Friday, March 19, 1999Bengals drop Ball
Incentives flap causes breakdown with nose tackle
BY GEOFF HOBSON
The Cincinnati EnquirerPHOENIX - You know how Jerry Ball was going to add depth, experience and leadership along the Bengals' beleaguered defensive line?
Never mind.
The Bengals withdrew their two-year offer to Minnesota Vikings nose tackle Jerry Ball on Thursday after his agent thought he had a deal in spirit last week.
The club informed an irate Jeff Durand that it was heading in a different direction, which is the general vicinity of starting Jets guard Matt O'Dwyer and Chiefs nose tackle Tom Barndt. They visit Spinney Field today.
Durand said the Ball deal blew up over $150,000 in incentives after Ball had agreed to a signing bonus and base salaries giving him about $2 million in 1999. Durand said he was under the impression he and Bengals negotiator Jim Lippincott had agreed in principle to six $25,000 incentives tied mainly to the club's statistical improvement on defense.
“They had wanted to tie incentives to the Bengals winning nine games and going to the playoffs, and those things were out of Jerry's control,” Durand said. “But last Friday, we came up with categories for how the Bengals would improve in the defensive rankings, yards per carry against the run and run defense. They were six very obtainable incentives, but before we typed up the contract, we had to get the official league stats Monday morning.
“Then Monday morning, Jim said the incentives were off the table,” Durand said. “He giveth and he taketh away. We're disappointed. We've never heard of a business just taking away something like that that had been on the table.”
Bengals President Mike Brown said Thursday that the sides had never agreed to a set of incentives.
“They always wanted more, and after a month and a half, we finally said to heck with it,” Brown said. “We couldn't wait any longer. They never said, "Yes,' and we're not going to wait any more. We're moving on to other guys.”
If the Bengals give O'Dwyer Ball's $2 million, they could move left guard Rich Braham to center. They see O'Dwyer as a tough, physical Big Ten player (Northwestern) in the mold of their own Ken Blackman (Illinois) and Mike Goff (Iowa).
Barndt, who has turned into a solid starter after going late in the draft, can have a Bengals offer matched by the Chiefs because he's restricted.
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