Bengals’ Young Pups Taking a Bite Out of Defenses : Pro football: Quarterback Blake, receivers Pickens and Scott have sparked Cincinnati, which can take control of he AFC Central today.

The jungle, known to most as Riverfront Stadium, shook, invited national attention and figured prominently in the outcome of the 1988 season. Boomer Esiason, Eddie Brown, Ickey Woods, Anthony Munoz, James Brooks, Tim McGee, Cris Collinsworth and Max Montoya took the Cincinnati Bengals all the way to Super Bowl XXIII.

Bruce Coslet, the Bengals’ offensive coordinator now--and then, when Cincinnati had the No. 1 attack in the league--has introduced a new cast of explosive characters trying to recapture those days.

“Tremendous weapons,” Coslet said. “In the old days the guys knew how they were going to play; it was a matter of how many yards were they going to roll up and how many points were they going to score. They had a confidence about them; they knew they couldn’t be stopped.

“This group we have now isn’t there yet. They are just a bunch of young pups. Our starting quarterback hasn’t even been through the entire league yet. They still have to go through this learning process.”

Classes continue with a promising start toward early graduation. The Bengals are only 3-4, but they are playing for first place in the AFC Central Division on Sunday at home against the Cleveland Browns, and they feature the game’s most exciting young offensive trio with Jeff Blake at quarterback and Carl Pickens and Darnay Scott at wide receiver.

“I scouted Jeff Blake, knew all about him--he finished ninth in the Heisman Trophy voting,” said Coslet, who was head coach of the Jets in 1992 when New York selected Blake, from East Carolina, in the sixth round. “He never got an opportunity to play in New York, and when I left New York and came here I knew there was going to be an odd man out at quarterback with the Jets.”

The Jets released Blake, and the Bengals claimed him with no grand expectations. Blake was going to back up Don Hollas, who was backing up David Klingler. But in Week 7 last season, Klingler and Hollas were injured in the fourth quarter against Cleveland, and Blake got the call to start the next week against Dallas.

And a star was born. Blake found Scott for touchdown plays of 67 and 55 yards, and although the Cowboys prevailed, 23-20, Blake had put a grip on opportunity.

“A lot of guys get a chance like Jeff,” Coslet said. “Not all of them react like he did. He’s still learning, but he’s already exceeded all of our expectations.”

Blake led all NFL quarterbacks a year ago with eight plays for more than 50 yards, and he played in only nine games. He has thrown a touchdown pass in every game this season, and the Bengals’ offense has exceeded the 300-yard mark in seven consecutive games for the first time since 1988 when Esiason & Co. were the best in the business.

“Jeff has a knack for throwing the ball long, and we have two receivers who can go up and get it,” Coslet said. “Pickens was a high jumper and Scott is faster than hell with the ability to accelerate and chase down the ball.”

And how good would the Bengals have been on offense this season had running back Ki-Jana Carter, the first pick in this year’s draft, not suffered a season-ending knee injury during the exhibition season?

“That hurt us tremendously,” Coslet said. “You could tell in training camp that he would be phenomenal. We had put in some plays that he had been featured in at Penn State, but over the years we’ve learned to be flexible on offense, and so we adjusted. But let me tell you, Carter is the full deal and he will make a difference.”

The Bengals signed Barry Foster, former Steeler battering ram, last week and appeared serious about not waiting for Carter’s return before making a serious run at the AFC Central title. But Foster changed his mind about returning and quit after his first workout in pads. Still, Cincinnati’s offense ranks seventh in the NFL, third in passing. Pickens leads all AFC receivers with eight touchdowns, and Blake has 15 touchdown passes with only four interceptions. Scott leads the NFL with an average gain of 20.9 yards per catch.

“This game with Cleveland is huge,” Coslet said. “It’s a rivalry that goes all the way back to Art Modell firing Paul Brown. We don’t like them much, and this is for the division lead.

“That makes it fun again here, but hold on, we’re not there yet. Things were in pretty sad shape when we came back two years ago, it takes time to fix. We’re just getting started, but yes, it’s a good start.”

ON TV

* CONCLUSION: ATLANTA LOSES

Dallas (6-1) at Atlanta (5-2), Channel 11, 10 a.m.: Cowboy quarterback Troy Aikman has won 22 consecutive games when he completes 70% of his passes, and he’s going against the league’s second-worst pass defense. Wide receiver Michael Irvin has six 100-yard games this season, a club-record 31 in his career, and he’s going against the league’s second-worst pass defense.

Further evidence: Dallas ranks No. 1 in offense; the Falcons are 26th overall in defense.

* DOCTOR ON CALL

Buffalo (5-2) at Miami (4-3), Channel 4, 1 p.m.: Both teams are in jeopardy of going in the tank because of key injuries. The Dolphins have collapsed without since Dan Marino suffered knee and hip injuries, and the Bills stumbled after losing wide receiver Andre Reed and running back Thurman Thomas to hamstring injuries. Last stiff standing wins.

Warming trend: The Bills have won five consecutive games in Miami.

* NOTHING BUT A HOUND . . .

New Orleans (1-6) at San Francisco (5-2), Channel 11, 1 p.m.: The Rams thought they had a chance to win at home against the 49ers with Steve Young standing on the sideline because of a sore shoulder. Wrong. What chance do the Jim Everett-led Saints have against Elvis Grbac & Co. on the road? The Saints couldn’t beat the Rams.

Record performance: Wide receiver Jerry Rice needs 73 yards to become the NFL’s all-time leading receiver, surpassing James Lofton’s 14,004 yards.

* ANOTHER DUD

N.Y. Giants (2-5) at Washington (3-5), TNT, 5 p.m.: TNT does not stand for dynamite TV viewing on Sunday night. Verne Lundquist and Pat Haden have had to work overtime this season waxing poetic because the games they have broadcast have been so bad. The trend continues.

Edge on the road: The Giants have won six of their last seven games in Washington.

TURNING POINT

St. Louis (5-2) at Philadelphia (4-3): The Rams folded in last week’s emotional showdown against the 49ers; does Coach Rich Brooks have the goods to avoid a letdown on the road? The Eagles are coming off a bye with Rodney Peete still standing as the starting quarterback with a 3-0 record. But is he really that good?

Rice, Irvin, Bruce. A year ago Isaac Bruce was on injured reserve; Bruce leads the NFL with 833 yards.

Green Bay (5-2) at Detroit (2-5): The Packers have not started the season 6-2 since 1978. Green Bay Coach Mike Holmgren is 7-2 against the Lions and now can end Detroit’s season at the halfway mark. The makings of a shootout: Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre leads the NFL with 16 touchdown passes; Detroit’s Scott Mitchell is third with 13.

Added bonus: Tight end Keith Jackson, who has 388 catches for 4,636 yards with 38 touchdowns, has signed with Green Bay.

PRETENDERS OR CONTENDERS?

Cleveland (3-4) at Cincinnati (3-4): The Steelers are a mess, the Browns have benched quarterback Vinny Testaverde in favor of rookie Eric Zeier, and the Bengals have the chance to take control of the AFC Central Division. Smelling salts, please.

Help: Cleveland’s defense will have to rule the day. The Browns have intercepted at least one pass in each of the last six games and have 11 this season--second best in the NFL.

Tampa Bay (5-3) at Houston (2-5): The Buccaneers have the chance to continue the magic, but the Oilers, with the ninth-ranked defense, provide a dangerous roadblock. Houston’s last four losses have come by a total of 17 points.

Mr. Clutch: Houston quarterback Chris Chandler leads the AFC with success on third downs. Chandler has converted 30 of 49 opportunities.

New York Jets (2-6) at Indianapolis (4-3): The Colts, who were 3-1 in a torturous run against the Rams, Dolphins, 49ers and Raiders, now the get a walkover. Colt quarterback Jim Harbaugh continues to lead the NFL in passing while running back Marshall Faulk paces himself. Faulk is fourth in the AFC in rushing, but he gets the chance now to go against the No. 24 rushing defense.

Little known fact: The Jets have the No. 1 defense in the league against the pass.

EXPANSION GIANTS

Jacksonville (3-5) at Pittsburgh (3-4): The Steelers went into a tailspin after the Jaguars stunned them with a 20-16 victory. Jacksonville has scored a touchdown on its opening drive in four of the team’s eight games and has scored on 15 of its last 16 trips inside the red zone. The Steelers have never lost two home games in a row under Coach Bill Cowher. That was before Jacksonville entered the league.

Time to make a move: If the Steelers aim to make a run, they get the chance in next six games with five coming against AFC Central teams. Cowher has 15-6 mark against AFC Central opponents.

Carolina (2-5) at New England (2-5): The Panthers have seven interceptions in the last two games and get the chance to pad their stats against a shaky Drew Bledsoe. New England running back Curtis Martin took the heat off Bledsoe with 127 yards in 36 carries in the victory over Buffalo, but the Panthers rank fifth in league in stopping the run.

Crowd pleaser: New England linebacker Chris Slade has 20 1/2 sacks in his career; 17 1/2 have come in Foxboro Stadium.

WHY BOTHER?

Seattle (2-5) at Arizona (2-5): The Cardinals rank No. 29 in points allowed, the Seahawks No. 27 and both teams are struggling on offense. John Friesz starts for Rick Mirer in Seattle, while Dave Krieg, who has 11 interceptions and only seven touchdown passes, guides Arizona.

Who would miss him? Arizona defensive end Clyde Simmons has 131 consecutive starts and has not missed a game in his 147-game career.

BYE WEEK

Denver (4-4), Kansas City (7-1), Oakland (6-2) and San Diego (4-4).