Marvin Lewis threatens Bengals players with major changes

Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis says his players need to get better — or else.

Lewis spoke to the media on Wednesday for the first time since firing offensive coordinator Ken Zampese after an 0-2 start that saw the team fail to score an offensive touchdown. He relayed the message that he gave his players on Monday — if things don’t get better, they’ll be the next to pay the price.

“I told the players on Monday morning: This is not magic,” Lewis said, via Joe Kay of the Associated Press. “You have to do the work — offense, defense and special teams all alike. We all got Kenny out of here — not Kenny, we did. And they’ve got to understand that. They’re part of that. And the next time they look around, there will be different guys sitting there.”

Lewis can say what he wants, of course, but given the longevity of his tenure and lack of playoff success, he may not have a long enough leash to enforce such changes. The firing of Zampese was pretty much not an option, and as the old adage goes, it’s easier to get rid of the coach than it is to get rid of half the roster.