Thursday, September 23, 1999Bengals coy about QBs
Blake may play, but so may Smith
BY GEOFF HOBSON
The Cincinnati EnquirerJeff Blake says he's not playing. Bruce Coslet says he might. Akili Smith would rather not know.
Such is the state of the Bengals quarterbacks, which appears to be up in the air for the benefit of the Carolina Panthers and their inability to prepare for either quarterback.
“I like it this way. I'm still in the blue if I'm starting or not,” Smith said after Wednesday's practice. “Game time. That would be perfect (because of) the pressures dealing with my first NFL start. If Bruce told me today, "All right, rook, you're starting,' that would put some pressure on you.
“We're 0-2 and they're 0-2,” Smith said. “They're starving for a win and we're starving for a win. Put a rookie quarterback in there and it's going to be tough.”
But the feeling around the Bengals is that if Blake can play with the mild sprain of his throwing shoulder, he'll get the call, whether it's today, Friday or Sunday.
Coslet said his staff has crafted a “full-blown,” game plan for Carolina that won't dif fer no matter the starter.
“If he can throw and throw effectively, (Blake) will start,” Coslet said. “It's going to be determined ... later in the week.”
Which could be as late as kickoff because Blake said he could play without a bunch of practice snaps. Yet he may have given away the Bengals' ploy by being too insistent he's not playing.
“I'm not playing, man, Akili's playing,” Blake said. “I can't play without practicing ... Yeah, it feels better, but it's going to feel better every day.”
Later, Blake said he could play without practicing, figuring the Panthers will play a couple base zone coverages because “they're not going to play us bump-and-run, they're not going to play us man-to-man.”
Told he was smiling when he said he wouldn't play, Blake said, “You can't write down my expressions. I'm always smiling anyway.”
Blake wanted to throw Wednesday, but got talked out of it until today.
Trainer Paul Sparling said the team doesn't want to aggravate the shoulder so it becomes a season-long problem. They plan to put additional padding on the shoulder.
“We're preparing for Jeff because he's the veteran,” said Panthers free safety Mike Minter. “If it's Akili, then we'll have to adjust.”
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