AFC

Sporting News, The, August 23, 1999

Baltimore

CALLING THE SHOTS: Coach Brian Billick is making a good move by calling the offensive plays. Billick spent years working under former 49ers coach Bill Walsh and Dennis Green in Minnesota. Even though offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh may be a sound assistant, no one on the staff knows the West Coast offense and the terminology better than Billick. This also will allow Cavanaugh to work exclusively with QBs Scoff Mitchell and Tony Banks.... One of the reasons the secondary has improved so far is the addition of defensive backs coach Steve Shafer. Shafer has coached in the NFL for 16 years and is a stickler when it comes to fundamentals, something the unit lacked the past three seasons.

THE BIG MISTAKE? The team might have made a mistake by trading QB Eric Zeier to the Bucs. Thus far, Banks has been erratic and error-prone in practice and still has problems holding onto the ball, something that plagued him during his career with the Rams. He was supposed to have solid arm strength, but Zeier showed a better arm last season and had a low turnover ratio. Billick said Banks would be a project, but he probably thought the third-year veteran was a little further along. Banks, however, had a solid game against the Eagles last week, completing nine passes for 75 yards in one quarter of play. The biggest surprise has been Wally Richardson, who completed seven passes for 60 yards and led the Ravens to a game-winning drive against Philadelphia. --Mike Preston

Buffalo

DOUBLE DUTY: Rookie Shawn Bryson's season-ending knee injury means Jonathan Linton will have to wear two different hats again this season. Bryson, a third-round draft pick from Tennessee, was on track to become Sam Gash's backup at fullback until teaming the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, With Bryson gone, Linton will swing between halfback and fullback.... Coach Wade Phillips has been pleasantly surprised by the play of some of the young wide receivers in camp, most notably Robert Scott and Jeremy McDaniel.... NT Ted Washington appears to have lost weight, but he's still nowhere near his listed weight of 330. Washington has worked continuously on a treadmill, but he doesn't seem any quicker, and his stamina is still a question.... RB Antowain Smith continues to battle a groin injury and there is cause for concern that it could be a season-long problem. He has practiced infrequently, though when he has worked he has looked good, thanks to a 12-pound offseason weight loss.... WR Eric Moulds has been catching everything thrown his way in camp.

IMPRESSIVE ROOKIE: Phillips says cutting players this year will be very difficult because there is keen competition almost everywhere. One player who appears to have already made the team is rookie TE Sheldon Jackson. A 6-3, 250-pounder from Nebraska, Jackson was drafted almost as an afterthought (seventh round, No. 230 overall) but has shown above-average blocking skills, something this team can use from its tight ends.--Sal Maiorana

Cincinnati

COMMITTED TO RUN: The rebuilt offensive line is starting to jell with RG Brian DeMarco (sprained right shoulder) nearly 100 percent. RT Willie Anderson won't move to the left side after all, and that's good because he plays a power game that creates openings for RB Corey Dillon. With Jeff Blake under center and LT Rod Jones, LG Matt O'Dwyer and C Rich Braham all showing sound technique in camp, look for a solid commitment to the run. Blake will use his speed to get outside on designed rollouts that will keep defenses guessing An injury in rookie FB Nick Williams (high right ankle sprain) hurts because he was coming on strong as a blocker and runner in the one-back set, but the blow is softened by the depth there, with incumbent Brian Milne holding off challenges from Nicky Sualua and Clif Groce. Grace, a classic FB-HB `tweener, could wind up the third tailback behind Dillon and Ki-Jana Carter.

A NEW YEAR: RCB Artrell Hawkins got picked on a lot as a rookie in 1998, and he figures every opponent will try to clip his wings again in '99. But he's ready for whatever comes his way. The difference between this year and last is he knows what to expect. A year ago, he was concerned with being in the right place, doing the right thing and not being a liability to the team. This year, he's more concerned with the defense as a whole. In Hawkins' line of work, it pays to have a short memory and supreme confidence. He has both. In camp he has been running to the ball and making plays. This should be a big year for him. --Chick Ludwig

Cleveland

NO COUGH POTATO: It was inevitable there would be a quarterback controversy involving veteran Ty Detmer and Tim Couch, the first overall selection in the draft. But it was thought the issue would not come to a head until about three-fourths of the way through the season, when, with the Browns probably struggling, Couch would be inserted to see what he could do. It takes most rookies that long to learn enough about the pro game to be a starter. But that timeline has been moved way up. Couch, on the basis of what he did against the Cowboys, what Detmer didn't do in that game and how the rookie has practiced, is already getting ever so close to being the starter.