He has been working hard since February, throwing and studying with offensive coordinator Ken Anderson. Smith also has recovered from the severely sprained toe he suffered Oct.31. Miami had the best record of any of those opponents at 9-7. New England and Dallas were 8-8. The Bengals' AFC Central schedule is tough.
Records mean little in rivalry games with Cleveland and Pittsburgh.
They have to do better than last year. When opponents got inside the 20, they scored 38 touchdowns and 21 field goals. Cincinnati had 23 TDs and 15 field goals. Not according to the TV networks. The Bengals allowed 4,027 passing yards, second-worst in the NFL in 1999.