Friday, August 20, 1999First-string 'O' debuts tonight
BY GEOFF HOBSON
The Cincinnati EnquirerPONTIAC, Mich. — The Detroit Lions have rolled out the red carpet on top of the Pontiac Silverdome's green one for Bengals left tackle Rod Jones as they welcome him home for tonight's exhibition game at 7p.m.
First, they have moved estimable defensive end Robert Porcher from right end to left end this week. That would have put Jones on end Tracy Scroggins, a solid eight-year veteran who averages a little more than six sacks a year.
BENGALS AT LIONS • When: 7 p.m. today
• Where: Pontiac Silverdome
• TV: Ch. 12
• Radio: WBOB-AM (1160)But Scroggins is sitting this one out, so Jones gets Travis Kirschke, a third-year player with two career tackles.
Maybe it's just as well. Porcher, who has 24 sacks the past two seasons, has been known to wreak havoc on the Bengals in the exhibition season, and now he has to take on the Bengals' best lineman, right tackle Willie Anderson. It was four years ago this week that Porcher blew up the interior line and forced rookie running back Ki-Jana Carter to cut violently before he could reach the hole on the third carry of his career.
Carter tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and missed the entire season. But the way Jones has been playing in an effort to win the starting job, the Bengals expect no such disasters.
Kevin Sargent, the incumbent left tackle, freely admits Jones has beaten him out. And Jones drew high praise for his work against Colts linebacker Chad Bratzke in last Saturday's exhibition opener.
“I've been watching Porcher a long time,” Jones said. “He's quick, fast, has good hands. But I'm not changing anything I've been doing. Just trying to stay in front of the guy.”
Jones has followed Porcher because he has followed the Lions ever since he grew up on Detroit's west side, about 15 miles from the Silverdome. He had a special interest in Porcher because Jones grew up wanting to be a defensive lineman. When his father, William Jones, took him to a couple of Lions games a year, Rod's favorite player was Detroit defensive end William Gay. He still can remember Gay getting 5.5 sacks in a game.
Jones himself rang up 17 sacks his senior year at Henry Ford High School, but he has become a better offensive tackle this season because he no longer thinks like a defensive end. Instead of bolting off the ball, he is relying on patience and technique.
Earlier this week, Jones watched Porcher work at right end in the Lions' 35-31 loss to the Falcons. Suddenly Jones, playing on a $429,000 one-year contract, is going to find himself blocking millions of dollars.
“I can't think about who I'm playing, Bratzke or Porcher,” Jones said. “I have to keep my concentration. I'm trying not to get ahead of myself. Day by day. Play by play. Worry about what I can control.”
It's the Bengals' second exhibition game, but the opener for the offensive line. Right guard Brian DeMarco makes his Cincinnati debut after recovering from a shoulder sprain suffered in an offseason accident in an all-terrain vehicle. So tonight marks the first time the first unit has played together in a scrimmage or game.
“We need to get timing down, and that just comes from playing together,” DeMarco said. “Win everything, never mind if it's an exhibition game. It starts now. (The shoulder) feels pretty good. I'm not sure how much I'll play, but you can always use (the reps).”
Coach Bruce Coslet said he might pull out DeMarco before the rest of the first line. Look for them to play at least the first half. Quarterback Jeff Blake played all but the last series of the half against the Colts and won't work behind the backup linemen.
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