Bruce Coslet, who turned around the Cincinnati Bengals after a 1-6 start under Dave Shula, was rewarded Sunday with a four-year contract to continue as coach.
Coslet, the offensive coordinator before Dave Shula was fired on Oct. 21, won his first game against Jacksonville on Oct. 27 and has led them to a 6-2 record after Sunday's win in Houston.Coslet's contract automatically will be extended a fifth year if the Bengals make the playoffs in either of the final two years of his contract.
"We have done well and he has earned it," Bengals president Mike Brown said. "There's no question in my mind he deserves this. He has the respect of the players and the respect of the fans."
Brown said speculation about Coslet's interim status caused him to make the impromptu announcement.
"This is not the way we planned to do it," Brown said. "We intended to have more organization about it. I just couldn't see waiting until next week."
Brown said he and Coslet reached an agreement on Friday and have not yet signed the contract. Brown declined to announce details of the deal.
"This is very unusual, I didn't anticipate making this announcement in a hallway of the Astrodome," Brown said.
Coslet was coach of the New York Jets from 1990-1993 and has been with the Bengals since 1994. Coslet, a former Bengals tight end, is in his second term with Cincinnati. He previously was an assistant (1981-1985) and offensive coordinator (1986-1989).
Linebacker James Francis, speaking earlier about Coslet, said the coach had been a key to the turnaround.
"The thing I like about coach is you always know where you stand with him," Francis said. "He doesn't bite his tongue. He doesn't care if you're a starter or what, he'll let you know how he feels and you have to respect a guy like that."
Brown said Coslet learned from his Jets experience as coach.
"He's a little older now," Brown said. "He stumbled a few times and he's learned from his experiences."
Cincinnati's seven-game record under Coslet ties former coach Bill Johnson for the best seven-game start by a Bengals coach. Last week's victory over Baltimore ensures that Coslet will finish the season with a winning record.
"We're pleased to have him," Brown said. "He has done a good job for us these last few weeks."