| |
|
| ||
|
Couch's top target goes to Bengals
Posted: Sunday April 18, 1999 03:12 PM
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Tim Couch's top target is heading to the Cleveland Browns' biggest rival. The Cincinnati Bengals chose Kentucky receiver Craig Yeast in the fourth round of the NFL draft Sunday, splitting up the Wildcats' record-setting duo. Couch will be the cornerstone of the Browns' revival on the shore of Lake Erie. Yeast will be a kick returner and third-down receiver for a downtrodden team on the Ohio River. They'll see each other twice a year when the AFC Central rivals play. "Just because he's playing for Cleveland, he'll never be the enemy," Yeast said. "He'll always be a great friend. On the field, it'll be all business and I'll be trying to beat him and he'll be trying to beat me." Yeast nurtured Couch's passing numbers at Kentucky by turning short passes into long gains. He set school records last season with 1,311 yards receiving -- a 15.4-yard average per catch -- and 14 touchdowns. He also had 14 kickoff and 11 punt returns. Teams liked his speed and his ability to run crossing routes. His main drawback is his size. At 5-foot-7 and 161 pounds, he'll be one of the smallest players in Bengals history. They also had a 5-foot-7 flanker -- Monk Williams -- in their inaugural season. "With everybody in the world size is an issue, but for Craig Yeast size is not an issue," he said. "I've always been the smallest on the field since Little League. I've overcome the odds. I'm sure the National Football League is still going to talk about how small I am." There's a precedent in his favor -- Cleveland's Gerald "Ice Cube" McNeil, a 5-foot-7, 143-pound receiver and kick returner who became a sensation while playing for the Browns from 1986-89. The Bengals aren't sure how much of a role Yeast might play initially. "He missed one game in four years, so his durability is pretty good," wide receivers coach Steve Mooshagian said. "Now, can he return kickoffs for 16 games? [Special teams coach] Al Roberts will have to answer that. I know he can return punts and be a situational guy." The Bengals will give Yeast a chance to fill the role of Damon Gibson, a backup receiver taken by the Browns in the expansion draft. "He can do a lot of the same things Damon did last year with punt returns and also as a third-down receiver," Mooshagian said. "He's going to fit a need that we had in our offense." The Bengals were intrigued by the way he worked with Couch. "After they drafted [Couch], did you guys watch all of the highlights of him? It was a Craig Yeast highlight film, it wasn't a Tim Couch highlight film," coach Bruce Coslet said. "I don't know about that," Yeast said. "The Deuce [Couch] had a favorite receiver and I was fortunate to be that receiver." Yeast will get to play for an NFL team that he rooted for as a youngster. Yeast is from Harrodsburg in central Kentucky, a short drive from the Bengals' training complex in Georgetown. "I always followed the Bengals," Yeast said. "My family is down the road, so I grew up a Bengals fan. I always knew what was going on with the Bengals and the Reds. "It's not every day that you grow up in a small town in Kentucky and play football for Kentucky and go right down the road and get a chance to play pro football for the Bengals. It's a great opportunity for me."
| |||||||||||||||||
Copyright © 1999 CNN/SI. A Time Warner Company. Terms under which this service is provided to you.
| |||||||||||||||||
