Second-round draftee Mark Roman has yet to dress for a Bengals game, but he has made little noise about it. Literally.

        Roman is so quiet, bystanders sometimes ask him to speak up. He obviously is hurt at being declared inactive for the Bengals' first two games of 2000.

        “Every athlete, when they do something so long and they're not really in the fire, they get anxious,” Roman said. “I'm just working hard so I can get in there.”

        Coach Bruce Coslet said Friday there was “a possibility” that Roman could make the active roster for Sunday's game at Baltimore. That decision won't be revealed until game time.

        The Bengals said Roman is still catching up from an 18-day holdout in training camp.

        “He was behind, so this isn't unexpected for me,” defensive backs coach Ray Horton said. “He's made progress, and we've been trying to speed him up.”

        Roman is listed as No. 3 at left cornerback, behind Tom Carter and Rodney Heath.

        It has been nearly a year since Roman played in a real game. He started the first six games as a senior at LSU in 1999, then was ruled ineligible for the final five games because of an improper signing with a player agent.

        Most NFL second-round draftees play early, at least on special teams. But the Bengals are not ready to lump Roman with second-round mistakes such as Kirby Criswell (1980) and Freddie Childress (1989), who never even made the team.

        “Do we think he's going to be a player? Yes, I think he's going to be good,” Horton said. “But at this point, it's a week to week thing.”

        The Bengals won't say exactly what is keeping Roman back, but they obviously like his pedigree. He was a four-year starter in the Southeastern Conference, and scored three times on interception returns of 50-plus yards.

        Roman said he does not regret his holdout. He was one of several players to balk at the new “loyalty clause” in Bengals contracts, where players are prohibited from publicly ripping the team.

        “I'm not bitter about anything,” Roman said. “I've just tried to use the practices to get better. This is the NFL, and they don't just put you out there. Once they get comfortable with me out there, I'll take advantage of the opportunity.”

        INJURY UPDATE: Starting fullback Clif Groce (abdominal strain) is questionable for Sunday. Groce was examined Friday for symptoms of a hernia, but tests were negative. It is not known how Groce was hurt.

        If Groce can't go, second-year man Nick Williams could make his first-career start at fullback.

        WR Craig Yeast (calf) practiced Friday, but Coslet said his status will be a game-time decision.

        RB Michael Basnight, LB Brian Simmons, C Rich Braham and DE Vaughn Booker, all hurt, were placed on the inactive list for Sunday's game.

        STILL SPEARMAN: Armegis Spearman, a rookie free agent, will start again Sunday in Simmons' place at middle linebacker. Spearman was second on the team last week with eight tackles.

        Spearman, the Bengals' only rookie starter defensively, sometimes found himself commanding 10 veterans in the huddle.

        “That's a tough thing, especially for a young guy like me,” Spearman said. “I kind of see what Akili (Smith) goes through, kind of.”

        DILLON WATCH: Corey Dillon is off to a slow start, with only 73 yards rushing in two games. And he doesn't fare well against Baltimore, with an average of 62.4 yards in five career starts against the Ravens.

        For his career, Dillon averages 82.4 yards per game.

        FAMILIAR FACE: Rex Ryan, son of former NFL coach Buddy Ryan, is the Ravens' defensive line coach. His line has helped the Ravens rank No. 2 in the league against the run.

        Ryan was defensive coordinator of the University of Cincinnati's Humanitarian Bowl team in 1997.

Bengals offense on worst-ever pace CB Roman biding time

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