Thursday, October 28, 1999Dillon backs off criticisms
BENGALS NOTEBOOK
BY GEOFF HOBSON
The Cincinnati EnquirerIn the heat of another losing locker room Sunday, running back Corey Dillon vented. Predictable offense. Not enough carries. Abandoned running game. On Wednesday, Dillon, still intense and frustrated, showed a different side.
“Maybe I should have taken a day off and come back and talked Monday,” Dillon said. “If I hurt some feelings, I apologize, but there's nothing I can do about it. If I could take it back, I would. But I couldn't. It's said and done and time to move on, stay positive and try to win.”
Dillon is still amazed at the amount of blood that spewed from his right forearm during last Sunday's first series. He thinks he nicked a vein on a screw on someone's face mask.
“It was like a horror movie,” Dillon said. Reminded Halloween is this Sunday, he said, “I like to be a week early.”
Dillon thinks he'll still have the five stitches in his arm this Sunday, but he'll wear a pad around them. He can't understand why people like former Bengal David Fulcher turned radio analyst questioned Dillon for not going back into a game the Bengals trailed, 24-3, at halftime.
“Make sure when you put it in the paper that I said Fulcher was a great player, a great athlete and a nice guy,” Dillon said. “But it was all swollen and bloody and that's not good.”
In his three seasons in Cincinnati, Dillon has played with a sore knee, back spasms and various nagging bruises. Bengals President Mike Brown didn't think Dillon lacked anything for not playing with the injury.
“Corey thought he was hurting and I think he had a very real injury that just wouldn't subside,” Brown said. “When you're spurting blood, you're scared a little bit. He was concerned and that was understandable. By the time it was resolved, I don't think it would have made a difference if he was in there or not.”
TUMULTY EAGER: Tom Tumulty passed his first physical since tearing up his knee 13 months ago in Baltimore and was ready to re-join the Bengals in practice today. But the Bengals decided to give him two more weeks and not let him practice until Nov. 10.
Then the team has three more weeks from then to decide if they'll activate Tumulty, put him on injured reserve for the rest of the year, or release him.
“I've waited 11 weeks without playing, I guess this gives me two more weeks to get ready, watch a little film,” said the disappointed Tumulty.
Tumulty, a starter at inside linebacker who led the team in tackles last season before requiring reconstructive knee surgery after a Sept. 27 injury, returned Wednesday from the physical at Healthsouth in Birmingham, Ala. He said the trainers gave him the thumbs-up after he went through a strength test, worked in pass rush and got off blocks.
INJURY UPDATE: Right guard Brian DeMarco under went arthroscopic surgery on both elbows to remove five and six bone chips in each one. He'll be out three to four weeks. ... Long snapper Steve Bush (sprained knee) is doubtful after trying to go Wednesday ... Defensive end John Copeland (sprained shoulder) is questionable. ... Right tackle Willie Anderson (knee sprain) tries to work on the side today after missing Wednesday and trainer Paul Sparling is cautiously optimistic ... Cornerback Artrell Hawkins (left turf toe, mild right ankle sprain) is probable after limited work Wednesday.
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This week's football schedule