Tuesday, September 07, 1999
Bengals give up on Sawyer at corner
Brown cuts vet, picks up pair from waivers
BY GEOFF HOBSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The Bengals' youth movement rolled into the secondary Monday, wiping out Corey Sawyer and leaving the team without a cornerback who has played more than two seasons in the NFL.
Sawyer, the starting left corner, was stunned to hear the news late Monday afternoon after the Bengals plucked cornerbacks Ty Howard and Rico Clark off waivers.
Cincinnati did make an offer to the agent for veteran cornerback Darryll Lewis but was told he was headed to San Diego.
Wide receiver Stepfret Williams, a fourth-year player, also was cut in the name of youth when the Bengals claimed rookie free-agent Damon Griffin, who was Akili Smith's go-to-guy at Oregon. Griffin was cut by the 49ers.
Bengals President Mike Brown indicated he is restless after the team's 0-4 exhibition season. He is not fazed that his roster heading into Sunday's opener in Tennessee now has 33 players with three years or less of NFL experience.
“We've brought in five new players the last few days. That's a lot. With the way things have been going, why shouldn't we be looking for the best combinations?” Brown asked. “Whatever we've doing didn't seem to be working. Maybe it's time we try something else.”
The release of Williams wasn't a surprise because James Hundon and rookie Craig Yeast had moved ahead of him into the Nos. 3 and 4 slots respectively.
But Sawyer's dismissal was stunning. Although he had struggled through preseason, his release means two rookies are in the breech. Secondary coach Ray Horton said second-round pick Charles Fisher will be the starter when practice resumes today and first-year player Rodney Heath is the third cornerback with a shot at beating out Fisher.
Ohio State's Howard, heading into his third season, and Louisville's Clark, a second-year player, arrive with four NFL starts between them.
But Brown noted their experience (Howard was the third corner for Arizona's playoff team last season and Clark played 20 games for the Colts) and refuted the notion this season is being chalked up to rebuilding.
“If you have experience or not is not the issue. The facts were pretty clear. We were having trouble,” Brown said. “If age meant so much to winning, then we'd be trying to sign Methuselah. I agree that this might not be the best move for this game. But it's a long season and I think it's the right move over the long haul.”
The 5-foot-11, 177-pound Sawyer, who signed a three-
year deal in May, struggled coming off knee surgery that took him out of 1998's final 13 games. During the exhibition season, the Lions threw on him four straight times for 79 yards and a touchdown in their opening drive. On the Falcons' opening drive Friday night, they nicked Sawyer for 42 yards and a touchdown.
“Corey was a great effort guy for us who made big plays, but he didn't make any big plays (this year),” Brown said.
Horton likes the looks of his new players, “but it's going to be tough if people go down and we have to use them right away without knowing the system.”
Horton said Howard was the odd man out in a high-powered Arizona secondary of Pro Bowler Aeneas Williams, first-rounder Tom Knight and second-rounder Corey Chavous, and “one man's trash can be another man's treasure.”
The 49ers were livid they lost Griffin after he scored preseason touchdowns on a 96-yard kickoff return and a 55- yard catch. Because they failed to complete their trade of quarterback Jim Druckenmiller to Miami Sunday, the Niners cut Griffin to reach the 53-player limit.
But they planned to re-sign him Monday after making the trade, thinking no one would pick up the undrafted free agent. But the Bengals and two other teams claimed him.
The Bengals also cut sixth-round pick Kelly Gregg, but they apparently hope he clears waivers so they can sign him to the practice squad. They have a spot left after putting tight end Damian Vaughn, nose tackle Chad Pegues, linebacker Ben Peterson and running back Michael Basnight on the squad.
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