Can overdue coaching change fix Bengals’ ills?

The Cincinnati Bengals are at the snapped lawnmower cord point of their existence. Instead of wondering how they will finish — another early playoff loss? — the new dilemma is how the heck do they get started?

The big change-a-roo is the departure of coach Marvin Lewis, who was such a fixture that it is hard to know where to begin in accessing the team, which opens training camp on Saturday in Dayton.

Lewis’ exit is as good a starting place as any. His 16-year tenure finally became stale enough that

owner Mike Brown fired him, presumably having tired of putdowns that the Hasbengals have seen better days. Or, just as likely, it had something to do with the average attendance at Paul Brown Stadium last season, which at 50,753 ranked second worst only to the Los Angeles Chargers, who played in a soccer stadium that seats 30,000.

“We had lost some of the faith (from) our fan base,” Brown said. “That was clear; that sent a loud message.”

Regardless, thankfully Lewis is gone, replaced by former Los Angeles Rams hotshot quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor, who spent last season working under even more of a hotshot coach in Sean Mcvay, he of the otherworldly memory. It is unclear if Taylor possesses similar powers of recollection, so here’s some memory recall advice in case he doesn’t: Cincinnati has not won a playoff game since 1991.

Don’t expect that drought to end this season, although in the parity-driven NFL weird things happen. Look no further than the Rams, who finished 4-12 in 2016 and 11-5 in 2017. So the Bengals potentially could flip their 6-10 record of a year ago and go 10-6 — I guess.

More likely, Cincinnati again will struggle to finish above .500, in part because the schedule ends unmercifully with a Dec. 22 game at muggy Miami and the finale at home against Cleveland, which could be challenging for a playoff spot. Also, the Stripes have games against New England (home) and the Rams (away). That doesn’t scream “Bengals make the playoffs” to me.

And yet there also is a touch of mystery that should intrigue Who Dey Nation (or, given current interest levels, Who Dey Village). The roster has not been overhauled, which was either wise or incredibly dumb, depending on whether one viewed Lewis as the biggest impediment to success.

I vote for Lewis as the main culprit, although it is impossible to know how much of an upgrade Taylor will be. And he could actually be worse, although that does not mean Lewis should have been retained. For his part, Taylor promises that fans won’t be bored with the offense.

“People will be pleased with what they see,” he said at his introductory news conference, adding that the offense will be both attacking and creative.

It better be, because the team did little else to add excitement on that side of the ball. Guard John Miller was the biggest free agent signing, which is more of a toe dip than cannonball splash. It will be up to Taylor to maximize the talents of quarterback Andy Dalton, whose trapdoor moment can be traced to his seasonending thumb injury in 2015, after which he went from winning games to managing them.

As for Bengals bad luck, first-round draft pick Jonah Williams, an offensive tackle counted on to play immediately, is expected to miss the season after suffering a torn labrum in his left shoulder in June.

Then there is the defense, which was Lewis’ specialty and followed his latecareer arc by dropping off. The good news: The secondary returns intact. The bad: The other position groups remain suspect.

Add it up and it is impossible to get a perfect read on how this team will start. Or even exactly where it is headed.