Yeast was a star at Kentucky. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        Former Kentucky star Craig Yeast, released Aug. 27 by the Bengals, has found a home with the New York Jets and looks forward to facing his former team Sunday at the Meadowlands.

        “Oh, yeah. I'd love to bust a big one every week,” Yeast said Wednesday. “Playing against the Bengals, a team I played for for two years, that kind of released me and put me in a tough situation — I'd like to return one against them. I'd like to return two or three against them. A victory would be sweeter than anything else.”

        Yeast signed Oct.10 with the Jets and has become the AFC's fifth-leading kickoff returner with a 24-yard average and a long of 55. The Bengals' Curtis Keaton has averaged 21.7 yards per kickoff return.

        Yeast also has a 10.3-yard average on eight punt returns. He was signed by the Jets after Chad Morton was injured.

        “I told him, "You're here for one week, basically. When the guy gets well, you might not have a job,'” Jets coach Herman Edwards said. “He came in here, did a nice job, and we liked him so much we just ... he's kind of hard to get rid of.”

        Yeast has yet to catch a pass, but, Edwards said, he has worked his way up to fifth receiver.

        Yeast was drafted out of Kentucky in the fourth round of the 1999 draft by the Bengals, and he started seven games last year and was third with 24 receptions. As a rookie, he became the first Bengals punt returner since Lemar Parrish in 1974 to return two punts for touchdowns in the same season.

        But, Yeast said, the Bengals could never look beyond his size — 5-feet-7, 167 pounds.

        “They, at Cincinnati, it was always an issue of me being too small to do this or too small to do that,” he said. “It's not even an issue at all. I feel like I have a coaching staff who believes in my abilities.”

        MARCO IN D.C.

        Former Bengals tight end Marco Battaglia, waived Monday, practiced for the first time Wednesday with his new team, the Redskins.

        The Redskins claimed Battaglia off waivers, and the Steelers and Patriots also made claims. He had been placed on the reserve/non-football illness list Nov.17 after an emergency appendectomy.

        The Bengals have shelved four tight ends this season, and coach Dick LeBeau said Wednesday that in hindsight, he wishes the team had kept Battaglia on the active roster.

        “Had we known (starter) Tony McGee was going to get injured, we probably would have chosen differently,” LeBeau said. “We miss having tight ends around here.”

        The Bengals' top two tight ends are Kirk McMullen and Nick Williams.

        Battaglia will not play Sunday at home for the Redskins against the Eagles, but he is expected to play special teams and as a reserve tight end in the final three games.

        Battaglia took the roster spot of Stephen Alexander, who broke his ankle last week at Arizona. The Redskins have two other tight ends on their roster.

        “You have a guy who is a solid tight end and a very good special teams player and you can find some place for him to play,” Redskins coach Marty Schottenheimer said Wednesday.

        ACHES AND PAINS:

        Beside quarterback Jon Kitna, cornerback Bo Jennings (ankle), tackle Willie Anderson (ankle) and wide receiver Peter Warrick (hip) did not practice Wednesday. They all are questionable.

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