Monday, December 10, 2001
Bengals Notebook
Stephens makes unexpected appearance at TE
By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Nick Williams was the official starter at tight end, where the Bengals have lost their first four players for the season, but offensive tackle Jamain Stephens was the biggest surprise.
Stephens, a 340-pound native of Lumberton, N.C., hadn't played tight end since high school. He was announced each time he entered the game as an eligible receiver, but he said he knew he wasn't going to see the ball.
“I was just in there to block,” he said. “It was only eight or nine plays, but it was a new experience.”
Williams had no receptions, either. Kirk McMullen also played a few snaps at tight end.
SACK PACK: The Bengals tied a single-game team record with eight sacks Sunday.
The Bengals also had eight on Oct. 16, 1994, at Pittsburgh, also a 14-10 Cincinnati loss.
Rookie defensive end Justin Smith had three, among his team-high eight tackles, for 23 yards in losses. He leads the team with 7.5 sacks.
The Bengals now have 38 sacks in 12 games. They had an AFC-low 26 a year ago.
RESPECT: Kicker Neil Rackers made his third consecutive field goal Sunday, from 47 yards, and it gave the Bengals a 10-7 lead in the third quarter.
He is now 12-of-21 on field goals, matching his overall 2000 totals as a rookie.
“I hit it pretty well. If I would have hit that towards the river, I think it would have come up short,” Rackers said of the field goal, which he kicked at the north end. “In warmups, we were able to hit from 53, 55 yards going that direction, so I knew I could be smooth through it without really going at it.”
Rackers hit two field goals last week against Tampa Bay.
“It was almost as gratifying as the one that got us into overtime last week,” he said. “You want to give the team an opportunity to win.”
SPECIAL DEBUT: Randy Chevrier made his debut as the special teams long snapper, and his eight snaps went off without a hitch.
He was signed to the active roster Friday, three days after being signed to the Bengals practice squad. He was waived Nov. 13 by Dallas after snapping in eight games for the Cowboys.
He snapped six times on punts and once each on a field goal and extra point.
“The extra point didn't go as well, It went a little low and outside, but that might have been alignment,” said Chevrier, who replaced snapper Brad St. Louis, who was lost for the season Thursday with a torn groin muscle. “In the field goal, it was real crisp, and the kick was great.”
50 X 2: Bengals wide receiver Peter Warrick's first catch gave him 50 for the second consecutive year. He had 51 as a rookie for 592 yards and four receiving touchdowns.
This season, Warrick has 51 catches for 490 yards and one receiving touchdown.
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Bengals Notebook
