BENGALS Marvin Lewis not happy after first seven games

He believes that veterans are making mistakes by trying to cover for rookies.
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Next weekend, the Cincinnati Bengals will wear all-orange jerseys for the first time in their history.
Might as well. They've already turned into pumpkins.
The NFL's most downtrodden franchise is in no position to conjure another improbable playoff run. A 27-20 loss in Tennessee left Cincinnati (2-5) stuck in last place in the AFC North, headed in the wrong direction.
The loss wiped away that smidgen of hope sparked by a solid Monday night victory over Denver, revealing the Bengals for what they are: a team that rises to the occasion only on rare occasions.
No poise
"We didn't play with poise," coach Marvin Lewis said Monday.
Instead, they played like a team that's still a long way from figuring out what it needs to do get itself turned around.
It appeared the Bengals were past that stage last season, when they recovered from an identical 1-4 start by knocking off some of the NFL's hottest teams in Lewis' first season.
They stayed in contention until the final week, gaining a sense of confidence that has been mostly missing since their last winning season in 1990. Lewis assumed there would be some carry-over to this season.
No such luck.
Instead of building momentum off of their 23-10 victory over Denver on Monday night, the Bengals reverted to form in Tennessee -- 10 penalties, no running game, no run defense, no explanation for why they fell apart with their season at stake.
Details of disappointment
"What poise means is making plays and doing your job under stress, under duress," Lewis said. "And I think that's the disappointing thing of our football team: We didn't handle that. We didn't play with poise."
It's tempting to blame inexperience -- with 11 players on injured reserve, the Bengals rely way too much on rookies. But they're not the ones making the biggest mistakes.
The NFL's worst run defense was at it again Sunday, giving up 163 yards. A unit already missing middle linebacker Nate Webster struggled mightily in its first game without lineman Tony Williams, out for the season with a broken ankle.
"It's hard when you have a lot of new personnel because you've got a lot of new guys getting looks," defensive end Duane Clemons said. "The loss of Tony Williams -- I can't even tell you how much that hurts us. But we try to make the best of the situation."
In a rare show of emotion, Lewis ripped off his headphones and started to throw them to the ground Sunday after the defense left tight end Shad Meier uncovered for a 1-yard touchdown pass on the final play of the first half.
Lewis tries to stay calm on the sideline so his team keeps its composure. That defensive bungle was more than he could handle.
"There was no trickery on the play, no big deal," Lewis said. "Just do your job, we're off the field, end of the half and no points. It was a huge play in the football game. Huge."
Lewis, who coordinated the defense that led Baltimore to a Super Bowl championship in the 2000 season, hasn't been able to get this unit in sync. He thinks the biggest problem is veterans making mistakes because they're trying to cover for the rookies.