Hall upbeat after being placed on IR

As Leon Hall tries to remain upbeat after suffering the first significant injury of his football career, the Bengals are attempting to figure out how to fill the void that Hall's season-ending injury creates. Hall was placed on injured reserve on Monday after tearing his left Achilles in the 24-17 loss to the Steelers. Brandon Ghee was signed from the practice squad to take Hall's roster spot, but he won't be the starter. The likely starter on Sunday at Baltimore will be either Adam Jones or Kelly Jennings. Jones has been in for only one play this year, which was a punt return before straining his hamstring, but displayed flashes of solid play last year with an interception, forced fumble and fumble recovery before a neck injury in the Week 7 loss to Atlanta caused him to miss over a year. Jones has missed two games with the hamstring but could be back for this week's game at Baltimore. Jennings, who was acquired in a trade from Seattle during the preseason, has starting experience but has been shaky at times this season. He has also missed three games due to hamstring problems. Bengals secondary coach Kevin Coyle didn't think that they had to tear up all that they do, but did acknowledge that there will be a little bit of a learning curve. "I don't think it will change dramatically," Coyle said. "We have to keep coaching them up and put them into situations that we feel comfortable with. We do what we do." Hall will undergo surgery later in the week and was optimistic about his recovery. If everything goes according to plan, he could be back by training camp next July. "Obviously I'm done for this season but I'll do what the doctor says. I'll be back sooner than they expect me to be back," Hall said. "I don't know. In my eyes I want to make it to training camp and be 100 percent. I'm going to do the rehab right and go from there." While he might not be around for a couple weeks, the hope is that Hall will remain around the team to help some of the other players prepare for the rest of the season. Despite being injured and visiting with doctors, Hall was in all of the defensive meetings on Monday as the Bengals reviewed the loss to Pittsburgh. NOTES, QUOTES --So far this season the two players who have held the streak for most consecutive Bengals games played have seen it snapped. Offensive guard Bobbie Williams began the season with 68 straight games played, but he was suspended for the first four games due to a violation of the league's policy on performance enhancing substances. Hall took it over and got to 74 before his injury. Next up? It's linebacker Brandon Johnson at 58. --For the second time in team history, the Bengals won and lost a game by the identical score in back-to-back weeks. The Bengals won at Tennessee 24-17 and then lost to Pittsburgh by the same score. In 1996, the Bengals lost to the Niners 28-21 and then beat the Jaguars 28-21. STRATEGY AND PERSONNELPLAYER NOTES --WR A.J. Green (knee) could be limited for part of the week but is still expected to play on Sunday at Baltimore. --DE Carlos Dunlap (hamstring) was inactive for the Steelers game and is questionable for the Baltimore game. --LB DeQuin Evans (shoulder) was placed on the practice squadinjured list. With Brandon Ghee's promotion, the Bengals now have two spots to fill. --C Kyle Cook (foot) was in a walking boot but is not expected to miss any time. --TE Donald Lee (foot) could return for Sunday's game after being out against the Steelers.