be getting up in years, but he can build an outstanding defense. His Buffalo defense was among the league's best in 1999 and they would have performed at a similar level last year if injuries hadn't slowed them down. Cottrell will prove himself even further if the Jet defense plays consistently this year.