By Shannon Russell
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Former Bengals offensive lineman Bruce Kozerski spends his Sundays at Paul Brown Stadium, tucked away in a concession stand kitchen.

Kozerski, a Holy Cross High School teacher and football coach, flips burgers to raise funds for Indians football. He's usually too busy to see the on-field action, but this season he doesn't mind much.

He already knows the agony of being 1-11 as a Bengal.

"I'm a lifetime Bengals fan. But I'm having a hard time following them right now," Kozerski said. "It's difficult to watch, because I've been through the same thing."

Only four teams in Bengals history have begun 1-11 (1978, '91, '93, 2002). The '78 team finished 4-12, and the '91 and '93 teams went 3-13.

This year's Bengals, highly touted in training camp, must win at least two of their last four games to avoid an all-time worst franchise record.

During his 1984-95 Cincinnati career, Kozerski saw some of the Bengals' highest highs and lowest lows. He played in Super Bowl XXIII but was also the starting center for '91 and '93 teams that went a combined 6-26.

When the teams began losing, Kozerski said, players divided into different camps: those who consistently played hard, and those who let their performances slide "because it was so depressing to be there."

Life outside the stadium wasn't much better.

"When you're 1-11, the locker room is about the only place you feel comfortable. You don't want to go out of your house," Kozerski said. "... You just feel like you've let everybody down."

Coach Dick LeBeau is standing firmly by this season's 1-11 team, and management has made no effort to relieve him. But two of the Bengals' other three 1-11 coaches didn't see the following season.

In 1978, coach Bill Johnson resigned after five straight losses and Homer Rice took over.

Sam Wyche's last season as coach was 1991, when the Bengals went 3-13. Then-defensive coordinator LeBeau left with Wyche.

So far, Dave Shula has been the only coach to return the season after a 1-11 start. The 1993 team was 3-13, but Shula remained until his 1996 release.

The lackluster seasons haven't come with lackluster players. Some of the Bengals' greats - from Ken Anderson to Anthony Munoz to Boomer Esiason - played on the worst teams.

Former Bengals nose tackle and Pro Bowler Tim Krumrie has been 1-11 twice as a player and once as a coach. As a player, he said, he always sought to improve his game.

The losing has been much harder to take as a coach, he said.

"You work hard at it and try to get guys in the right places, but I think as a player you have a little more control over what's happening because you can really do something about it," Krumrie said. "As a coach, you can prepare your guys a little better. You can tell them and tell them and tell them, but on Sundays they're the ones playing. That's the bottom line."

The four 1-11 teams' weakness is a commonly exploited second quarter. During those three full seasons and the 12 games of 2002, the Bengals have been outscored 514-293 in the second quarter and 1,373-906 overall.

Winning on the road has been nearly impossible for the worst Bengals teams. Including the 38-3 win over expansion Houston Nov.3, the Bengals have earned only two road victories in seasons they started 1-11.

Defensive tackle Bernard Whittington had six tackles and a sack in Sunday's 27-23 loss to Baltimore. It wasn't the first time his performance was overshadowed by defeat; he played through back-to-back 3-13 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts.

"All I try to do is keep the guys positive, and on Sundays I show up and do what I can to help the team," Whittington said.

Kozerski has seen enough of this year's Bengals to recognize age-old problems. He wonders about a long-term front-office plan and believes the Bengals are in dire need of a go-to player "to help take the pressure off Corey (Dillon)."

His advice to the Bengals?

"Keep working. Study a little more. Watch one more reel of film - you might see something that can help," Kozerski said. "There's a good body of fans who want to see this get turned around. Because there's nothing like following a winning football team in your town."

E-mail srussell@enquirer.com

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