Photo: Christian Petersen
Former Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis is happy to see his former team earn a spot in Super Bowl LVI.
"I'm happy for them. When you don't win all the time, they don't get to reap the rewards of winning. I saw that [Sunday]. Everyone was smiling. That's what's cool. That's what's great," Lewis told Yahoo Sports' Frank Schwab in a phone interview.
Lewis, who coached the Bengals from 2003 to 2018, has been credited with helping transform the team into a winning franchise.
When asked how much credit he deserves for the success the current team is having, Lewis said all the accolades belong to them.
"I'm not taking credit for that. That's not my place," Lewis explained. "What they did is about them and their hard work."
After being pressed, Lewis did accept some credit for helping turn around the culture in the organization, which was mired in losing seasons during the 90s.
"My thing was to suggest we do things differently. Not demand it," Lewis said. "Give credit to Katie [Blackburn, Bengals executive vice president], Troy [Blackburn, Bengals vice president] and Mike [Brown] for taking action and improving things for the players."
Lewis had a 131-122-3 record during his tenure with the Bengals, but he could never find post-season success, going 0-7 in playoff games.
The Bengals will take on the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI on Sunday, February 13, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
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