8-30-01, 7:50 p.m.
BY GEOFF HOBSON
Pro Bowl running back Corey Dillon looked in October form.
As in Oct. 22, 2000, when he broke Walter Payton's single-game rushing record.
Dillon took the second snap of Thursday night's pre-season game, bolted between center Rich Braham and right guard Mike Goff, and went 87 yards for a touchdown that gave the Bengals a 7-0 lead over the Colts.
Dillon broke linebacker Marcus Washington's tackle, cut back against rookie free safety Idrees Bashir, and outran free safety Cory Bird
for about the last 60 yards.
Dillon, who also had a five-yard carry, was done for the night and left the rest of the first quarter for Brandon Bennett.
Indianapolis made the short trip to Paul Brown Stadium and they might as well have not bussed in the Colts' Big Three.
Quarterback Peyton Manning, running back Edgerrin James and wide receiver Marvin Harrison were expected not to take a snap against the Bengals. Not only that, the Colts decided not to start Chad Bratzke at defensive end, Jeff Burris at left cornerback, and Chad Cota at free safety.
The Bengals sent out
the bulk of their starters for the first half with quarterback Jon Kitna getting his first snaps with Dillon in his first appearance as the No. 1 quarterback.
The rest of the starters figure to play for the first half before Kitna turns it over to No. 2 quarterback Scott Mitchell.
Replacement officials worked the game, headed by a crew that had Jim Daopoulos as the umpire. Daopoulos, now a supervisor, worked the Super Bowl as an umpire in Atlanta in January of 1999.
