Monday, October 29, 2001
Howard gives Bengals fits
Two long returns give Lions chance
By Paul Daugherty
The Cincinnati Enquirer
PONTIAC, Mich. — The Bengals did everything right Sunday but tackle Desmond Howard. It nearly cost them a game they dominated.
Howard returned consecutive kickoffs a total of 156 yards. He had 247 total return yards. He gave the Detroit Lions hope when they had none. The Lions didn't do anything else especially well, yet they had a chance to win because of Howard.
It's open season on the Cincinnati special teams again.
“Discipline stops (Howard),” special teams coach Al Roberts said. “We were undisciplined.”
The Bengals had just gone up 21-6 with 1:53 left in the first half, when Howard took the kickoff, started up the middle, broke to the right where he flirted with the sideline, then cut back to the middle, before Cory Hall caught him by the ankles at the Cincinnati 9. The Lions scored three plays later and turned a one-sided first half into a football game.
Howard was just getting warmed up. He took the second-half kickoff — why didn't the Bengals squib it? — 65 yards to the Cincinnati 28. The next-to-last man Howard had to beat was Bengals kicker Neil Rackers. Howard sidestepped Rackers' comical try at a slide-tackle before Bo Jennings brought him down. Detroit needed two plays to score, cutting the Bengals lead to 21-19.
The way to stop Howard, Roberts explained, is to stay in your lane. “Stay alive in the seam” was how Roberts put it.
“You have to do it as 11 guys. We opened it up for him on the first one. We got that corrected.” On the second return, “We had guys right in there and he went right by them.”
The Bengals kicked off twice after the second runback. Rackers squibbed them both. Even so, Detroit started at its 40- and 36-yard lines.
Howard is best known for returning punts. He has eight career punt return TDs, second all-time, and made the Pro Bowl as a kick returner last season. He was also the '97 Super Bowl MVP while with Green Bay.
“He doesn't believe you can tackle him coming off a block. He's not going to run away from you. He's going to run right at you,” Roberts said. “He's right in your face, challenging you.
“He's a great talent, but we helped him,” Roberts said.
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Howard gives Bengals fits
