Sam Adams Presence Has Not Been Felt Yet By Bengals

When the Bengals signed Sam Adams in April, the mammoth defensive tackle was viewed as a crucial piece to the team’s run defense puzzle.

Five games into the season, the run defense ranks 25 th in the NFL and Adams has been credited with only six tackles. Only three were solo tackles, all Sept. 17 against Cleveland.

"Well, I’ve been hurt and I haven’t necessarily made 50 million plays, but I never made 50 million plays," Adams said yesterday.

Adams hurt a knee against Green Bay in his first exhibition game and has been trying to play through it. The 360-pounder doesn’t play on likely passing downs and often labors as he waddles to the sideline. He will have arthroscopic surgery after the season.

"I can walk without extreme pain," he said. "There are probably some games I shouldn’t have played, but that goes back to being a professional and not letting people down. You want to be able to do as much as you can."

Adams is hoping the game Sunday against Carolina will be a breakthrough of sorts. Yesterday was the first time this season he practiced before Friday.

"This is huge for him," defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan said. "Even watching as much tape as he watches doesn’t get him fitting with his teammates. That’s the feel the guys behind him have to get. He fits differently than a smaller guy."

Unlike most of Cincinnati’s previous opponents, Carolina uses a north-south running game that could make Adams a bigger factor.

"A lot of teams have been hitting us outside, off-tackle, cutting back and those types of things," he said. "When they do that kind of thing, then you’re not going to have a big impact at tackle.

"Pittsburgh is traditionally a pounding team. They’re not like that anymore. They’re going to bob and weave and misdirect like New England did. This team we’re playing this week is going downhill."

Bresnahan at first declined to assess Adams’ play, but then said it would be unfair to pin the Bengals’ difficulty stopping the run on him.

"You can look at him and look at the big runs and he may be accountable for one here, but he certainly hasn’t been a problem with the run defense," Bresnahan said.

Adams was not signed to pile up impressive statistics. His career high in solo tackles is 37. His main value is in occupying offensive linemen and disrupting blocking schemes.

Breakdowns in recent games have made the run defense often look like it did in 2005.

"I know a lot of people think I haven’t been doing my job," Adams said. "None of us have."

In the past three games, Cincinnati has given up 532 rushing yards.

"I think we’re all frustrated, not just Sam," defensive end Bryan Robinson said. "It pretty much goes down the whole defensive line. I definitely feel Sam’s pain because I feel the same way. They brought us both here to be integral parts in stopping the run, and it’s not getting done like we want it to right now."

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