1999 record: 4-12, fifth place in AFC Central.

Last five years: 29-51.

Coach: Bruce Coslet (21-36 in four years with Cincinnati; 47-75 in eight NFL seasons overall as a head coach)

Playoff past: The Bengals are 5-7 in postseason play since the merger and that includes losses in Super Bowl XVI and Super Bowl XXIII, both defeats coming against the San Francisco 49ers. The NFL's losingest team in the '90s, Cincinnati hasn't qualified for postseason play since 1990, when the Bengals captured the AFC Central. Since then, Cincinnati has not had a winning record in a season and finished last in the division four times.

Outlook

Long before they became the losingest NFL franchise of the 1990s, the team was known as the "Bungles," and it was a derisive handle that was well-earned. Cincinnati drafted poorly, played even worse and, because of the penurious approach by ownership was regarded by players all over the league as the Siberia of the NFL, a last-resort outpost for veteran outcasts.

It has been a difficult image to overcome but, this offseason, Bengals ownership at least deserves some credit for finally making an attempt. In a season when the Bengals move into the new Paul Brown Stadium, owner Mike Brown, son of the Hall of Fame coach and founder of the franchise, tried to enact one of those Jenny Jones makeovers.

Corey Dillon's holdout might hurt the Bengals off the field as well.(AP)

Unfortunately, the good vibrations from a stretch in which Cincinnati loosened the purse strings long enough to sign offensive tackle Willie Anderson to a lucrative contract extension, lured three new veteran defensive starters via free agency and cut disruptive wideout Carl Pickens have turned into tremors of imminent doom.

The team's best player, even if management doesn't regard tailback Corey Dillon in that vein, is a holdout and likely will boycott the first three games of the season.

The top contender for his job, Michael Basnight, fractured his wrist last weekend and will be sidelined 6-8 weeks. With Dillon in the lineup last year, gaining over 1,100 yards for a third straight season, the Bengals were able to control tempo and finished as the league's No. 6 rushing team.

The absence of Dillon, though, figures to have ramifications the Bengals haven't even considered yet. Primary among them is the additional pressure that not having Dillon will impose on second-year quarterback Akili Smith. Although he is strong-armed and confident, Smith nonetheless has started only four games. In last week's scrimmage, he was spotty. Even a few assistant coaches acknowledged to SportsLine.com that it would be easier for Smith to break into his new role with a running threat in the backfield.

"Having (Dillon) around would make things a lot easier on Akili," said one coach. "He's not ready yet for everything to be lumped on his shoulders. It's too bad, because the offensive talent here is better than it's been in a while. So is the attitude. But we're missing a significant piece in Dillon, and it's going to have some trickle-down effect."

The biggest effect might be on the already-flimsy job security of coach Bruce Coslet, who could be gone by October if the Bengals get off to their typical slow start. Taking a book from the St. Louis offense, and at the prodding of owner Brown, the coach will use more three-wide receiver sets in 2000. But if the attack becomes one-dimensional, defenses will tee off on Smith.

Another botched negotiation, this one with second-round cornerback Mark Roman, could have a negative effect on coordinator Dick LeBeau's defense. This is the only team that the creator of the zone-blitz package has not been able to improve dramatically, and the main shortcoming has been shoddy cornerback play. Linebacker Takeo Spikes is a future Pro Bowl player and adding defensive linemen Tom Barndt and Vaughn Booker upfront and free safety Darryl Williams in the secondary should augur better things. But if the corners can't cover, as in past recent years, the scheme blitzing scheme won't be enough to camouflage the problems.

Schedule preview: After a "bye" on the opening weekend of the season, Cincinnati gets a rare opportunity to jump into the win column in September, facing the Cleveland Browns in the first regular season game at the new Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals face three division foes right out of the box, including consecutive road games at Jacksonville and Baltimore. They finish with two of their last three games on the road.

1999 offensive ranking: No. 15 overall, No. 6 rushing, No. 23 passing.

1999 defensive ranking: No. 25 overall, No. 16 versus the rush, No. 28 against the pass.

Key players lost from 1999: QB Jeff Blake (to New Orleans), WR Carl Pickens (released), RB Ki-Jana Carter (released), DT Kimo von Oelhofen (to Pittsburgh), C/OG Jay Leeuwenburg (to Washington), LB Tom Tumulty (retired).

Key additions for 2000: FS Darryl Williams (from Seahawks), DT Tom Barndt (from Chiefs), DE Vaughn Booker (from Packers), QB Scott Mitchell (from Ravens), OG Scott Rehberg (from Browns).

Rookies to watch: The Bengals selected former Florida State wide receivers Peter Warrick and Ron Dugans in the first and third rounds, respectively, and expect both players to make impacts on their revamped passing game as rookies. Warrick already is penciled in as the starter and must perform well immediately because speedy veteran Darnay Scott is likely out for the season with a broken leg.

If he can make up for time missed in his training camp holdout, Dugans might earn a starting spot in an offense that will feature plenty of three-wideout sets this year. He is a possession receiver reminiscent of a young Carl Pickens. Second-round cornerback Mark Roman might have challenged for a starting job, but remained locked in a contract dispute at press time.

Offensive line: There are some league scouts who felt Willie Anderson ranked among the top three right tackles in the NFL last season. There are others who look at a resume that includes two creaky ankles and a penchant for underachieving, and wonder how Cincinnati could justify a big contract extension with a $7.5 million signing bonus. Especially when the same team refuses to pay its best player, tailback Corey Dillon.

The big money means Anderson will have to play big, too, and overcome the inconsistency and laziness of past seasons. Left tackle Rod Jones plays out of position, is better suited for guard, and has bad knees. The guards, Brian DeMarco and Matt O'Dwyer, are solid, but nothing more than that.

Wide receivers/tight ends: So maybe the Bengals won't be able to immediately replace the statistics posted by departed wide receiver and franchise career leader Carl Pickens in most seasons. The team could bring in The Grinch to play wide receiver, though, and would get an upgrade in attitude at least. Pickens was a locker room cancer, a player who rarely put forth great effort in recent seasons, and who finally gained the thing he most wanted, his freedom. Darnay Scott is a deep-threat burner who the Bengals will greatly miss because he broke the fibula and tibia in his left leg during practice. Rookies Peter Warrick and Ron Dugans will have to pick up the slack.

It appears Warrick will operate much of the time from the slot, where he will face single-coverage. More quick than fast, he will need to prove his durability when running underneath through safeties and linebackers. Tight end Tony McGee is solid but the Coslet offense doesn't get the ball to him nearly enough.

Running backs: If you can name even one of the four pretenders to Dillon's throne, you either work in the Bengals organization or need to get a life. Two of the four players have been cut by other teams at least once in their careers, two have undergone knee surgery, one is a rookie who gained plenty of yards the last two seasons, but at James Madison.

Unless Dillon comes back, there isn't much here. With a wrist injury to Michael Basnight, the field is wide open and one of these guys will have to step up. The coaching staff likes the speed of fourth-round pick Curtis Keaton but frets about a perceived lack of inside toughness.

Quarterbacks: Few players in the league, even longtime veterans, possess the kind of confidence that makes Akili Smith tick. Outspoken on and off the field, he will tell anyone who will listen that, with the departure of veteran Jeff Blake in free agency, this is his team now. The Bengals are banking on him backing up those words. There is no denying Smith's athleticism and laser arm, but he started just four games in 1999, and the team's desire to have him gain needed experience under fire evaporated when he sustained a foot injury.

For all the optimism surrounding Smith, he has been inconsistent in camp, even ragged at times. That said, the job is solidly his, and he will get the chance to start all 16 games. The pudgy veteran Scott Mitchell, whose waist size at times has outdistanced his passer rating, is the new backup.

Defensive line: Over the past two offseasons, the Bengals have added front four starters in Oliver Gibson, Tom Barndt and Vaughn Booker. But perhaps the best move the team made in this offseason was moving former first-round draft choice Reinard Wilson to defensive end. A natural pass rusher, Wilson was miscast the first three seasons of his career as a linebacker. Even in the 3-4 zone-blitz scheme of coordinator Dick LeBeau, he simply didn't fit in well. The switch will provide Wilson the chance to do what he does best, get after the quarterback, and should help the other members of what should be an improved unit. If he is healthy, veteran end John Copeland is one of the NFL's best, if underappreciated, outside run-stuffers.

Linebackers: Cincinnati used twin first-round draft choices in 1998 on Takeo Spikes and Brian Simmons, and this should be the year the team collects handsomely on that investment. Spikes, who is moving to the weakside, is a natural playmaker who is always around the ball. He plays with great awareness and loves to hit.

Simmons, who led the team in tackles last season after Spikes had done so in '98, isn't as instinctive or powerful as his teammate, but runs well enough and doesn't miss many tackles. If another third-year player, Steve Foley, comes through at the strongside position, this young and talented trio could be a terrific unit.

Secondary: For LeBeau's zone blitzes to be optimally effective, it takes strong cornerbacks and, simply put, the Bengals don't have them. The best outside defender probably is Tom Carter, and the former No. 1 pick was plucked from the waiver wire after he was cut by Chicago. Third-year pro Artrell Hawkins doesn't have the selective amnesia the position demands and he allows too many poor plays to linger with him. Charles Fisher is making strides from what doctors feared was a career-ending knee injury in '99, but can't be counted on yet to step in as a starter. Darryl Williams, beginning his second stint as the Bengals' starting free safety, will bring leadership to the young secondary. But he misses a ton of tackles and, at age 30, has lost some range.

Special teams: Signifying the team's diminished confidence in kicker Doug Pelfrey, who has been nothing shy of miserable the past two seasons, Cincinnati used a sixth-round draft pick on Neil Rackers of Illinois, and he's going to get a legitimate shot at unseating the veteran. Pelfrey has lost confidence and distance and is miffed over what he perceives as a lack of support from management.

For two years now, the Bengals have been auditioning punters. This year, they claimed three different punters on waivers, so the job is wide open. Tremain Mack is a solid kickoff returner and Craig Yeast might be just as good on punts if the skinny wide receiver could stay healthy long enough.