Thursday, August 28, 1997
Blake anxious to begin
QB thinks Bengals ready for next level
BY CHRIS HAFT
There, written in pencil, was a list. Its notations included four touchdown passes, 50 yards rushing, a completion rate of 65-70 percent and zero interceptions. "Those are my goals, right there. Every week," Blake declared.
If the Bengals' quarterback met those standards consistently, he could bypass the Pro Bowl and start writing his Pro Football Hall of Fame acceptance speech.
"You don't reach those goals every time, but if you set them high and get close to them . . . you can succeed," he said.
Indeed, Blake's list represents more than just statistical plateaus. It reflects the confidence he maintains in himself and the team, and the eagerness with which he's approaching Sunday's season opener against the Arizona Cardinals.
Listen to Blake praise Cincinnati's offensive line: "They can be just as good as the '88 line (which helped the team reach Super Bowl XXIII), especially after this year."
He also predicted an improved rushing game: "I know we're going to run the football. That's going to be a plus on our side."
The Bengals realize that winning immediately is the only way to sustain the momentum they established with last year's 7-2 finish under coach Bruce Coslet. Perhaps no Bengal understands this more than Blake, who completed 61 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,376 yards, 13 touchdowns and just three interceptions in the final five games of 1996.
"He's antsy. I think he wants to pick up from where he left off last year," Coslet said. "We wish we could have played one more game last year. We can't wait for it to start again. Well, he's a perfect example of that. He was hotter than a pistol at the end. So I hope he comes out of the box the same."
Blake welcomes the sharp contrast between last Friday's preseason finale, when he played only two series and took all of eight snaps, and the regular season.
"How can you get fired up for a game knowing you're going to be in there for only six or seven plays?" Blake said. "It's like going to work and knowing you'll be there only six or seven minutes. How are you going to get up for that? Now it's for real, and every minute of the day I'm thinking about Arizona. After practice I'm looking at film; before practice I'm looking at film; during the day I'm looking at film."
He dismissed concern over his preseason (14 completions in 32 attempts, 152 yards and no touchdown passes).
"How many touchdowns did Emmitt score this preseason?" Blake asked, citing Dallas Cowboys megastar runner Emmitt Smith. Probably none, a reporter guessed, though the actual total was one.
"That answers my question."
On the brink of his sixth NFL season - but only his third as a full-time starter - Blake sounded downright playful, further demonstrating his self-assured calm.
He referred to the offensive line as his "lock-and-load crew," saying, "That's something I tell them all the time and they understand what I mean . . . It's time to get busy. Lock up what they've got and load them off the field."
But the Bengals know that, most of all, playing football is what Blake's about. Even rookie linebacker Billy Granville sensed this when NFL teams were courting him as an undrafted free agent last spring. Blake, Granville said, was a major reason he snubbed five other teams to sign with the Bengals.
"He's well-respected by everybody and he's a leader," Granville said. "He's going to be the man who can lead this team to the next level."
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Jeff Blake produced an open spiral notebook from his Spinney Field dressing-room stall and pointed to the upper right-hand corner of the exposed sheet of paper.
Jeff Blake's weekly goals: 4 TD passes, 50 yards rushing, a completion rate of 65-70 percent, no interceptions.
(AP photo)
| ZOOM |
Boomer leases luxury box
Myers to start at safety
More stories
Photo page