Bengals' turnaround has been long time coming

The Bengals stand one miracle play away from being 3-0. To those who have not seen them play, that might seem shocking. But the Bengals are a much improved team from last year. My colleague Bill Cowher said to look out for the Bengals on The NFL Today Show last season.

I asked Bengals coach Marvin Lewis what his plans were to turn the team around this year. He said it started at the end of last season. With three games to go, they decided to make it a three-game season. He said they picked out some areas they wanted to improve during that span.

Will their win over the Steelers give Marvin Lewis and the Bengals a springboard to a playoff run? (Getty Images)

Those aspects were rushing, third-down efficiency on defense, limiting big plays and protecting the ball. This is a good motivational technique by a coach with a losing team at the end of the season. What he did was ignore the record -- the season was already lost -- and give the players something to work on. Lewis said it worked and the Bengals improved in these areas. Cincy won its final three games of last season, giving the Bengals some momentum going in to this year.

Lewis also talked about some other points that dealt with chemistry. He wanted to remove any players who were not going to be a positive influence or who did not give their all last season. He challenged the leaders on the team to sell the program and do not give in to distractions.

Lewis wanted to sign strong-willed free agents. He talked to his players about how to improve the program. Some of those areas were to be more competitive in drills, practice at a higher tempo and have more position-specific drills. He also decided that he would be careful in drills and pull players out of drills if they had groin or hamstring issues. One of the big reasons for their improvement this year is their health. Last year this was team crippled by injuries.

On the field Lewis said he wanted to get back to being a strong running team and a deep passing team. It started at quarterback, where they lost Carson Palmer for a good part of last season. He is back now, and though he looked rusty at times, he seemed to hit his stride Sunday in their dramatic fourth-quarter comeback to beat the Steelers.

Running back Cedric Benson is in better shape this season, and the Bengals also added Jeremi Johnson at fullback to improve their power running game. At wide receiver, Chad Ochocinco played subpar last year. He wasn't in shape and never played at the level he was capable. This year he has been a man on a mission. It should be noted that Bengals owner Mike Brown deserves credit for not giving in to Ochocinco's demands to be traded. He stood his ground and did what he thought was best for the team.

Brown should also be given credit for not wavering in his support of Lewis. Brown understood the Bengals' problems last year were caused by injuries, not coaching. The receiving corps has also been helped by Chris Henry having a full offseason and camp.

The addition of Laveranues Coles to replace T.J. Houshmandzadeh has worked out well for the Bengals as well as the emergence of young receiver Andre Caldwell add to a much improved passing game. The biggest story on this team during the past two years has been the strides made by the Bengals defense. Part of that improvement has happened because players like Robert Geathers and Antwan Odom are healthy. They have added rookies Michael Johnson and Rey Maualuga, who will help on the pass rush.

Pat Sims and Domata Peko have been physical inside at the tackle position. What's impressive about the Bengals' front is that it is physical. Keith Rivers is having a good year and the secondary has been solid. I think Lewis' plan to revitalize the team, starting with their "three-game season" last year and his philosophy on fixing the chemistry has worked. Their offensive line and tight end are going to be areas that need to be addressed, but if their defense stays healthy along with Palmer, the Bengals will be a tough team to play this year.