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Fan File: With the recent revelations about steroids and big-name athletes, what do you say to the younger athletes looking for a shortcut to getting stronger and faster?
Marvin Lewis: Eat right and get your rest. There’s time to grow and your body is naturally going to grow. With a lot of the additives and supplements, there’s a tendency to dry out the body and that makes you more susceptible to muscle injury. Natural is better...and the results are real and last for the long run.
FanFile: What’s the biggest difference between the football we see on Friday nights and Saturday afternoons and the football we see on Sunday in the NFL?
ML: There is no difference. It’s all the same. It starts with fundamentals. It starts with body position...hips, leverage, explosion...all of which makes you a better blocker, makes you a better tackler, makes you a better ball carrier and helps you shed blocks better. The only skill those things don’t help is throwing the football and catching the football. But all the other parts of football...you do right with that. It’s football...it’s just bigger and faster.
FanFile: You talked about Maurice Clarett and what lies ahead in the NFL for a player so young...you don’t see a LeBron James happening in the NFL?
ML: There are no free throws here, no uncontested shots. There’s yet to be the guy who runs 4-flat (in the 40-yard dash). Obviously (James is) an exceptional athlete and, I don’t know, maybe there’s a defensive lineman that comes out who’s 6-foot-6 and 312 pounds and can run like the wind. Maybe that guy comes out at some point. But, it’s going to be more like Kobe (Bryant), I think, than LeBron.
FanFile: You played college football at Idaho State. How did a kid from Pennsylvania end up playing football there?
ML: There were no (Division) I-AA programs in this area then...in Pennsylvania or Ohio or the tri-state area. So, in order to go somewhere on scholarship I chose to go to Idaho...even though I turned down a chance to play at West Point. (Idaho State) was a great place to go, to play at that level of football, and get the chance to do so on scholarship. Plus, the coaching staff when I went there was from back East, so we had quite a few guys from the east coast at the time.
FanFile: Any advice for kids looking to make an impression on college recruiters?
ML: They don’t find you through the newspaper. That’s another fallacy. Recruiters don’t find you through the newspaper. Their jobs are on the line. They do it through video tape and credible recommendations, but they don’t do it through the media. Certainly, there's the issue of improvement from your sophomore year through your last year as a senior. Recruiters are getting on kids earlier and always looking for that progress.
FanFile: Talk about how athletes handle adversity and how that translates on and off the field.
ML: It’s important because you’re going to have to deal with it all your life. Everything we do is not going to go our way. And so, we have to realize if this is really what I want to do....how am I going to get it done? Dealing with adversity...and again, going back to John Wooden...is how we are all judged. Everything’s easy when it’s 70 degrees and you’re winning and it’s good. But it’s tough when it’s hot or cold or times are tough. Anyone can call a defense on 3rd-and-27, but let’s call it on 3rd-and-3. To me, what we’ve tried to do with our guys...in order to learn how to handle adversity...is get back to fundamentals. That’s the only way you’re going to get over the tough times.
FanFile: You just landed...finally...the head coaching job in the NFL you have deserved for so long. What has football done to help you get to where you are today...and how can young athletes use those lessons in any competitive situation?
ML: Number one, decide what you want. If you want it...then go get it. In order to go get it, you have to develop a plan. To develop a plan, (you must) know the circumstances...to go in as well-prepared as you can be. And then, they’ve got to meet your expectations. If they don’t meet your expectations, walk away. Or...let them offer you the job and tell them, no thanks. That’s the only thing I would say that I’ve learned...get the job. Don’t go in there wishy-washy. Get the job. At one time, I allowed people to think that I didn’t get the job...rather than the fact that I didn’t want the job. From that point on, I took the attitude that I will get the job. If they call me and I have an interest, I will get the job and make them meet every one of my expectations. And if they don’t, then I’ll say...no thank you. That way you can feel good about everything that you did...and that's part of the process. Now...some people think that means I wasn’t going to take the job, but that’s not true. To me it was important that everything else be in place. It has to be a good fit...not just for me, but for everybody.
FanFile: So your previous experiences...going for NFL and college head coaching jobs...helped form that approach?
ML: You can’t be somebody else. You have to be yourself I can’t be the head coach of a football team and you tell me I have to keep all the assistant coaches...if we've finished last in the league in offense and defense. Go into any interview process knowing the ups and downs of the situation you're applying for. I did that at Cal Berkley and Michigan State before I took jobs there. People in the hiring process, they have their pride just like anyone else. They never want to end up looking bad...like they got their second choice. That’s what I've learned. Make them tell you what you want to hear, and make them feel like they’re No. 1 on your list, as well. Because I believe it’s a job interview both ways. I think that’s what made this (the Bengals job) so appealing, because it was a job interview both ways. And after I left here (after the interview), the process changed. The recruiting process went the other way. Now, people want to make sure you don’t tell them no.
FanFile: That approach translates for athletes making decisions about colleges?
ML: For young people, make up your mind about what you want. And if you want it, do all the research that you can to go in as well-prepared as you can and get the job. Always, always, always...put your best foot forward. Even when kids go on their recruiting visits. They’re not sure if they want to go to that school. But, why not go in with an open mind and make it fun and enjoy the experience. When you go to buy a car, you go in knowing what you’re looking for. You don’t go from the convertible to the pick-up truck. The same applies to decisions about college. Kids need to know what they want to do...and just do it!
[ Part I ] [ Part II ] [ Part III ]
The Fan File
Note: FanFile Magazine wishes to thank Bengals' publicity director, Jack Brennan and head coach, Marvin Lewis, for their time and dedication in sharing the experience and insights herewith to those high school athletes who read FanFile.
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