Friday, September 10, 1999SEASON PREVIEW: DEFENSIVE BACKS
Secondary young and restless
BY GEOFF HOBSON
The Cincinnati EnquirerWelcome to kiddy korner, with secondary coach Ray Horton the day-care provider.
Not only did Horton welcome two new cornerbacks four days before the season started in waiver wire pickups Ty Howard and Rico Clark, but they also happen to be two of his most experienced corners with just two years in the league.
The grizzled veteran of the crew has to be Artrell Hawkins, a second-year player who started all 16 games at right corner last season after getting picked in the second round. Like any rookie corner, he had his share of getting beat for touchdowns that turned the tide of games. But he also led the team with 17 passes defensed, tied for the interception title with three and forced the most fumbles with two.
Hope Charles Fisher is taking notes. This year's second-round pick look s like he's going to get pressed into service right away after the stunning Sept. 6 release of starter Corey Sawyer. The nickel corner? Last year Rodney Heath of Western Hills High School was playing for the Minnesota Monsters of the Professional Indoor Football League.
Sawyer, a six-year veteran, had several bad moments during an exhibition season he came off a knee injury that wiped out the last 13 games of last season for him. Detroit quarterback Charlie Batch picked on him four straight times for 79 yards and a touchdown in that game's opening drive, and Atlanta's Chris Chandler did the same thing with two passes for 42 yards on his first drive.
The Bengals figure they'll end up at left corner with Fisher anyway at some point, so why not get rid of the growing pains as soon as possible?
They aren't exactly gray at safety, either. Strong safety Myron Bell, who turns 28 three days after the season opens, is the dean of the secondary, but this is the first season he's started from Opening Day.
Greg Myers, a fourth-year player, returns to free safety, but the word is third-round pick Cory Hall is going to be starting there sooner rather than later. Hall has impressed with his speed, range and ability to adjust to a system he played the last few years at Fresno State.
They won't have backup safety Tremain Mack for the first month because of his four-game suspension for violation of the NFL's alcohol abuse policy. That hurts them more in the kick return department. Safety Lawrence Wright will have to help on special teams and in some specialty packages, but he's played in just four NFL games.
So they head into Tennessee with Fisher and Hawkins at the corners and Bell and Myers at the safeties with Heath and Hall the first guys off the bench. Those six players have 67 NFL starts among them with three having none.
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