Sunday, October 17, 1999'Akili Matata,' Bengals fans
No worries, only hope from rookie QB
BY GEOFF HOBSON
The Cincinnati EnquirerAs the Cincinnati riverfront teems with nostalgia today at Tall Stacks, the Bengals hope to find more clues about their future in rookie quarterback Akili Smith's first home start before a sellout crowd at Cinergy Field.
But Smith faces a tall order in the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense that is ranked second in the NFL. The Steelers (2-3) have lost three straight, yet provide a more stout test than Cleveland's expansion defense that Smith burned last week for the winning touchdown with five seconds left.
The significance of the day isn't lost on Bengals President Mike Brown. He plays host to the team's first sellout of the season and Smith has put a slight dent in the negativity that surrounds the franchise. The Bengals (1-4) could end the day 2-1 in the AFC Central for the first time in four years.
“All games are big for us because we're on such thin ice and people say what they say when things are bad,” Brown said. “I don't want to get the expectations so high with a rookie quarterback because he'll have the problems all young quarterbacks have. But he gives us hope and if he can keep doing that, that would be a good start.”
Brown made it clear he doesn't expect a bushel of wins with Smith at the helm in the final 11 games. But he looks at what Colts quarterback Peyton Manning did last year as a rookie and how Indianapolis opened this year at 2-2, averaging nearly 30 points a game.
“What we have to do is give our people a chance to believe in the future once again,” Brown said. “I don't know if you can expect a rookie quarterback to win game after game after game. But if he shows improvement as Manning did last year, if he makes exciting plays, if he does enough things that we win enough of the time, it will revive.”
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