By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Bengals star tailback Corey Dillon practiced Friday for the first time this week.

Dillon, who is listed as probable for Buffalo with a bruised thigh and elbow, needs 42 rushing yards for his third consecutive season of 1,300 yards or better.

Cornerback Artrell Hawkins, who will be needed against Buffalo's fourth-ranked pass offense, did not practice - a move designed to rest him. Coach Dick LeBeau said Hawkins would play.

Decisions will be made Sunday morning regarding wide receiver Ron Dugans (Achilles tendon), tailback Brandon Bennett (ribs) and defensive end Vaughn Booker (ribs). Those three are listed as questionable.

2003 SCHEDULE: All but one of the Bengals' opponents for next season is set. The Bengals will play six games against AFC North division opponents Baltimore, Cleveland and Pittsburgh.

The Bengals also will play every team in both the AFC and NFC west divisions - home against Denver and Kansas City and at Oakland and San Diego; home against San Francisco and Seattle and at Arizona and St. Louis.

As the last-place team this season in their division, the Bengals' eighth home game will be against Houston, the last-place team this season in the AFC South. The eighth road game will be at the last-place team in the AFC East, currently Buffalo. New England or the Jets also could finish last in the East, depending on the results of this weekend's games.

REMEMBER HIM? Former Bengals quarterback Scott Covington almost got his first NFL start this weekend for the St. Louis Rams.

Covington had all the practice repetitions with the offensive regulars Thursday and is ready if Jamie Martin can't go Monday night against San Francisco.

"I'm preparing to start," Covington said. "If circumstances lead to something different, then that's the way it goes. They obviously brought me in for a purpose, and if my purpose is to start Monday night, that'll be great."

Covington, 26, spent most of the past three seasons with the Bengals, who drafted him from Miami (Fla.) in the seventh round of the 1999 draft. He has played in only three NFL games and thrown only five regular-season passes, all during 1999 for the Bengals.

He was released and brought back two different times by the Bengals during the 2001 season. He was released Aug. 26 after training camp with the Bengals.

Rams coach Mike Martz liked Covington coming out of college. In fact, Martz and quarterbacks coach John Ramsdell worked out Covington before the '99 draft. Since then, Martz said, the Rams have tracked Covington's career - not unlike the way they did with Marc Bulger.

Covington has been on the Rams' active roster for 11 of 12 weeks since originally signing with the club Oct. 1, although he has yet to play in a game.

"He's done nothing to disprove what we originally thought," Martz said. "I think he's got a real good future, and I'm excited to see what he can do once he knows the offense and gets a chance to run it a little bit."

Although he's far from having a total grasp of the Rams' offense, Covington feels he has enough of a working knowledge to get through a game.

"This offense is complex, but it's not that bad," Covington said.

Bulger is a Covington fan.

"Scott's a real confident guy, and I think being around for the last couple of months, he's gotten a good grasp of the offense," Bulger said. "He wouldn't be at this level if he couldn't deal with the pressure."

E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

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