That makes the notion pretty hard to refute.
Lewis, predictably, blew off Smith's rant.
“That’s not even worth a response,” the coach said.
He’s right, of course, but Smith shouldn’t be off the hook.
While some of his thoughts about Lewis’ shortcomings as a coach might be reasonable, especially for an over-emotional fan or a commenter who lives thousands of miles away, how the color of his skin applies is really not clear.
Especially during a season marked by players throughout the league taking a stand regarding racial issues they feel deeply affected by, that’s a serious card to play.
Smith owes Lewis and his audience more than to throw it out there without any context.
Of course, based on the general substance of most ESPN debates, Smith probably doesn’t even know enough about the Bengals roster to offer an informed opinion to begin with.
Smith betrayed a general lack of knowledge about the 2016 Bengals when he said their talent is “undeniable.”
Maybe that was true last year before Andy Dalton was injured, but this is a significantly different roster.
The season’s far from over, but there is a lot of work to do before an eighth playoff appearance under Lewis is back on the table.
There are at least a half-dozen positions where the talent is quite questionable at the moment, and that has a lot to do with the team’s 2-3 start.
Lewis has done a lot of great things as the head coach of the Bengals, something no one who lived through the 1990s should have to be reminded.
Does that mean he gets a lifetime contract? No.
Is he above criticism? Of course not.
But he deserves better than to have Stephen A. Smith not only call for his job while the team is clearly a work-in-progress but to suggest he only still has it because of the color of his skin.
It sounds like Lewis is on to New England, but that is one question he shouldn’t have to face as he works on turning this season around.
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