Tuesday, October 08, 2002
Winless Bengals encouraged by latest loss
By JOE KAY
AP Sports Writer
CINCINNATI — In most NFL cities, a close loss set up by silly mistakes is followed by a case of Monday morning blues. The exception is Cincinnati.
The winless Bengals were upbeat Monday following their latest defeat, which represented a breakthrough for a team accustomed to getting blown out.
The offense tripled its touchdown total during a 28-21 loss in Indianapolis and had a chance to tie near the end of regulation. Jon Kitna's third interception ended the comeback but not the optimism.
They're winless, but no longer hopeless.
“Oh, yes indeed,” running back Corey Dillon said. “We fought for four quarters. That's the team I know.”
The Bengals (0-5) are heading down a path they know well.
They've gone 53-128 since 1991, the worst mark in the league and haven't had a winning season over that span. They lose badly in August and September, lose closer games in October, then become a threat for an upset as the season winds down.
Since 1991, they've gone 9-36 in August and September, 8-36 in October, 15-31 in November and 21-25 in December and January.
Coach Dick LeBeau's quarterback rotation set up this year's slow start — 0-5 for the fifth time in the last 12 years. Now that Kitna is running the offense again, the Bengals are rounding into their customary form.
They're still not winning, but they've become competitive.
“After that (touchdown) drive at the end of the second quarter got us going, we were a pretty good football team,” LeBeau said Monday. “There were still too many negatives, too many things that kept us from winning.
“We had a lot of positives in there, too. The biggest thing was coming back from a 21-0 spread and proving that there's a lot of football left in us and a lot of football left in the season.”
The main thing they proved Sunday was that Kitna should have been the quarterback all along.
LeBeau tried Gus Frerotte and Akili Smith before returning to Kitna, who was the lowest-ranked passer in the NFL last season as he led the Bengals to a 6-10 record.
The Bengals simplified the offense, stayed with their running game and got their best results yet. Dillon ran for 164 yards, and an offense that scored only one touchdown in the first four games tripled its total.
“I think we showed some signs yesterday of getting back to where we were at the end of last year,” said Kitna, who was 31-of-43 for 244 yards. “That's what we need to do.”
Kitna passed for 751 yards as the Bengals beat Pittsburgh and Tennessee to finish last season. His propensity to throw interceptions — he had 22 last year — prompted the Bengals to conduct quarterback tryouts well into the season.
Kitna got the offense moving in Indianapolis but threw three interceptions that kept the Bengals at the bottom of the NFL's heap along with 0-5 St. Louis and 0-4 Minnesota.
After getting blown out 119-23 in the first four games, the Bengals were encouraged heading into a home game Sunday against Pittsburgh, then their bye week.
Why, Kitna was even alluding to the playoffs.
“It's a big week in that sense,” he said Monday. “We can't afford to go 0-6. At 0-5, you've dug a hole that's very hard to get out of. There's no margin for error. Getting a win right before the bye gives us a chance.”
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Winless Bengals encouraged by latest loss
