Saturday, February 20, 1999Coslet: No grudge with Pickens
BY GEOFF HOBSON
The Cincinnati EnquirerINDIANAPOLIS — Bengals coach Bruce Coslet isn't happy with Carl Pickens' farewell act in Cincinnati on the final day of last season. But he's not going to hold it against his disgruntled wide receiver if Pickens chooses to return to Cincinnati.
Press box observers of the Bengals' 35-0 loss to Tampa Bay openly questioned Pickens' effort and then reported after the game he sang, “This is it,” as he entered the locker room. A month later, his agent said Pickens will sit out the year rather than play for the Bengals again.
“All I know is Carl practices hard and he plays hard,” Coslet said on Friday during a break at the NFL scouting combine. “He fouled up the last game because of the things he did on the field and then right after the game. I think he made a mistake. He won't admit that. Other than that, I've never had a problem with Carl.”
But Coslet doesn't know if he'll have a problem with Pickens in 1999 if Pickens can't reach a deal with another team because the Bengals have restricted his movement by placing the franchise tag on him. He can see the good, bad or ugly, depending how it turns out.
“He could never show (this season) at 29 years old and we put the franchise tag on him again next year,” Coslet said. “We're going to protect our investment. We have to get something for him if we let him go because he's our best player.
“If he can't get a deal, he might re-evaluate what he's worth. We can trade him, or he could come back ready to go at the start of training camp or the Wednesday before the season starts. Or he could come back and be a disruption. I'm not a mind reader.”
Coslet doesn't know Pickens' state of mind, but he does now he won't hold the Tampa Bay game over his head.
“Who knows what was going through his mind?” Coslet asked. “Everybody by that time was frustrated. The season was over. We did not play well. ... I'm not going to hold that against him. Not after working with him for four years and having to make 100 catches a year for me. You build up a relationship over a period of time. One day's not going to destroy that relationship.”
While Bengals' management continues to insist Pickens is in their plans, agent Steve Zucker reiterated Friday his client is adamant and won't play this season if the alternative is to play with the Bengals.
Zucker continues to work on a possible trade, hoping to get something done at next month's league meetings in Phoenix.
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