Saturday, September 11, 1999
BENGALS NOTEBOOK
Scott glad 'mentor' is back
BY TOM GROESCHEN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Wide receiver Darnay Scott stood to be the No.1 Bengals wideout in Carl Pickens' absence. He'll be No.2 once Pickens regains form but for now is the main target for quarterback Jeff Blake.
Scott said he looked forward to being the top receiver, but he happily welcomed mentor Pickens back to town.
“He's like my big brother,” said Scott, who at 27 is two years younger than Pickens.
Scott shone in a memorable stint as No.1 receiver in 1997, when Pickens was injured for the last four games. Scott averaged 106 yards a game and had three TDs in that span, prompting then-quarterback Boomer Esiason to nickname him “No.1.”
In the first Jeff Blake era (1994-97), Scott caught several long TD passes and became the first Bengal to top the 800-yard reception mark in each of his first three seasons. But his 18.8-yard reception average of his rookie year (1994) remains his best. Last year's 16.0 average was his best since.
“That was our early years,” Scott said of his chemistry with Blake. “We're gonna have to find that again.”
A hopeful sign, perhaps, was the 66-yard Blake-to-Scott TD pass in the preseason opener at Indianapolis.
Receivers coach Steve Mooshagian said Scott has the tools to be a No.1 receiver.
“He knows it's his time to step up,” Mooshagian said. “He's handled the role with maturity, and his work ethic has improved greatly from last season. I think you'll be impressed with what he's got.”
CAPTAINS NAMED: The Bengals announced their 1999 captains Friday: Jeff Blake (offense), Takeo Spikes (defense) and Marco Battaglia and Doug Pelfrey (special teams). The players did the voting.
LOCAL LAD: The happiest Bengal come Sunday might be Rodney Heath, the rookie cornerback from Western Hills High School. Heath has become one of the team's best long-shot stories of recent years.
Heath, 24, drew no NFL offers coming out of the University of Minnesota in 1996. He played for the Minnesota Monsters of the Professional Indoor League in 1997-98 but now is a prime candidate to be the Bengals' nickel back.
“Just being anywhere (in the NFL) would be special, but being with my hometown team is really special,” he said.
Heath signed with the Bengals in January after secondary coach Ray Horton viewed one of his highlight tapes.
“You look at those tapes with a grain of salt, but I saw enough impressive plays to know he deserved a chance,” Horton said.
Horton said the reason Heath originally drew no NFL interest was his size (5-foot-10, 170 pounds). But he earned a spot in the preseason by leading the team with five passes defensed, having the team's only preseason interception and making 10 tackles.
Heath is the No.2 left cornerback behind rookie Charles Fisher. He moved up when the club cut veteran starter Corey Sawyer on Monday.
“It's not a shock, as far as me moving up,” Heath said. “I learned the system well enough to play.”
Now, his toughest task might be finding enough tickets for family and friends. Many will be at the home opener Sept.19 vs. San Diego.
“I've had about 10 people each (preseason) game, and I'm sure some other people who don't know me,” Heath said. “I guess more people will be wanting tickets now.”
WATCH OUT: The Titans aren't known as a deep-passing team, but Fisher still expects quarterback Steve McNair to test him frequently. Fisher will be starting in his first NFL game before an anticipated sellout of 67,000 at Adelphia Coliseum in Nashville.
“If I'm their coach, I'd throw it toward me, too,” Fisher said.
Fisher, a calm contrast to Sawyer, his animated predecessor, said he had anticipated making his first NFL start by about the fourth game.
“I'm sure it would have happened eventually,” he said, “so why not now?”
INJURIES: G Matt O'Dwyer (staph infection in his elbow) and WR James Hundon (toe) are probable Sunday.
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