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| | Tuesday, October 5 | |||||
| CINCINNATI -- With their offense sputtering along for
the last three weeks, the winless Cincinnati Bengals will give
rookie Akili Smith his first NFL start Sunday when they play the
Cleveland Browns.
Smith replaces Jeff Blake, who started the first four games for
the Bengals (0-4).
"We have not been productive offensively, and that's the bottom
line," Bengals coach Bruce Coslet said Monday. "I think the world of Jeff, but we need to try
something different. We'll go with Akili this week and see how
he does."
Smith, the third overall pick in the draft, has played in three
of the first four games in relief of Blake, completing 18-of-37
passes for 188 yards, with no touchdowns and two interceptions.
In Sunday's 38-10 loss to St. Louis, Smith replaced an
ineffective Blake in the third quarter and accounted for the
team's only touchdown with a one-yard run in the fourth quarter.
He was 7-of-18 passing for 77 yards.
Blake has completed 54 percent of his passes (61-of-113) for 615
yards and three touchdowns with three interceptions this season.
He passed for two touchdowns and rushed for 90 yards in
Cincinnati's season-opening 36-35 loss at Tennessee.
Coslet wouldn't commit to starting Smith beyond Sunday, saying
he wants to see how the rookie does against the Browns.
Smith has something of a score to settle with the Browns. He thinks Cleveland was unfair to him and his agent during negotiations leading to the Browns' decision to make Tim Couch their top draft choice. "I'd be happy to beat them every time we play," Smith said. Blake would not discuss the switch. He said he assumed he would not start against Cleveland because he read of the decision in the newspapers. Running back Corey Dillon said he doesn't care who starts. In fact, he took pains to avoid appearing to favor either Blake or Smith. "I'm not picking and choosing," Dillon said. "They both can play. We can win with either of them." Coslet also said he might start rookie Cory Hall, a third-round draft pick from Fresno State, at free safety. The Bengals' defensive backs were burned by three touchdown passes to St. Louis wide receiver Az-Zahir Hakim. Tremain Mack, the kick returner-defensive back, is eligible to return if the Bengals make a roster spot for him. The NFL suspended him for the first four games because of his arrests and jail sentence last year on drunken driving charges. The 6-2½, 220-pound Smith held out for more than three weeks of training camp before signing a seven-year deal that could be worth as much as $56 million with a signing bonus of $10.8 million. Smith was chosen behind Couch and Donovan McNabb, who was taken second overall by the Philadelphia Eagles. Couch was named as the Browns' starter in Week 2. | ALSO SEE Browns' Couch gives thumbs up for start against Bengals
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