BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Right tackle Willie Anderson paid Neil O'Donnell the highest compliment a Bengals quarterback can earn.
Neil O'Donnell scrambles in the end zone.
(Saed Hindash photo)
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Recalling a preseason huddle, Anderson said O'Donnell "was telling each receiver, "This will be a really good play if you run the route right.' That was kind of a Boomer-like tactic," Anderson related. Whether O'Donnell can approach the leadership and performance standards Boomer Esiason established as a Bengal remains to be seen. But he was given that chance Sunday, when coach Bruce Coslet named O'Donnell the starting quarterback for the beginning of the 1998 season.
O'Donnell emerged as No. 1 by completing nearly as many passes as Cincinnati's other three quarterbacks combined during the preseason. Since a shaky 6-for-15, 49-yard effort in the preseason opener against the New York Giants, he has completed 20-of-23 attempts for 205 yards and two touchdowns. He has shown what coaches love to see: consistency.
"That's the perfect word to use," Coslet said. "He has done well and he has been consistent doing it."
"His completion percentage (68.4 percent overall, 87.0 in the last two games) has been astounding," said Bengals President Mike Brown.
O'Donnell's ability to absorb enough of Cincinnati's offense since signing his four-year, $17.25 million contract on July 7 has been as impressive as his statistics. Many observers thought Jeff Blake would win the starting job simply because he knew the playbook better.
"The first five days, he didn't know how to send our guys in motion properly," Coslet said of O'Donnell. "That's how rudimentary we had to start. Now he's got it and it's no problem."
"He has worked at it hard," Brown said. "He's very serious-minded about his business and I think he has earned it on the field."
O'Donnell, a nine-year veteran, tried to stay a day ahead on the schedule of plays he had to learn, which was relatively easy during training camp. "As you know, there's not much going on in Georgetown," he joked.
He said that he already appreciates one of the most prominent features of Cincinnati's offense that he heard about from Esiason: Being able to spread the ball to various receivers. In fact, each of O'Donnell's six completions in the preseason opener found a different target. He hit four different receivers with five passes against Indianapolis and again collaborated with four receivers in his 15-for-18, 147-yard effort Saturday night that secured him the job.
Despite that performance, O'Donnell said he wasn't expecting to be named the starter when he reported for film study at the Bengals' Spinney Field training complex Sunday. Coslet informed the quarterbacks en masse of his decision early in the afternoon.
"We're all fine with it," O'Donnell said. "Don't forget, Jeff Blake and I and his wife are very good friends. We spent a lot of time together in the Quarterback Club (an NFL marketing entity) in the offseason. We were both prepared to see what was going to happen. If you think there's any hate or disagreement or anything like that, that's so untrue when it comes to Jeff Blake or myself."
O'Donnell did admit, "I've been starting opening day for a long time. I don't know how I would have reacted if I didn't open the season as a starter."
His teammates were noncommittal about playing with their third starting quarterback in the last seven regular-season games. "We're not caught up in that, especially on the defensive side of the ball," cornerback Ashley Ambrose said. "We just have to give whoever it is in there the opportunity to get some points by causing turnovers and getting great field position."
"You just want who's back there to be productive," Anderson said. "The quarterback is the field general. His job is to put points on the scoreboard. We want to look in his eyes and see confidence." O'Donnell plans on having that look. "There's a part of me that's glad it's all over," he said of the competition to start. "Now I have to focus on helping this team win."
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