This Shula Starts Out With a Win : AFC: Bengals present new coach with a 21-3 victory over Seahawks.

SEATTLE —  When it was over, Cincinnati Bengal Coach David Shula didn’t mention his famous father. Instead, he talked about his late mother, Dorothy, who died last year of cancer.

“I want to dedicate this one to my mother,” the 33-year-old Shula said after his NFL head coaching debut was a successful one, a 21-3 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. “I’m sure she would have enjoyed this one if she would have been here.”

Shula, the NFL’s youngest head coach and son of Miami Coach Don Shula, watched the Bengals take a 7-3 lead on Ray Bentley’s 75-yard fumble return in the second quarter. They sewed up the game in the fourth quarter on Eric Ball’s one-yard run and Fernandus Vinson’s 22-yard fumble return within a 3:15 span.

“I can’t overemphasize the performance of the defense,” Shula said. “They really took the Seahawks out of their offense. After the game, I congratulated the defense several times. Then I challenged our offense to score more than the defense in our next game.”

In the debut of Seahawk head Coach Tom Flores, Seattle could produce only John Kasay’s 40-yard field goal in the first quarter.

“It’s a major disappointment,” Flores said. “We missed several opportunities and then gave them two touchdowns.”

Harold Green of the Bengals had the fourth 100-yard rushing game of his three-year career, carrying 21 times for 123 yards, including a 52-yard run in the second quarter.

With the Seahawks leading 3-0, the Bengals went ahead when Bentley, a linebacker signed as a Plan B free agent after playing six seasons in Buffalo, picked up a fumble by Doug Thomas and ran 75 yards for a touchdown. Thomas fumbled when he was hit by James Francis after catching a four-yard pass from Kelly Stouffer.

“That’s about the farthest I can run,” Bentley said. “I wanted to spike the ball when I got to the end zone but I couldn’t raise my arms when I got there because I was too tired.”