Saturday, August 07, 1999
Bengals scrimmage key for hopefuls
Competition stiff for backup jobs
BY GEOFF HOBSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Rodney Heath is getting noticed at training camp.
(Jeff Swinger photos)
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GEORGETOWN, Ky. — Today's 1 p.m. intrasquad scrimmage at Georgetown College is for the guys you can't tell without a scorecard, the guys locked in the anonymous trenches looking to make a name on the roster.
Here are some of the must-see matchups: Backup wide receivers Stepfret Williams and Tommie Boyd against backup cornerbacks Thomas Randolph, Rodney Heath, Ric Mathias and Roosevelt Blackmon.
The locks at receiver appear to be Darnay Scott, Willie Jackson and fourth-round pick Craig Yeast. That leaves veterans Williams, Boyd and James Hundon vying for what probably will be two spots. Hundon won't play today because of a bruised kidney.
“Tommie's a special teams guy that (special teams coach) Al Roberts brought in (from Detroit); I don't see him going anywhere,” quarterback Jeff Blake said. “I don't think Hundon's going anywhere, because he's stood the test of time. Stepfret isn't going anywhere. Anybody who can come in and play the way he did last year in the amount of time he had to prepare. He ate up Pittsburgh over the middle,” with three catches for 32 yards last season.
WR Tommie Boyd
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All three can return kicks and punts. But Boyd, a Toledo product in his fifth season with an NFL club, is intriguing because he's the only one who plays on all special teams: “I bring more to the table. I like being the underdog against guys who were here last year and know the system,” he said.
At cornerback, the locks are starters Corey Sawyer and Artrell Hawkins and second-round pick Charles Fisher. Randolph, Mathias, Heath and Blackmon are vying for what figures to be three spots.
Randolph struggled last year after coming over from the Giants and is burdened with a big $1 million-plus pricetag on the salary cap. The Bengals wouldn't mind dumping his salary. Mathias and Heath are young and cheap enough.
But the Bengals have tried to rejuvenate Randolph by putting him back at the right corner spot he played in New York. Coslet has been raving this camp about Mathias, who played in three games last year as a rookie. Coaches love the quickness of the 5-foot-10, 170-pound Heath, but they are waiting to see if the Western Hills High grad can play the run. They should find out a lot today.
“(Heath) has shown a lot of good stuff,” Coslet said. “He's fast, quick. He can cover. Let's see if he can come up and tackle Corey Dillon.”
FB Clif Groce
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Another must-see matchup: Right tackles Mike Doughty and Jamain Stephens against backup left end Glen Steele.
“Doughty's come on,” said Coslet of the Notre Dame product who started 28 straight games at South Bend. “He's a tall, angular guy. He's got a chance to really develop and be a player.”
The emergence of the 6-7, 315-pound Doughty has put the injured Kevin Sargent on the bubble. Doughty's backing up Willie Anderson, and Stephens, picked up from the Steelers Tuesday, is running third team.
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SCRIMMAGE FORMAT
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Coslet said the team is going to use a three-period hockey format for the scrimmage because it has three quarterbacks, not four.
There's no hitting the quarterback, no cut blocking, no trick plays and no safety blitzes. The linebackers can rush the quarterback. All kick and punt plays have a live rush but no return.
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ON THE SIDELINES
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Out of today's scrimmage due to injury are:
• G Ken Blackman (knee)
• ILB Tom Tumulty (knee)
• WR Craig Yeast (ankle)
• RB Ki-Jana Carter (knee)
• WR James Hundon (kidney)
• TE Damian Vaughn (hand)
• LT Kevin Sargent (neck)
• RG Brian DeMarco (shoulder)
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Coslet said the scrimmage starts out pitting first team vs. first team, so don't miss the talk of camp, left tackle Rod Jones, playing Copeland.
Backup right defensive end Jevon Langford, separating himself from the reserve pack with his speed and relentless play, also should be fun to watch against Jones. Rookie guard Tony Coats, getting a few snaps at left tackle, may also face him as he tries to get into the roster hunt by playing two spots.
More must-see: The full backs vs. the starting inside linebackers, Spikes and Brian Simmons, in run blocking.
Fullbacks have the best competition in camp. Figure Nick Williams, a fifth-round pick, is a lock. That leaves incumbent Brian Milne and newcomers Clif Groce and Nicky Sualua going for three spots. It's going to be tough to keep three fullbacks because long snapper Greg Truitt doesn't play a position.
Milne has the edge, but Groce is coming fast with a solid camp running and blocking. Plus, Groce can play both running and fullback slots. Coslet kidded the linebackers Friday that they were sore because of the tough play of the fullbacks.
But the 250-pound Simmons, who put on 17 more pounds over the offseason, will show he is still among the fastest Bengals. “He can take on (the fullbacks) now, ” Coslet said. “He hasn't lost a step.”
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