HEADLINE NEWS - Features

Tuesday - 12/11/2001

QUICK FACTS

• Age: 43
  
• College: Idaho State
  
• Birthdate: September 23, 1958 in McDonald, PA.
  
• Marvin is a 21-year coaching veteran who coached at the University of Pittsburgh (1990-91) and for Bill Cowher and the Pittsburgh Steelers (1992-95).
  

Marvin led the 2000 Ravens defense to several milestones, including:

• -Set the NFL�s 16-game scoring record by allowing 165 points.
  
• -Recorded four shutouts, one shy of the post-merger NFL record held by the 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers.
  
• -Forced 88 �three and outs� out of a total of 194 offensive possessions for 45.4%. The league average was 36.3%.
  

Most important goal he wants to reach in his coaching:
�Taking the gray out. We want to eliminate doubt from the formula, the necessity for our players to have to pause and think about what to do in certain situations. We just want them to be reactive and aggressive. Teaching is the key.�

Rob Burnett on Marvin Lewis:
�Marvin is the best I have ever been around. He breaks the game down to a simple science and makes our jobs easy to understand.�

Marvin�s coaching philosophy:
�The philosophy is dictated by the players you have and the opponent you are going up against. But, regardless, we want to always be in an attack mode.�

On Pittsburgh:
�Pittsburgh does a great job of cutting the defense in order to get running lanes to run the football. They package their plays well together. The run and the passes all come off of complementary plays and formations. Plus, they are being very efficient right now throwing the football. Kordell is making the passes and Hines Ward, Buress (Plaxico) and Shaw (Bobby) are making plays.�

On his coaching mentors:
�I don�t have just one. Bill (Cowher) is a mentor of mine. There are coaches on their staff that I have learned so much from. Dick Hoak and John Mitchell, who I coached there with. There are a lot of coaches around that I have learned a great deal from. There is Dom Capers, Dick Labeau, and George Siefert to name a few. There are a ton of guys out there.�

What the Ravens defense has to do to improve:
�Our guys have to do their jobs. It is the fundamental principle that makes everything work. It is that simple. A player should be thinking about being accountable to his fellow teammates and the rest of those ten guys he�s out on the field with. He does by taking care of his job.�