BY GEOFF HOBSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Corey Dillon is upended by Mark Carrier.
(AP photo)
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PONTIAC, Mich. -- Bengals coach Bruce Coslet is now officially concerned about running back Corey Dillon's left knee. What was thought to be a minor problem seems to be "chronic," Coslet said after Sunday's game.
"He missed almost a quarter. That's huge," Coslet said.
But Bengals trainer Paul Sparling thinks he's come up with a way to solve the problem.
Dillon re-aggravated the injury to his left knee cap with about seven minutes left in the second quarter and didn't return until the second half. In last week's opener, he twisted it on the first play of the game and missed only a few plays.
"Did you see me run?" responded Dillon, when asked how his knee was after the game. He finished with 77 yards on 17 carries, a solid 4.5-yard per carry average.
After the injury, Dillon ran eight times for 49 yards, including a 23-yard run and an 18-yard touchdown run. For the first time, the trainers taped the knee cap and modified the support of the cap with a new sleeve.
"We know what it is, we just have to treat it functionally," Sparling said. "With these things, you try to find what works and the bottom line is he played effectively and was checked after the game and had no problems."
Team doctor Rob Heidt Jr., said before Sunday's game that Dillon was born with a knee cap that tends to move slightly more than normal because the groove that the knee cap tracks through is more shallow than most and can become partially displaced. But it also immediately slides back into place.
BENGALS 34, LIONS 28
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