Sunday, October 29, 2000
Bengals, Browns look painfully familiar
By TOM WITHERS
AP Sports Writer
CLEVELAND — Somewhere, Paul Brown will be watching another game. At least he should be.
The legendary coach and founder of both the Bengals and the Cleveland Browns can't be pleased with the state of pro football in Ohio. The long-time AFC Central rivals are fighting today to stay out of the division's basement.
And they have a lot more in common these days than just their orange helmets.
“Both teams are virtually in the same type of situations,” said Browns coach Chris Palmer.
Yeah, desperate.
Consider:
• The Browns (2-6) have lost five straight games after a surprising 2-1 start while the Bengals (1-6) finally got their first win last week, four games after coach Bruce Coslet quit.
• Cleveland has already lost its starting quarterback, Tim Couch, and his backup, Ty Detmer, to season-ending injuries. The Browns will start journeyman Doug Pederson, he of the 15.1 quarterback rating, and won't hesitate to bring in rookie Spergon Wynn. Spergon Wynn?
• Bengals QB Akili Smith has 2 TD passes and 52.4 rating. He was recently benched in favor of Scott Mitchell, who has 22 completions this season — four to the opposition.
• The Browns are last in the NFL in total offense. The Bengals are the second-best team in the league at running the football, and the worst at throwing it.
• Cincinnati has been shut out three times, including twice in row. The Cincinnati Reds didn't get blanked in 163 games all season!
• Cleveland has had two shutouts pitched against it, most recently a week ago at Pittsburgh when Steelers fans taunted the Browns by singing “Who Shut the Dawgs Out?” as they walked off the field at Three Rivers Stadium.
• The Browns are averaging under 12 points per game, the Bengals just over 9.
You get the idea.
Still, the Battle of Ohio is important for two teams trying to resurrect their seasons.
At this point last year, the Browns were 1-7 on the way to a disappointing 2-14 finish. Palmer's team has been victimized by some misfortune — four offensive starters are down for the year with injuries — and bad luck.
“Someone once told me if you're in coaching long enough, you'll walk on both sides of the street,” Palmer said. “You just have to believe that. Good things will happen if you continue preparing the team, working in the right direction. You've got to believe that eventually it will turn around.”
A few of the Browns players may have begun to question what direction the team was headed this week, prompting Palmer to deliver a fiery speech before practice on Thursday.
“It was very clear the message I sent,” Palmer said without going into detail.
“It was a more of a do-your-job speech,” said defensive tackle Stalin Colinet. “I think everybody needed it. He wasn't singling anybody out, it was for the whole team.”
When Cincinnati was installed as a 2 1/2-point favorite, the message was already clear to the Browns that they'd better get it going.
“This game is critical because we're 2-6,” said defensive end Keith McKenzie. “It's critical because we need to win and get the spirits up in the locker room. That's why it's critical for us.”
Critical to the Browns' success Sunday will be stopping Bengals running back Corey Dillon, who rushed for an NFL record 278 yards last week as Cincinnati shocked the Denver Broncos, 31-21.
The timing couldn't have been better for the Bengals, whose offense had scored just 30 points in the first six games combined and had some wondering if the team wasn't headed for an 0-16 season.
“We have to continue to do what we're doing and just keep working,” said Cincinnati coach Dick LeBeau. “We all recognize that we've got a long way to go.”
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Bengals, Browns look painfully familiar
