BY PAUL DAUGHERTY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
He assumes nothing and never completely unpacks. If his phone rings Tuesday, it won't be good news, so he may let it go. Not that it would change anything.
Brandon Bennett has answered that call. He has heard the knock on his door and, yes, the one-way conversation really does go the way you've heard:
"Coach wants to see you. Bring your playbook."
Lots of tight stomachs in the NFL now. Teams must cut to 60 players Tuesday, 53 by Sunday. Lots of futures changed, goals adjusted and heads spun. Players who have never been told anything but yes will hear no for the first time.
"Basically, you're firing somebody," Bengals coach Bruce Coslet said.
Right now, Brandon Bennett is the fifth running back on a team that likely will carry four. He gained 54 yards against Detroit Saturday night, 38 on one run. In August, you can always tell the players who are fighting for work. They're the ones playing like it's the Super Bowl.
Tough chances
In 1995, Bennett finished as the second all-time rusher at the University of South Carolina. Only George Rogers had more yards, and Rogers won the Heisman Trophy. Bennett would walk through the NFL door as soon as it opened. Four summers and four teams later, he knows differently. He's hoping nobody calls Tuesday.
"Had a good chance in Chicago," Bennett says.
The Bears signed him in 1996, after Cleveland waived him in the '95 preseason. "I was doing real good," Bennett says. "I was working with the first and second team. I felt I'd found a place." Then the Bears worked in rookie Rashaan Salaam, to go with Robert Green and Raymont Harris. Bennett played in three preseason games. Chicago cut him Aug. 21. "You feel down for a long time after that," Bennett says. "It's like starting all over."
He went to work. Real work. Bennett was a substitute 2nd grade teacher. He worked for a finance company. He stayed in shape. "I love football," he says.
Miami signed him late in '96, then brought him to training camp. "I thought I had a good shot in Miami," he says.
The Dolphins had Bernie Parmalee and Irving Spikes, Jeris McPhail and Stanley Pritchett. They'd drafted Karim Abdul-Jabbar. "Timing is important," Bennett says. The Dolphins cut him last Aug. 12.
Giving his all
Now he is here, on the ledge again, wondering at age 25 if the road goes on forever. Knowing deep down it does not.
"All the teams I've been with, I've done good. I've worked hard. You keep on working, because if one thing doesn't work out, an opportunity will open up somewhere else. At least you can say I gave it my all," Bennett says.
"All through high school and college, I was a good athlete and that was it. I never really worked. I took it for granted. The last few years showed me how much I really wanted to play. As long as I love football, I'm going to keep on trying."
He'll sweat Tuesday. If the phone doesn't ring, he'll sweat some more on Sunday. It's a gilded life for some. For the rest, it's a job.
"You like your chances of making this team?" I ask.
Bennett chuckles. He knows better than that. "I really don't know," he says.
The odds are against him. But he made a memory Saturday, curling around the right corner in the fourth quarter and rolling for 38 yards. Running for his professional life. Again.
"To say I'm finally a part of a team, that would make me real happy," Bennett says. "To know what I got, instead of always hoping and guessing."
Tuesday will come soon enough. Don't call Bennett if you don't have to.
Enquirer columnist Paul Daugherty welcomes your comments at 768-8454.
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