ATLANTA — If the Bengals keep veteran kicker Doug Pelfrey ahead of Neil Rackers, the Chicago Bears will snap up the rookie out of Illinois.

        The Bears were eyeing Rackers when the Bengals took him in the sixth round. The Bears took kicker Paul Edinger from Michigan State a few picks later.

        Edinger and NFL Europe kicker Jaret Holmes have both underwhelmed the Bears to the point they brought back 35-year-old Jeff Jaeger on Monday.

        Halfway through the preseason, though, Rackers and punter Daniel Pope — who was picked up from Kansas City — have the inside track to unseat Pelfrey and punter Brad Costello, Bengals insid ers say.

        Rackers made a 47-yard field goal on the Bengals' first possession Friday night.

        DILLON OK: Running back Corey Dillon, who ended his holdout Thursday when he agreed to a one-year contract, passed his physical.

        “It was uneventful,” trainer Paul Sparling said Friday.

        Dillon, dressed in his familiar No.28, participated in pregame stretching and drills with his teammates.

        VERY BAD DECADE: Friday night marked the first action for Atlanta running back Jamal Anderson since he blew out his knee in the second game last season.

        Anderson and Denver's Terrell Davis have been two of the highest-impact running backs drafted during the 1990s, and both were late-round picks.

        By contrast, most of the 12 running backs chosen with the first 11 picks of the first rounds have not distinguished themselves.

        Count Ki-Jana Carter, the Bengals' first pick in 1995, among the decade's top busts, along with Blair Thomas, Lawrence Phillips, Tomy Vardell, Ricky Williams, Tim Biakabutuka and Curtis Enis.

        Of the backs taken with the first 11 picks, only Marshall Faulk led his team to the Super Bowl, and that was not with the team — the Colts — who drafted him.

        The other early first-round backs who made it big were Jerome Bettis, Fred Taylor and Edgerrin James.

        UNDRESSED: Ten Bengals were not in uniform for the Atlanta game: Sirr Parker, Greg Myers, JoJuan Armour, Michael Basnight, Alan Buckwalter, Rich Braham, Damian Vaughn, Darnay Scott, Michael Bankston and Tom Barndt.

        Of that group, center Braham and defensive tackle Barndt are the only two projected starters, as of Friday.

        DRESSED: Rookie receiver Ron Dugans and rookie cornerback Mark Roman, who ended his holdout Tuesday, were both in uniform for the first time as Bengals. Dugans, the third-round pick, didn't make the trip to Buffalo for the preseason opener last week.

FALCONS 31, BENGALS 16 Bengals-Falcons Stats AFC Central will shrink with realignment Bears like Rackers' kicking if Bengals don't Training camp visitors guide Stadium will also be party place

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