Things could be worse for the Bears and there is plenty of reason to suspect they might get that way.
Bruce Coslet of the 0-3 Cincinnati Bengals became the first coach this season to throw in the towel, resigning Monday after his offense had been shut out in three of its last five starts dating to last season.
The Bears’ offense also is sputtering and the Bears’ defense isn’t as effective as Cincinnati’s. Bengals defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau took over the reins from Coslet, who had replaced David Shula after seven games in 1996.
At least the winless Bengals play in the AFC Central Division with another winless team–the Pittsburgh Steelers. But Coslet didn’t want to stick around until his Oct. 15 date against them. The Bears play in the NFC Central where they are the only team below .500.
After losing their first two home games as favorites, the Bears now face a daunting question: When will they again be favored to win?
They go to Green Bay on Sunday to face a Packers team coming off its best game of the season with a chance to re-establish a winning record in Lambeau Field.
They come home against New Orleans, a 1-3 team that just happens to have the No. 1 defense in the league.
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Then the Minnesota Vikings come to Soldier Field for a Sunday night game before the Bears travel to Philadelphia, where the 2-2 Eagles still hope to be in the playoff hunt.
After the Oct. 29 bye week, the schedule gets tougher–Indianapolis, at Buffalo, Tampa Bay, at the New York Jets.
There is no relief in sight. Nothing looks easy to a winless team. To the Bears things look especially hard.
There are four other winless teams–Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, New England and San Diego. Cincinnati and Pittsburgh play each other twice. New England gets to play Cleveland and Cincinnati in November before coming to Chicago Dec. 10. San Diego appears as hopeless as the Bears, but the Chargers do play San Francisco Dec. 3, two weeks before the Bears do and the Chargers finish against Pittsburgh.
Bungling: Coslet was saddled with problems before the season when he lost the Bengals’ top two receivers–Darnay Scott and Carl Pickens–to injury and release, respectively, leaving second-year quarterback Akili Smith throwing to top draft choice Peter Warrick. Pickens complained after the Bengals did not fire Coslet following last season.
The Bears lost an exhibition game 24-20 to the combination of Smith and Warrick, but the Bengals were shut out by Jacksonville last week and also scored only one touchdown against archrival Cleveland in an embarrassing opening-day loss for the inaugural of Paul Brown Stadium. Bengals running back Corey Dillon had rushed for only 82 yards in 41 carries. A 1,200-yard rusher last season, Dillon reported late after a nasty holdout.
Coslet, Shula and Sam Wyche were the three coaches who presided over the losingest NFL franchise of the ’90s.
Club President Mike Brown said he was surprised by Coslet’s decision.
“It was hard for me because he’s a good man, a friend and a good coach,” Brown said. “That was his call and he made it. It’s behind us now.” LeBeau, 62, said offensive coordinator Ken Anderson will call plays.
Football town? The Atlanta Falcons were coming off an impressive win at Carolina to boost their record to 2-1. Only two years removed from the Super Bowl themselves, the Falcons were playing host to last year’s Super Bowl winners, the St. Louis Rams, in the Georgia Dome, site of last year’s Super Bowl. The NFC West lead was at stake.
The undefeated Rams are averaging an unprecedented 40 points a game by themselves. An NFL goal is to have games in which 40 points are scored by both teams combined. The NFL tailors its rules with that goal in mind because it believes that’s what attracts fans.
League MVP Kurt Warner threw for 336 yards, his lowest output of the season. Eight of the Rams’ 20 touchdowns this season have been for more than 60 yards.
Still a crowd of only 58,761 was announced in the 71,228-seat stadium for the game won by the Rams 41-24. Fox sent its A-team announcers Pat Summerall and John Madden, but they were blacked out of local television viewing.
Maybe Atlanta is a baseball town. Or an Olympics town.
Griese shaky: Quarterback Brian Griese’s right shoulder is a problem, which means the Denver Broncos have a problem. Griese said he thinks the cartilage tear that kept him out of Sunday’s loss against Kansas City will require surgery sooner or later.
“It’s not like an ankle for me,” said Griese, who missed three straight games last year after suffering a similar shoulder injury that later required postseason surgery. “This is the most important part of my body for the position that I play. And it’s inflamed right know. It’s a problem. It’s something I was able to play with last year, and I’m hoping I can get back to a situation where I can play and I can throw the ball with a minimal amount of pain. There’s going to be pain, but that doesn’t bother me.
“What bothers me is that if there’s any way I could further injure my shoulder. That may be trying to overcompensate and hurting another part of the shoulder. That has to factor into it.”
The Broncos said the tear is considered less severe and unrelated to last year’s injury. Griese is the NFL’s leading passer. Backup Gus Frerotte threw an interception and lost a fumble in the 23-22 loss to the Chiefs in Mile High Stadium.
Bland Brown: After No. 1 draft pick Courtney Brown of the Browns had three sacks against Pittsburgh, he was asked whether he had ever had an inclination any time in his career to do a sack dance.
“What’s that?” Brown asked.
Around the league: The star search by San Francisco receiver Terrell Owens in Texas Stadium Sunday earned him a one-week vacation when the 49ers suspended him for this week. Coach Steve Mariucci said Owens’ two dashes to the middle of the field to stomp on the Cowboys’ star after his touchdown catches tarnished the league’s integrity. . . . Ryan Leaf has an injured wrist, so Jim Harbaugh will start for San Diego against St. Louis Sunday. . . . Tennessee director of scouting Glenn Cumbee died of an apparent heart attack at 52.