Friday, October 18, 2002
Bengals add QB Germaine as reserve
By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The Bengals signed former Ohio State quarterback Joe Germaine to their practice squad Thursday and cut ex-UC cornerback LaVar Glover.
Germaine, who played three seasons for the Buckeyes, was last in the NFL with Kansas City during this year's training camp. He was the Chiefs' emergency third quarterback in 2001.
On the advice of his former college coach, John Cooper, Germaine tried out Thursday with the Bengals, who signed him later that afternoon. Germaine also had tryouts with the New England Patriots and New York Giants.
Cooper is a special assistant in the Bengals' personnel department.
"The story gets old, but this is what I decided to do, so I'm going to try," Germaine said of his goal of staying an NFL quarterback.
He would have to be signed to the 53-man roster before he could play for the Bengals. Bengals third-string quarterback Akili Smith was left wondering what Germaine's signing means to him. Smith asked his agent to call the Bengals today.
"Are they getting him ready for next year? Are they going to shop me around? Are they going to cut (backup) Gus (Frerotte)? I don't know what the heck is going on," Smith said.
Germaine was the St. Louis Rams' fourth-round pick in 1999, and he played in his only three NFL games as a rookie. He was 9-for-16 passing for 136 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, and earned a Super Bowl ring.
At Ohio State, Germaine was the Big Ten Conference's offensive player of the year as a senior, when he threw for 3,330 yards and 25 TDs.
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Bengals add QB Germaine as reserve
