Posted: 1:40 p.m.
Welcome to Marvin Lewis's version of The Skins Game.
Lewis unveiled his theory after Friday morning's practice as his team finished on-field work for Sunday's game against the Giants in Jersey.
"We're in professional football. Your good players are paid to perform at a very, very high level," Lewis said. "They have to go win the game. The rest of your group just has to stay in sync and battle their tails off until they achieve that status as good player.
"You work, you battle, and you compete to put skins on the wall. The guys with the skins have to go play and win the game."
 Lewis |
"I see us making the plays we need to make. We need to strap them together," he said. "And build on them and not have little things take us off course. We've got to score on offense. On defense we can't have plays that get us out of kilter and off sync and change field position. On special teams just keep doing what we're doing. Don't hurt ourselves. We've got two guys that are dangerous returners. Get the ball in Antonio's hands and keep it out of Glenn's hands. That's the key."
Wide receiver Glenn Holt is fifth in the NFL with a 30-yard average in kick returns and wide receiver Antonio Chatman last week popped the longest of his 32 Cincinnati punt returns with a 34-yarder.
Lewis also said he's not aware of the comments of the man who brought him into the NFL 15 years ago as the Steelers linebackers coach. CBS analyst Bill Cowher said last Sunday that Lewis had lost the Bengals emotionally.
"I don't know what Bill said," Lewis said. "The last time what they said he said he didn't say and he called me the next morning."
