Tuesday, November 30, 1999
Strong finish could save Coslet's job
Brown says last month important
BY GEOFF HOBSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The Bengals have yet to make any decisions about next season, indicating coach Bruce Coslet's future hinges on the last four games of the season.
As usual Monday, team president Mike Brown wouldn't discuss Coslet's sta tus. But he said the final month will get equal consideration when evaluating what is now a 2-10 season.
“It's important for the Bengals. I think it's important for everyone around here. Players and coaches alike,” said Brown of the final games against teams with a combined 19-25 record.
The Bengals look to be embarking on one of their notorious fast finishes after dreadful starts. In the last two games, including Sunday's 27-20 win in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati rolled up 763 yards against defenses ranked in the NFL's top four.
Brown is faced with a tough decision if the Bengals finish fast. He has been looking for any flicker of hope to keep Coslet and took last week's last-second loss to Baltimore particularly hard.
Does Brown bow to public pressure growing out of the ground with Paul Brown Stadium and make changes? Or does he ride the momentum of a fast finish and derive the extra benefit of keeping rookie quarterback Akili Smith in Coslet's system?
All Brown would say is he doesn't agree with critics who charge Cincinnati's annual stretch runs after playoff teams have been decided fosters an illusion of respectability.
“I hope we do get a little run going. I'll feel good about it,” Brown said. “People will downplay it, but to me it's important. I think people discount it because we're out of the hunt. But it's not like baseball where we bring up the minor leaguers. We're playing all our people, and there will be good contests. You have to review the season as a whole.”
Brown is more patient than the Cinergy Field signs. He ad mires Coslet's ability to keep this team playing hard despite the record and, “that says something about the quality of players here and that's a good sign for the future ... I don't think think we're shy of talent to the point where we can't play with most NFL teams.”
Coslet wouldn't talk about what this month means.
“We're just trying to beat the 49ers (Sunday),” Coslet said. “We haven't done it since 1974. It cost us two Super Bowls, so I really want them bad.”
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