Wednesday, September 24, 1997
Carter may be lost again
Back tore rotator cuff Sunday
BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The Bengals face the sickeningly familiar prospect of losing running back Ki-Jana Carter for the rest of the season.

A magnetic resonance imaging examination performed Tuesday by Bengals team physician Dr. Robert Heidt Jr. revealed a torn rotator cuff in Carter's left shoulder. Carter will fly to Birmingham, Ala., today to receive a second opinion from orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews.

Ki-Jana Carter has his best game as a pro Sunday, and it may be his last of the season. | ZOOM |

"We don't expect it to change anything," said Bengals trainer Paul Sparling, who called immediate surgery a "strong probability" and noted that an operation would sideline Carter for three months, essentially finishing him for 1997.

Sparling said there's an "outside chance" of Carter playing the rest of the year and deferring surgery until after the season. "However, given the likelihood of continued pain, soreness and weakness, that may not be an option," Sparling added.

Heidt said that Carter's injury was unrelated to the shoulder trouble he experienced in training camp. Carter apparently was injured on the next-to-last play of the first quarter in last Sunday's game at Denver, when he gained 3 yards around left end for a first down.

"He extended his arm outward and landed on it with his full body weight and jammed it up to the roof of the shoulder," Heidt said. "He showed some toughness by going back into the game. A lot of people would not have been able to do what he did," running backs coach Jim Anderson said. "For his credit, people should know that."

Next Jets (2-2) at Bengals (1-2) Sunday, 4 p.m. Line: Cin by 4

Bengals President Mike Brown said the club has no plans to add a running back and won't make a roster move until finding out the extent of the expected surgery.

He said Carter might be able to come back late in the season or the playoffs, but the Bengals would have to make the decision to keep an injured player on the roster all year. If Carter goes on injured reserve, he can't play the rest of the season.

"He just hasn't been favored by the powers that be," Brown said. "I feel sorry for him. One person shouldn't have to carry that. It shouldn't happen to a young guy who had just gotten to the point of showing what he can do."

Carter's possible misfortune delivers a widespread impact:

It would again frustrate the Bengals' hopes of receiving a return on their most expensive investment.

Cincinnati made Carter the first overall selection in the 1995 draft out of Penn State and gave him a seven-year, $19.1 million contract. But he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in the preseason's third game, forcing him to spend his rookie year rehabilitating his injury.

Carter began last season as the starting tailback but ran tentatively and lost his job to Garrison Hearst after four games. He displayed greater strength toward the end of the season, finishing with eight rushing touchdowns, mostly in goal-line situations.

This season began promisingly for Carter, 24. He followed a decent preseason by gaining 76 yards on 19 carries in the regular-season opener against Arizona. He struggled with the rest of Cincinnati's offense at Baltimore, mustering 22 yards on 10 carries, but rebounded last Sunday at Denver by gaining for 104 yards on 13 attempts Sunday, including a 79-yard touchdown.

Carter's absence would make rookie Corey Dillon the featured back. Dillon, the second-round draft choice whose preseason performance validated his reputation as a determined runner, received his first carries at Denver and gained 58 yards on five carries.

Seven-year veteran Eric Bieniemy, who's primarily used in third-down situations, likely would be used more extensively. "It's definitely a blow to our offense," center Darrick Brilz said. "He was obviously a big part of it."

Carter's resilience, which withstood his knee injury, would undergo another stern test.

"It's unfortunate if it's a thing where he can't play, because he has worked so hard to get to this point," Anderson said. "He looked like he was just starting to blossom."

"It's another challenge," Sparling said. "I'm sure if he attacks this the way he did his knee, he'll come back and do just fine." Bieniemy said that Carter seemed cheery on Monday, when he treated Cincinnati's offensive linemen to dinner in gratitude for helping him exceed the 100-yard barrier.

"This has to be a sudden blow to him," said Bieniemy, who was present at the dinner. "He has to go through this all over again." Though Carter did not return phone messages, his mother, Kathy, sounded encouraged after talking to him.

"He said he's going to be fine," Kathy Carter said. "I believe in God. God has everything under control. It's mind over matter. He didn't sound like he was worried or anything. Let's just expect a miracle."

Geoff Hobson contributed to this report.

Police ride Blake home
Carter is Bengals' king of pain Tim Sullivan column
City could play hardball on stadium
Jets top '96 win total
More stories...
Photo page