BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Bengals receiver Chris Doering, left, is a Cris Collinsworth clone, says Collinsworth, right.
| ZOOM |
|
Last year, the Bengals regained Boomer Esiason. This year, they'll welcome back another star from the 1980s: Cris Collinsworth. Well, kind of.
Among the wide receivers trying to make Cincinnati's roster is Chris Doering, who bears a remarkable resemblance to Collinsworth. They share a slender build (Doering's 6-foot-4 and 193 pounds; Collinsworth played at 6-5, 192), angular features and a quick, easy smile.
"That's why I'm so excited about this," said Doering, who Cincinnati claimed on waivers from the Indianapolis Colts on Feb. 25. "I can live off his fame some more."
"He looks like me, walks like me, talks like me, stands like me. I'm his biggest fan," Collinsworth said. "People come up to me and say, "You just can't believe it. You've been cloned.' It's like I'm a sheep now."
Moreover, Doering grew up in Gainesville, Fla., where the University of Florida is located, and idolized Collinsworth, a star Gators' receiver. They even attended the same church during that time, Trinity United Methodist and met briefly then.
"He wasn't a fair-weather churchgoer," Doering said of his favorite player. "He left the impression that if there was a time to go to church, it was all the time, not just when things were going bad."
Doering followed Collinsworth to the Gators and caught 31 touchdowns passes, a Southeastern Conference career record.
"He made me famous all over again," Collinsworth said. "People around Florida have completely forgotten about me."
Upon breaking the record, Doering received a congratulatory telegram from Collinsworth that was drenched in the latter's wry humor.
"I thought you were trying to be like me," it began. "If you want to be like me, you have to start dropping more passes."
Doering had 149 receptions and 2,107 yards at Florida, outnumbering his hero by 29 catches and 170 yards. But he hasn't duplicated Collinsworth's NFL success. Collinsworth caught a Bengals-record 417 passes from 1981-88; Doering grabbed three passes for 22 yards while playing parts of the 1996 and '97 seasons with Indianapolis.
Perhaps it was an omen that he made his first NFL catch on Dec. 20, 1996, at Cincinnati.
Doering, 25, realizes that he must prove himself as a reliable third-down receiver to have a chance of making the team. He'll battle David Dunn, James Hundon, Mike Jenkins and sixth-round draft choice Jason Tucker when training camp begins next month.
"I know I'm not going to play a bunch of downs, with guys like Carl Pickens and Darnay Scott around, but I feel there's a role for me," Doering said.
Though Doering lacks Collinsworth's speed, his hands impressed the Bengals during mini-camps.
"He kind of plucks the ball out of the air. That's what makes him stand out," Bengals coach Bruce Coslet said.
Isn't his resemblance to Collinsworth noteworthy, too?
"No," Coslet said. "He (Doering) is much better-looking."
EVER EAGER:
Watching his Dallas Cowboys slump to a 6-10 record last year and miss the playoffs for the first time since 1990 didn't crush Jerry Jones' spirit.
The team's owner not only believes the Cowboys will regain contender status but also relishes the anticipated struggle they'll face in trying to right themselves.
"We don't have the expectation that if we don't win the Super Bowl, we've dropped the ball," Jones said. "It's more fun to compete for a championship when everybody doesn't give it to you when you walk out there."
The Cowboys appear poised for a resurgence. Quarterback Troy Aikman loves new coach Chan Gailey, who has said that slightly reducing running back Emmitt Smith's workload will yield a huge increase in his production.
"We aren't daydreaming," Jones said, "and we aren't shooting for something that's not obtainable."
BY THE NUMBERS:
44,000 -- Names on the waiting list for grandstand season tickets to Green Bay Packers games at Lambeau Field.
2,000 -- Names on waiting list for club seats.
313 -- Names on waiting list for 190 private boxes, none of which have changed hands in five years.
PRECIOUS GEMS:
Denver owner Pat Bowlen called the rings that Broncos players, coaches and staffers recently received for the team's Super Bowl XXXII victory "probably the best in any sport ever."
Said Broncos guard David Diaz-Infante: "It's better than my first bike."
No kidding. The ring's crest features the Broncos' horse-head logo shaped in diamonds. One diamond-encrusted side of the ring represents the five Super Bowls the franchise took part in; the other depicts the Vince Lombardi trophy with San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium, where Denver defeated Green Bay 31-24.
Though the NFL's Super Bowl committee allocated just $4,800 per ring, it's believed that each was worth at least $15,000.
RAVING RAVENS:
There must be some rational explanation for owner Art Modell's behavior.
"It's a playoff team. I would be surprised if we weren't," Modell recently said of his Ravens, who finished 6-9-1 last year. "I'm always optimistic, but this year that optimism is built on the fact we had three great drafts and filled in wisely with free agency."
Quarterback Jim Harbaugh, obtained in an offseason trade to replace would-be Bengal Vinny Testaverde, supported his boss with brave talk.
"If we don't go to the playoffs this year, then we will not have done our jobs and I will not have done my job," Harbaugh said. "Anybody who expects less would be selling us short."
