Sunday, September 12, 1999Bengals' opener will color season
Young team needs win for morale
BY GEOFF HOBSON
The Cincinnati EnquirerNASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Bengals walk into their future today while hoping not to repeat the past.
In 51 weeks, the Bengals open their new stadium. But today, they christen the Tennessee Titans' new Adelphia Coliseum before 67,000 fans hoping to unnerve a young Cincinnati team. The Bengals average 3.3 years of NFL experience on defense and 5.3 on offense.
“Yes, for all the political reasons, this is a big season,” said kicker Doug Pelfrey, one of four new Bengals' captains. “But the biggest reason is this team worked so hard in the offseason, worked so hard in training camp and we've had enough losing for a lifetime.”
The Bengals haven't had a winning year since 1990 because they get off to bad starts. By the time November arrives, there has been nothing to do but play out the schedule in a sea of frustration and bitterness that gets recycled every September.
Since Pelfrey joined the Bengals in 1993, he has seen just seven victories in 36 September and October games. He has never been on a team that was .500 after six games, never on a team that had four wins going into the last half of the season.
“Everybody's talking about the young guys and that makes this game so big,” said linebacker Takeo Spikes, the new defensive captain. “This game can affect the season for us because it's important to get off to a great start. There are the young guys who can get affected and then you have the guys who haven't been here, they can start looking down. What happens in this game can get us going.”
Starting from last season's 23-14 loss to the then-Tennessee Oilers in last year's opener, the Bengals have lost 17 of 20 games. And it's not like they've even been in the games, losing by an average of 15 points.
Pelfrey has yet to see the cracks in chemistry that bubbled during the club's first organized offseason workouts in May and June, but everyone is keeping an eye on wide receiver Carl Pickens. He missed the so-called bonding because of a contract dispute. Although he is the team's best competitor, he has been known to turn volatile with frustration.
“Sure, it's concerning,” Pelfrey said. “But if we get out of the box fast, it won't be a problem. Winning takes care of all that. If we win, what problems could there be? We have to get out of the box and that's something that this team has never done.”
Can this team get off to a fast start?
Rookies start at left cornerback (second-round pick Charles Fisher) and nickel back (free agent Rodney Heath). Four offensive linemen are learning four new spots. Pickens didn't take a snap until 48 hours before the opener.
The Bengals are sensitive about the age issue. They point to a Titans offense averaging just 4.9 years of experience without 17-year center Bruce Matthews. But the Titans' defense, averaging six years, nearly doubles a Bengals' unit that goes into the game with 16 starts among their top three cornerbacks.
And it's on the corner where Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher thinks the game will be decided. He sees a lot of one-on-one matchups on the outside with receivers and corners because of the focus on the run.
Both teams figure to slug it on the ground. Even though the Bengals are young at corner, Tennessee quarterback Steve McNair hasn't been comfortable in the passing game. His tight ends were his two top receivers last season, when the Titans had just one pass of 50 yards or more.
They changed that in the exhibition season; 55 percent of the receptions went to the wideouts. But the Titans' running game, ninth-best in the NFL, is going to take its shots at the Bengals' league-worst run defense.
Plus, with Pickens out of camp, the Bengals' passing game has been on ice.
With the focus on the running games, Bengals running back Corey Dillon doesn't view today as a personal showdown with Tennessee's Eddie George. In three games against the Titans, Dillon has averaged 154 yards while George has hurt Cincinnati for 90 yards per game in six outings.
“I'm playing their defense,” Dillon said, “and he's playing ours. Nothing I can do about that.”
It's a matchup that could be decided by the men in front of them. The Titans have put George in a more traditional set behind a lead blocker in fullback Lorenzo Neal. The last time Bengals fullback Brian Milne was this healthy, Dillon ran for 246 yards.
“It would mean so much for this team to play well,” Pelfrey said. “This is the team that has to turn this thing around.”
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