Only a little more than a week into the search, the Ravens have confirmed what they already knew: Few of the candidates for the team's vacant coaching job have previous head-coaching experience.
But what if the Ravens could get an established head coach in exchange for draft picks? Would they be willing to make the swap?
"No, we're not at that point, not yet," Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said yesterday.
But they could be soon, and one name that keeps popping up is Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, the Ravens defensive coordinator from 1996 through 2001.
Lewis is still revered in Baltimore because he was the architect of the Ravens' 2000 Super Bowl-winning defense, one of the best in league history.
He has had decent success in Cincinnati the past five years (only one losing season), given the Bengals' recent history before he arrived.
The Bengals, like the Ravens, had big expectations for the 2007 season, but they finished 7-9, putting Lewis on the hot seat.
Lewis has long coveted the Ravens' coaching job, and there's no question he would come to Baltimore in a heartbeat. But he has three years left on his contract, so the Bengals would demand compensation.
If I were Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti or Newsome, I would at least explore the opportunity to bring Lewis to Baltimore.
He's only 49 and has one of the brightest football minds in the league. He knows this area and understands the pulse of the city. He's a galvanizing force, able to pacify the old-guard workers from the Art Modell administration as well as the newer ones under Bisciotti.
There are still enough players on the roster who adore, and would play hard for, Lewis, and he knows the AFC North well. Lewis understands the inner dynamics of how the Ravens work.
What might it cost the Ravens?
It's not as if this would be an unprecedented move. The Kansas City Chiefs gave up a fourth-round pick to get coach Herm Edwards from the New York Jets in 2006. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers pried Jon Gruden away from the Oakland Raiders in 2002 by paying $8 million in compensation and giving up four draft picks (two first-rounders, two second-rounders).
But if the Ravens can trade a first-round pick to draft quarterback Kyle Boller, they can at least take a look at Lewis' situation in Cincinnati.
