Saturday, November 06, 1999BENGALS NOTEBOOK
Anderson's streak in jeopardy
BY TOM GROESCHEN
The Cincinnati EnquirerRight tackle Willie Anderson's streak of 50 straight Bengals starts could be in jeopardy Sunday against Seattle.
Coach Bruce Coslet said Anderson, generally considered the Bengals' top offensive lineman, has a sprained arch on his right foot. And with Anderson being 6-foot-5 and 340 pounds, that is not an injury that heals quickly.
“With a big guy like that, that's a problem for them,” Coslet said.
Anderson also has been suffering from a sprained right knee, but Coslet said the arch is the main problem now.
Coslet thinks Anderson could be available Sunday as a backup to Jamain Stephens, who is filling in.
PETERSON RE-SIGNED: Rookie long snapper Ben Peterson cleared waivers Friday and was signed to the practice squad. To make room, second-year linebacker Jimmy Sprotte was released.
Peterson had been filling in for Steve Bush, who will return to snap Sunday after missing three games with a sprained knee.
HORTON IN ACTION: Bengals secondary coach Ray Horton took some snaps during Friday's non-contact practice. With three DBs out with injuries (Artrell Hawkins, Roosevelt Blackmon, Greg Myers), Horton stepped in and even donned a Seattle helmet.
Horton, 39, was an NFL defensive back for 10 years, including 1983-88 with the Bengals. He retired after the 1992 season, but someone jokingly asked Coslet if he might be activated.
“If we get one more guy hurt, it might come to that,” said Coslet, who also was joking. We think.
GO FIGURE: The Bengals are 1-7 and Seattle is 5-2, yet the Bengals rank ahead of the Seahawks in total offensive yards (18th, to Seattle's 23rd) and total defense (21st, with Seattle 23rd).
“Yards, that doesn't count,” Coslet said. “The only important stat is wins.”
The key difference is that Seattle's defense leads the league in turnovers (22) and is tied for second in turnover differential (plus-11). The Bengals are tied for 27th in turnover differential, at minus-six.
“They give up some yards,” Coslet said, “but they don't let you into the end zone.”
Seattle has outscored opponents 148-108. The Bengals have been outscored 241-96, having allowed the most points in the NFL.
THEY DO CARE: Coslet said this week that he is tired of hearing that the Bengals don't care that they are 1-7. If you think the fans and media are upset, he said, you should be part of the team.
“The perception out there is that it doesn't matter to me, or it doesn't matter to the players,” Coslet said. “That's the farthest thing from the truth. You have no idea how thin it is wearing with the players and the coaches. We live and breathe this every day.
“For it not to go right on a continuing basis, it just tears the guts out of you.”
PARTING SHOT: The effects of Thursday's impromptu team meeting, where Coslet opened the floor to both coaches and players, produced promises to play with more emotion. Coslet knows it will be a popular talk-show topic but would not elaborate Friday on what was discussed.
“I'll just let them (players) talk about it,” he said. “That's private team business. ... I will say I'm happy it happened.”
CAPTAIN: The Seahawks named former Bengals fullback Brian Milne as a captain for Sunday's game. The Bengals released Milne last month, and the Seahawks signed him last week.
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