Wednesday, September 08, 1999
Coslet: 'We're too young'
Bengals coach disagrees with some cuts
BY TOM GROESCHEN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Coach Bruce Coslet said Tuesday that his Bengals are too young entering the 1999 season, indicating that he and team President Mike Brown were at odds over some final roster selections.
The Bengals have 33 players with fewer than three years of NFL experience, and Coslet had trouble masking his displeasure during a press conference Tuesday at Spinney Field.
“I think there should be a balance,” Coslet said, measur ing his words carefully. “It's never good to be too this or too that, and we're too young right now.”
Monday's release of Corey Sawyer, a six-year veteran who was starting at left cornerback, apparently bothered Coslet. He now has a rookie (No.2 draft pick Charles Fisher) and a second-year man (Artrell Hawkins) as his starting corners, believed to be the youngest such tandem in the NFL.
The weekend cuts also in cluded 31-year-old linebacker James Francis, who went from nine-year starter to waivers. One of Francis' parting shots was that the Bengals annually hurt themselves by waiving too many veterans.
Brown said that, in matters where there is no consensus, he makes the final call.
“Sometimes in these deals, not everyone is on the same page,” Brown said. “Some body has to say what to do. On occasions, that is my responsibility.”
Asked if that happened with Sawyer, Brown replied:
“I just said what I said.” Questions about the Bengals' youth dominated Coslet's press conference Tuesday, and at one point he said:
“I understand your questions, but that's the path we decided to take.”
Was it a consensus? Coslet hesitated, then replied:
“It was a decision we made.”
At another juncture Tuesday, Coslet conceded that he could see Brown's point.
“With our record of the past,” Coslet said, “how can you stand pat?”
With the Bengals coming off a 3-13 season and an 0-4 preseason, Brown said he felt compelled to make changes.
“The guys who were going to start for us are the same people,” Brown said. “They weren't Sawyer, they weren't Francis, they were other people. Yes, younger people. How will that play out? We'll see.”
Some wonder, given the youth question, if Brown might give Coslet a break regarding job performance. Brown said no.
“To me the issue isn't whether we're too young or too old. The issue is whether we're good enough,” he said.
Brown said he understands Coslet's frustration.
“Coaches have a tendency to want to have veteran players, older players,” he said. “It's very hard to get them to change at times. They get to know and like the players they've been working with. Our problem is we're not doing that well, so maybe it's time to think about switching.”
Coslet compared the Bengals' roster to Sunday's opening opponent, Tennessee. He calculated that the Bengals' 22 starters have a combined 99 years of NFL experience, while Tennessee's have 139 years.
“Any time you go on the far left or the far right, it's not good,” Coslet said. “We need to be balanced in everything we do.”
The players have noticed the youth movement. “Shock” was the word many used in describing the release of Sawyer, who despite a poor preseason, was expected to stick around.
“It was a shocker to me,” said Fisher, Sawyer's replacement. “I know they'll be throwing at me a lot, but I'm not intimidated.”
Wide receiver Darnay Scott, sitting next to tight end Tony McGee in the locker room Tuesday, was reminded that he (age 27) and McGee (28) are relatively grizzled veterans.
“We were just talking about that,” Scott said, smiling. “I'm 27 and I'm considered an old man around this place.”
Asked if he was surprised about Sawyer, Scott said: “Big-time. But that's the way it goes. It's a business.”
Coslet was asked what he would have done with the roster.
“There is no ideal,” he said.“The salary cap has impacted it. Paying these rookies too much money early has impacted it. The talent is diluted with 31 teams now. That has impacted it.”
Brown said the NFL has had both good “young” teams and good “old” teams, so it's hard to say what's right.
“The question is,” he said, “are we a good team? We may be a young team that's not a good team. In that case, we're too young. But I believe we have made the right decisions.”
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