Thursday, September 16, 1999Pickens set to start Sunday
But Coslet still supports Jackson at WR
BY GEOFF HOBSON
The Cincinnati EnquirerA week ago, wide receiver Carl Pickens arrived in Cincinnati believing he would never play for the Bengals again. On Wednesday he was back in the starting lineup as the Bengals prepared for Sunday's home opener against the Chargers.
But coach Bruce Coslet also found it hard to sit Willie Jack son after he caught five balls for 60 yards that included a 17-yard touchdown against Tennessee last Sunday.
“He deserves to play, don't you think?” Coslet asked. “Now we have a little depth there.”
Pickens played 18 snaps last Sunday, just 48 hours after the first practice that ended his summer-long holdout. He's not sure if he's ready to go 50 plays just yet.
“I don't know. The speed of the game is so fast, it's up-tempo,” Pickens said after Wednesday's practice. “If Willie and I can work together, we'll be able to work something out. I was the only one not cramping up and dehydrated (in Tennessee). I'm not saying I'm in game shape, but I felt OK.”
Pickens, who said he didn't catch a ball “all offseason,” extended his club record to 78 straight games with a catch when he caught three balls for 21 yards Sunday.
He made a midseason adjustment late in the first half when he reached behind to grab an 8-yard curl that put the ball on the Titans 3 with 12 seconds left in the half and led to a touchdown.
“I surprised myself with that (catch),” Pickens said. “ To come in and catch two really tough balls ... I surprised myself.”
Pickens couldn't have been too surprised when the Titans had him surrounded in the end zone on the game's last play, a Hail Mary from rookie quarterback Akili Smith that fell to the turf.
“They held me down. I wasn't able to jump,” Pickens said. “They hardly ever call that pass interference. Next time we'll plan it a little bit more and get all the guys around the ball in case I can jump up and tip it. Not to catch it, just to tip it to Willie, Tony (McGee) or Darnay (Scott).”
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