Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis had his eye on the future Monday in the wake of his sixth straight play-off loss on Sunday and bristled a bit when asked if he was excited about another chance to coach next season while others may not have been given that opportunity.
"Do you think people are releasing people that led their team to the playoff four years in a row?" he asked.
He made it pretty clear he's still got the biggest goal of all and he even has envisioned what happens.
"My job is to win games and win the Super Bowl. My job is to win the Super Bowl," Lewis said. "One day when I walk out of here I will hopefully leave that trophy in here and I'll just keep on stepping. That's all I want to do. You'll never hear from me again."
Lewis think he's got the team here to win it, but we can' talk about it." ...
Terence Newman, the 12-year cornerback, is a free agent this offseason and he said Monday he hasn't decided if he'll keep playing or retire. He indicated he'd make a decision by the start of free agency, when it is hard to see the Bengals re-upping the 36-year-old even though he's coming off a solid season…
Defensive coordinator Paul Guenther has been told Pro Bowl WILL linebacker Vontaze Burfict will recover from his knee problem in time for next season. He says he's been told Burfict is trending toward surgery to fix the knee that knocked him out of the last nine games of the season, but it hasn't been finalized.
Guenther also said Monday that he's looking to replenish the NFL's bottom-ranked pass rush at both tackle and end and he's looking at Pro Bowl tackle Geno Atkins. Atkins struggled coming off his 2013 ACL surgery and Guenther said if Atkins doesn't get back to form they'll be looking for a pass-rushing tackle.
"We need to get him back to where he was when he was one of the best three techniques in the game," Guenther said. "This year he was just three technique No. 20. He was just a guy out there. We need to get him back where he was a game wrecker inside." ...
Tight end Tyler Eifert, who missed the playoffs with a dislocated elbow he sustained Opening Day, is still recovering from shoulder surgery and said he'll be limited in spring ball but he'll be ready full go for the start of training camp...
The Bengals are picking 21st in the April draft after the dust settled from the weekend's playoff games. It is the third time in six years the Bengals are in that slot and they went tight end both times with Jermaine Gresham in 2010 and Tyler Eifert in 2013. The leading contenders this year are offensive tackle and defensive line.
