Monday, November 15, 1999

Titans 24, Bengals 14

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Bad to worse to worst

BY GEOFF HOBSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Tremain Mack's 99-yard kickoff return was the Bengals' only highlight Sunday. (Michael E. Keating photo) | ZOOM |

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        The greatest fear in Bengaldom became reality when Cincinnati ended Sunday as the worst team in the NFL at 1-9.

        “Oh, oh,” said Bengals running back Corey Dillon when he heard the expansion Cleveland Browns had won their second game. “I know what that means.”

        It means after a business-as-usual 24-14 loss to the Titans at surly Cinergy Field, the Bengals are in last place in the AFC Central, .

        “When it rains, it pours,” Dillon said after Tennessee held him to 2.4 yards per carry for his 14 tries. “Right now it's pouring.”

ROCK BOTTOM

The Browns' victory over the Steelers and the Saints' victory over the 49ers left the Bengals as the only team in the NFL with one victory. But the Bengals can't even look forward to the No. 1 pick in the draft as a consolation prize. That goes to the Browns as part of their expansion package.   Bottom Five   Bengals ....... 1 9   Cleveland ....... 2 8   Atlanta ....... 2 7   New Orleans ....... 2 7   N.Y. Jets ....... 2 6

HOME SWEET WHAT?

The Bengals haven't won a home game in 13 months, a 25-20 victory over Pittsburgh on Oct. 11.

BY THE NUMBERS

• 2-19: Record in their last 21 games.   • 2-23: Record including their 0-4 preseason.   • 292: Points allowed, most in the NFL.   • 30-12: The average margin in nine losses.   • 31-9: The average margin in five home losses.

        Sometimes it rains penalties, like last week's 16 in Seattle. Sometimes it storms long passes, like the bombs of the Colts' Peyton Manning. Sometimes it pours long runs, like Carolina's Tim Biakabutuka.

        On Sunday, it rained fumbles and sacks. The Bengals lost all four of their bobbles, with the Titans cashing three of them into 17 points when they recovered on the Cincinnati 12, 31 and 38.

        Led by rookie defensive end Jevon Kearse's two sacks, the Titans dumped Bengals quarterback Jeff Blake seven times, the most sacks allowed by the Bengals since Buffalo racked up eight in 1996.

        “We just can't overcome ourselves,” said Bengals coach Bruce Coslet. “It's very disheartening.”

        Which was too bad because for the first time at Cinergy this season, a football game broke out in the third quarter instead of a blowout.

        Bengals safety Tremain Mack took the second half's opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown to cut the Tennessee lead to 14-7 and get the paid crowd of 46,017 into a game for the first time during a dreadfully dull home season where the Bengals have been outscored by 110 points.

Bengals safety Cory Hall can't stop Eddie George on a 23-yard TD run. (Michael E. Keating photo) | ZOOM |

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        When the crowd helped force a false start by left guard Bruce Matthews to produce a Titans punt, the Bengals were poised to take control when they got the ball at their 38.

        But two carries by Dillon netted just four yards and the Bengals had to punt.

        By the time they got their only rushing first down of the game and first first down of the second half, there were 13 minutes left in the game and they trailed 24-7, giving the Titans 10 points on two fumbles.

        “We couldn't run the ball when we he had a chance to take the game. It was just sorry because we had our opportunities,” tackle Willie Anderson said. “I remember somebody yelling out that everyone was taking a turn breaking down. There were missed blocks by everybody. Missed footwork.”

        Dillon, who averaged 4.2 yards per carry coming into the game, couldn't explain how the same defense he dented for 246 yards two years ago held him to 33 yards Sunday.

        “Same defense, a few different players,” Dillon said. “You guys have a better view than I do most of the time — you tell me.”

Jeff Blake is sacked by Jason Kearse, causing a fumble and leading to a Titans' TD. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        The game left some players wondering how talented this team really is. Others felt the game was there to be had.

        “I think guys know we blew a lot of opportunities on defense and on offense,” safety Myron Bell said. “We're not that good not to take advantage of opportunities for us to win that game.”

        Coslet shook his head over how certain plays panned out.

        Bengals cornerback Rodney Heath dropped an interception that looked to be a touchdown, and corner Rico Clark seemed to have an interception in the end zone against Kevin Dyson, had he tried to catch it instead of knocking it down.

        “Then we get (three) receivers behind their secondary on the fourth play of the game and we get sacked,” Coslet said.

        Not only was it a sack, but it was blind-side shot on Blake by Kearse that forced a fumble at the Cincinnati 12 late in the first quarter and helped give the Titans a 14-0 lead.

Jeff Blake walks off the field after a three-and-out. (Michael E. Keating photo) | ZOOM |

        Kearse, who usually lined up over Anderson, took on the left tackle and blew by Rod Jones' outside shoulder.

        “I should have been in a two-point stance instead of a three-point,” Jones said. “I don't know if I underestimated his speed or not. You know he's coming, you've got to be able to get out of your stance.”

        Kearse fended off Anderson for a sack of Blake later, but only after Anderson took him to the back of the pocket and Blake started to scramble.

        “They hurt us a lot with blitzes where we would call protections and not have the blockers for them,” Anderson said. “A lot of times they had guys untouched. They knew when we went into a certain type of formation, they would blitz knowing we didn't have a (runing) back there to pick them up.”

        That happened when the Bengals reached the Tennessee 1-yard line late in the game. The Bengals went to an empty backfield and linebacker Eddie Robinson shot the gap between Jones — who was blocking the end — and left guard Matt O'Dwyer, who was blocking the nose guard. Robinson had a clean shot on Blake and forced another fumble.

        Coslet said the Bengals guessed right most of the time on the blitzes, but didn't always get the proper execution.

        That happened on the first series of the second quarter after Mack ran the Bengals back into the game with a 53-yard kick return that put the ball on the Tennessee 42. On third-and-8, Blake was sacked by blitzing strong safety Blaine Bishop for a 15-yard loss.

        Coslet said the back was supposed to pick up Bishop and the reason Blake didn't get rid of it earlier is because he thought Bishop was blocked.

        “That's an everyday thing for us,” Coslet said. “Why don't we read it right that time because it was simple? ... We were blitzing, too, and they were stepping up and blocking us.”

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