Tuesday, September 07, 1999
BENGALS NOTEBOOK
New snapper, new holder; no problem
BY GEOFF HOBSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Call it the curse of Lee Johnson, but the Bengals' special teams are struggling. Punter/holder Brad Costello is out for at least 10 weeks with a thigh injury.
Still, kicker Doug Pelfrey is smiling. It's five days before the opener, and he has a new holder and a new snapper. This on the heels of just three field-goal attempts during the exhibition season.
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BENGALS NO. 12
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The Bengals are the 12th most valuable team in the NFL, according to Forbes magazine's annual ranking of the clubs in the league.
The Bengals are worth $394 million and had an operating profit last year of $3.4 million, according to the magazine.
The Dallas Cowboys topped the list with a value of $663 million and an operating profit last season of $57 million.
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Last season, the Bengals opened with a field goal combination of Pelfrey kicking, Johnson holding and Greg Truitt snapping, a unit that had been intact for five seasons.
Now Truitt is out for the year, and Johnson, the Bengals' 11-year punter, plays for New England. He was let go after he ripped management following last year's loss to Buffalo.
“I'm not worried. We're going to be fine,” Pelfrey said. “Because of the offseason workouts, I'm way ahead where I was last year. It wouldn't matter if I had 12 attempts. It's the preseason, and it doesn't count. The changes make you more focused.”
But when it counts Sunday in Tennessee, strong safety Greg Myers will be holding for the first time in a regular-season game. Myers was the holder when Pelfrey's extra-point attempt last Friday hit the left upright.
“That was my mistake,” Pelfrey said. “I came through the ball too quickly. Greg is good at it. He's very natural. The only worry is if he hurts his hands.”
The back-up holder could be wide receiver Willie Jackson or punter Will Brice. But because Brice got here Friday, that would probably be an adventure. Pelfrey likes the way tight end Steve Bush is snapping, but there could be a change there, too.
The Bengals wouldn't mind going with a bigger body on the short snaps, so center Jay Leeuwenburg, just picked up from the Colts, is probably going to get a long look.
But Pelfrey is putting it all out of his mind in an effort to shatter what he views as the wrong perception of his past two seasons. He came into 1997 as the NFL's most accurate kicker of all-time. After going 31-for-43 since, he's 10th on the all-time list.
THIS AND THAT: How about James Francis hooking up with coach Bill Parcells and the New York Jets?
Francis, the 10-year linebacker cut by the Bengals, said Monday his agent has talked to the Jets and Seattle. Parcells likes veterans who play hurt and are reliable. Francis might not be the flashy playmaker that was predicted of him, but he does play at a consistent level ... WR James Hundon (toe) and NT Kimo von Oelhoffen (foot) are questionable for Sunday. CB Artrell Hawkins (ankle) is probable.
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