JAGUARS 34, BENGALS 17

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Boo-dey: Fans vent

Monday, November 30, 1998

BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Don Gose of Middletown covered his head after a second-quarter INT set up a Jax TD. (Patrick Reddy photo) | ZOOM |

In a way, the Bengals didn't disappoint their fans Sunday at Cinergy Field. Based on the signs they displayed, they knew what was coming before Cincinnati's 34-17 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars began.

"Mike Brown step down," blared one, directed at the team's president and general manager.

"Thanks Mike," read a sardonic banner unfurled above the Bengals as they returned to their locker room.

"Bring back (Jeff) Blake," said another, which just might happen, given Cincinnati's jumbled quarterback situation.

"Thank God the Cleveland Browns are coming back," was one sentiment unfurled in a half-empty upper deck.

But the most eloquent sign was the blank white sheet of surrender displayed in the yellow seats behind the Jaguars' sideline during the fourth quarter.

All of the Bengals' shortcomings were laid bare in their seventh consecutive defeat, matching their longest losing streak of 1997.

Carl Pickens looks exasperated after missing a potential TD pass in the first half. (Jeff Swinger photo) | ZOOM |

They failed to make key defensive plays while allowing Jacksonville quarterback Mark Brunell to throw a career-high four touchdown passes. Their lurching offense forced coach Bruce Coslet to switch quarterbacks for the third time in four games. They committed a season-high four turnovers that led to 17 Jacksonville points. The special teams missed a field goal and allowed Jacksonville a 23-yard average yield on three punt returns.

And when they trimmed their deficit to 20-17 in the third quarter, they retreated instead of rallying.

Jacksonville (9-3) won for the first time in four Cincinnati appearances and extended its AFC Central Division lead to two games over Pittsburgh. By contrast, the gloom in the Bengals' locker room was as omnipresent as the crowd's insulting messages and caustic booing.

"I don't feel really damned good about it either, to tell you the truth," Coslet said after his team fell to 2-10. "How do you think I feel about it? How do you think the players feel about it?" Coslet concluded by adding, "Maybe it's not (bleeping) worth it to us, either," a comment he later explained by telling a club representative that he was spewing frustration.

Paul Justin hides his feelings afte being pulled in the second quarter. (Jeff Swinger photo) | ZOOM |

"Personally, I feel probably the lowest I've felt this whole season," free safety Greg Myers said. ". .. We're just as frustrated as (the fans) are. I feel bad mainly when I'm on the sideline and I hear them ripping on the coaches. It's our fault, the players' fault."

"It's embarrassing, because it takes a toll on you," linebacker Takeo Spikes said of the fan reaction. "Whether they know it or not, we feed off the crowd. Once you go out there and they're booing, it kind of takes life out of you. But you have to try to block it out and keep everybody together. It's us. It's us 11 people out there. That's the only way you can look at it. If not, you're going to go down the drain with the boat."

The Bengals capsized when they were on the brink of righting themselves. Brunell threw his first touchdown pass, a 21-yarder to Jimmy Smith with 3 minutes and 29 seconds left in the opening quarter, on a fourth-down-and-2 play. He threw his next three TD passes on third downs.

"At some point you have to make a play on one of those," Coslet said. "Let's just knock the pass down, one time. And we didn't make a single play."

They certainly didn't after Neil O'Donnell's 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tony McGee with 10:03 left in the third quarter reduced Jacksonville's edge to 20-17. Brunell responded by leading the Jaguars on an 80-yard scoring drive, the TD coming on his 3-yard pass to Keenan McCardell on third-and-goal. Eight of the 10 plays on that possession were passes.

Keenan McCardell outjumps Ashley Ambrose for a third-quarter TD catch. (Jeff Swinger photo) | ZOOM |

Cincinnati's porous pass defense wasted a decent effort against the run. Capitalizing on the absence of Rookie of the Year candidate Fred Taylor, who was knocked out of the game with a left shoulder injury near the end of the first quarter, the Bengals limited Jacksonville to 79 yards and 2.7 yards per rushing attempt, both season lows.

"Coming away without being able to rush the ball against a team that's ranked 30th in the league against the rush is certainly not anything to speak about," Jaguars coach Tom Coughlin said.

But, as Spikes said, "If you shut down the run they're going to throw it. And, damn, they threw it."

Bengals quarterback Paul Justin didn't throw well enough to please Coslet, completing 4-of-7 attempts for 31 yards and an interception before Neil O'Donnell replaced him midway through the second quarter with Jacksonville leading 17-0.

"We weren't moving the ball, and I didn't want it to snowball on us," said Coslet, who didn't announce whether Justin would get his third start in a row next Sunday against Buffalo or whether O'Donnell (20-of-36, 203 yards, one touchdown, one interception) would regain the No. 1 spot.

Corey Dillon hurdles Rich Braham on a career-long 61-yard run. (Steven M. Herppich photo) | ZOOM |

O'Donnell ended a streak of 19 consecutive series without directing a touchdown drive with a 12-play, 60-yard march that ended with 3:58 left in the half on Brian Milne's 1-yard scoring run. In the half's final minute and without timeouts, O'Donnell quickly completed passes of 17 and 18 yards to set up Doug Pelfrey's 30-yard field goal that reduced the difference to 17-10 as time expired.

But the Jaguars opened the second-half scoring on Mike Hollis' 47-yard field goal following Reggie Barlow's 26-yard punt return. They ended their scoring with 10:14 left in the game on Brunell's 2-yard pass to tight end Damon Jones, a play set up after an O'Donnell interception. The pick came after Carl Pickens failed to hold onto a catchable O'Donnell pass.

"It seems like right now we have to play a perfect game to win," Spikes said.

How now, Brown cow? Tim Sullivan column
All over but the jeering Paul Daugherty column
Justin stunned by quick hook
Bengals corners burned
Notebook: Copeland 'felt good'
Game statistics
Next: Buffalo (7-5)