Wednesday, March 01, 2000
Bengals make offer to CB Israel
BY GEOFF HOBSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
In their attempt to find competition for Artrell Hawkins, the Bengals are turning to cornerbacks from the second round of the 1992 NFL draft.
Cincinnati made an offer Tuesday to the Patriots' Steve Israel while also trying to set up a visit with the Giants' Phillipi Sparks later this week.
The Bengals, with the third pick, targeted Israel and another cornerback, Ashley Ambrose, at the top of the second round in '92. But when they went elsewhere, the Bengals took wide receiver Carl Pickens.
They ended up getting Ambrose for three years as a free agent in 1996 and now hope they can get Israel, an eight-year veteran coming off a season with a career-high 13 starts.
Sparks, who turns 31 next month, also went in the second round in '92 and has been a starter at left corner in New York since '94. But the Giants opted to re-sign the younger Conrad Hamilton even though he missed all but three games last season with a bad knee. Sparks has a reputation in the New York media for turning off teammates with his on-field opinions, but he's a solid cover corner known as a physical tackler.
The Bengals also made new offers to a group of veteran quarterbacks headed by Tampa Bay's Eric Zeier.
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 Bengals make offer to CB Israel
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