Sunday, October 17, 1999Who's got the edge?
QUARTERBACK
Bengals: For openers, could it get any better for Akili Smith? For his second game, could it get any tougher?Steelers: No tears for Kordell Stewart. Can't count him out. Any guy who can throw a ball 70 yards one play and run 70 the next can win any day.
EDGE: Steelers
RUNNING BACKS
Bengals: Corey Dillon leads the NFL in rushing, but the big stat for his team is his 23 first downs, four shy of AFC lead.Steelers:
The Bus has been slowed by achy knees, but if Jerome Bettis is going to start rolling, Cinergy would be the stop.
EDGE: Bengals
RECEIVERS
Bengals: Still haven't caught one longer than 39 yards in '99, but Carl Pickens and Darnay Scott have gone deep on the Steelers so many times they're honorary members of the Pittsburgh secondary.Steelers: Forget Lynn Swann and John Stallworth. The present crew has Three Rivers yelling for Ernie Mills and Yancey Thigpen. But Troy Edwards is an up-and-comer.
EDGE: Bengals
OFFENSIVE LINE
Bengals: The coaches are knocking on wood because everyone has stayed healthy and the running game is ranked third in the NFL.Steelers: They haven't been as lucky with injuries, but they've still got a top 10 running game despite struggles inside. Savor Dermontti Dawson, best lineman on the field.
EDGE: Even
SPECIAL TEAMS
Bengals: Call them the U-Haul Squad: Adventure in Moving. What more can go wrong? How about a college free agent whose biggest crowd before today is 18,000 making his first NFL long snap?Steelers: Josh Miller may be the best young punter in the NFL and although rookie kicker Kris Brown hasn't been tested for length, he's 8-for-8. So-so return games could get reved.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Bengals: John Copeland played a mega game last week, but is slowed by a strained elbow. Kimo von Oelhoffen plays Dawson well and Oliver Gibson knows him better than anybody.Steelers: Joel Steed is a Pro Bowl caliber run stopper at the nose and Kevin Henry and Orpheus Roye are disruptive ends. Roye has one pass defensed to go with a sack and a tackle for loss.
EDGE: Steelers.
LINEBACKERS
Bengals: Take a look at Brian Simmons and Takeo Spikes and they'll be the Steelers' Levon Kirkland and Earl Holmes in a year or two. They've combined for 65 tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles.Steelers: Outside backer Jason Gildon's 14 sacks in the past 21 games is three more than the career total of the Bengals' four starting backers.
EDGE: Steelers
SECONDARY
Bengals: Their pursuit of a starting right corner takes them to Roosevelt Blackmon, former waterboy at Div. II Morris Brown who tries to douse the Steelers in his first NFL start.Steelers: They surely miss Carnell Lake at safety and corners Chad Scott and Dewayne Washington have been prone to giving up the long ball, but they are third in the league against the pass.
EDGE: Steelers
COACHING
Bengals: Bruce Coslet can nurture quarterbacks and as long as Akili Smith shows improvement and spark, Coslet is here.Steelers: Bill Cowher is 2-3 vs. Coslet and trying to figure out how a defensive guru like himself could get in such an offensive mess.
EDGE: Even
THE PICK
The Akililine Battery gave them some juice. But Pittsburgh pulls the plug with an advanced defensive scheme overloading the rookie.STEELERS, 20-13.
Bengals Stories
'Akili Matata,' Bengals fans
Bengals, Steelers want respect
By the numbers
Who's got the edge?
Bengals risk alienating Dillon
UC freshmen take spotlight
Five questions with Bob Huggins
ALABAMA-BIRMINGHAN 24, UC 21
UC NOTEBOOK
Six-foot-10 recruit to visit Xavier
Reds coaching staff may not change much
With Martinez, it was never a contest
Morgan's knowledge second to none
NLCS: Mets 3, Braves 2
PENN STATE 23, OHIO STATE 10
OHIO STATE NOTEBOOK
KENTUCKY 31, LSU 5
KENTUCKY NOTEBOOK
MIAMI 17, KENT 10
Mount St. Joseph 46, Franklin College 29
Thomas More 42, Bethel 0
Alexander steps up Heisman bid
Conditioning top priority for winded Wildcats
Expansion means a weaker C-USA
Deaf golfer comes into his own
La Salle wins GCL cross country
League cross country titles decided
St. Xavier plans stadium upgrade
This week's football schedule
Ursuline golfers win state
CHCA's Falk wins 3rd district tennis title
CINCINNATI HIGH SCHOOL RESULTS
N.KY. HIGH SCHOOL RESULTS
Volleyball title not enough for Campbell Co.
CHICAGO 3, CYCLONES 0
Cincinnati boxer shows why he's No. 1
Hughes in NBA camp, but spot not certain
LOUISVILLE 3, MIGHTY DUCKS 2