Deland McCullough casts a sidelong glance across Spinney Field, like a youngster searching for his sideline soccer parents. McCullough knows the Bengal brass sit behind those office windows, and he wonders if anyone is watching.
Since last August, the 24-year-old running back has toiled five days a week here at Bengal headquarters, running and lifting and straining and sweating. And, praying that someone cares about his comeback from major knee surgery.
McCullough, the former Miami University star, wowed the Bengals as a rookie free-agent during 1996 training camp. He was leading the NFL in preseason rushing (201 yards, on 50 carries) before suffering a season-ending knee injury against Detroit in the final exhibition game Aug. 23.
Jim Lippincott, Bengals pro personnel director, said McCullough had clinched a roster spot - the real team, not just the practice squad - before getting hurt.
McCullough said that means nothing now, as he prepares for mini-camp at Spinney from May 2-5.
''I'm just hoping that they're looking out the windows, Jim Lippincott and everybody, and seeing that I'm doing pretty good,'' McCullough said before a recent workout. Standing on one of the Bengals' two practice fields, he glances again at the office windows about 75 yards away.
''They tell me no news is good news here, but I just hope they can see me.''
Mike Brown, team president and general manager, has seen.
''He has worked hard and his rehab is going extremely well,'' Brown said. ''He is one of the most dedicated and fiercest competitors I've ever seen. He may not be the most talented player, but he may be the hardest-trying player we have had.''
That covers a lot of ground, considering the Bengals are entering their 30th season. But how does it translate to McCullough finding a roster spot?
''He's way ahead of schedule,'' Brown said, ''but we have to see how it develops. If he could be our fourth or fifth running back, that would be a good niche for him.''
McCullough hopes the offseason departure of starting halfback Garrison Hearst (to San Francisco) boosts his case to become the No. 3 halfback behind Ki-Jana Carter and Eric Bieniemy.
Carter had knee surgery himself in 1995, but his injury was less severe than McCullough's, who had the triple whammy: torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), torn medial collateral ligament (MCL) and torn cartilage.
''Unlike Ki-Jana and some other guys, I don't have millions of dollars invested in me,'' McCullough said. ''It's really no big thing for them to throw me out the door.''
At Miami, McCullough set school records with 4,368 rushing yards and 36 rushing touchdowns but went undrafted by the NFL. He was listed at 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds by draft analysts, who deemed him too light and a step slow (4.55 dash time) for the pros.
''It's always something with me. I've had to prove myself over and over again, ever since high school,'' he said.
McCullough did not start for his high school - Campbell Memorial near Youngstown, Ohio - until his senior year. At Miami, they first tried him at wide receiver. In the NFL, he worked out for 10 teams before joining the Bengals.
''Now I'm damaged goods,'' he said. ''I've got to show them I can bounce back.''
What gripes McCullough is that his injury occurred with just three minutes remaining in the game. Three lousy minutes from making the team.
''Right after it happened it hurt physically, but right after that I was more angry than anything,'' McCullough said. ''I was like, shoot, now I gotta bounce back from this.''
McCullough signed a two-year contract upon joining the Bengals and has been paid while on the injured reserve list, but as a free agent his future is not guaranteed.
''That's why I'm putting a lot of pressure on myself to come back,'' he said. ''I've gotta show something quick. This is do or die.''
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