It may not be that Coslet is resigned to packing up after this season. It just looks that way. The coach that used to appear at postgame news conferences combative and edgy now seems as stuck with the inevitable as the rest of us. I don't know if Coslet feels his season was torpedoed the minute the Bengals drafted Akili Smith instead of taking the deal New Orleans offered. I couldn't tell you if he felt set up to fail when Smith became the starting quarterback just five games into the season, or when the team cut Corey Sawyer, one of its few experienced cornerbacks.
All lines are open.
Fair Game, a collection of his columns, is available at local bookstores. The Cincinnati Enquirer , a Gannett Co. Inc. newspaper.