I don't remember too much of the 90s Bengals other than they sucked outside of 96 and 97.
My question to the guys who remember that era how good was Carl Pickens. Would he say he should be in the the imaginary Bengal ring of Honor?

(04-15-2020, 01:40 AM)J24 Wrote: I don't remember too much of the 90s Bengals other than they sucked outside of  96 and 97.
My question to the guys who remember that era how good was Carl Pickens. Would he say he should be in the the imaginary  Bengal ring of Honor?

He was a grade A asshole.  But he was also a grade A player.

Pickens was awesome down the sidelines and going up for a jump ball.

(04-15-2020, 03:21 AM)McC Wrote: He was a grade A asshole.  But he was also a grade A player.

Can't sum it up any better than this...

I was really young at the time so his personality I don’t remember but he was basically the best player on the offense. He gad some good years with Jeff Blake.

(04-15-2020, 08:26 AM)Sled21 Wrote: Pickens was awesome down the sidelines and going up for a jump ball.

Just an incredible athlete.  He was 6-2, but played like 6-4.

He still holds the Bengal record for longest punt return (95 yards)

His sophomore year at Tennessee they moved him to safety in the middle of the season due to a bunch of injuries.  All the did was lead the team in interceptions, return a couple for tds, and win the Defensive Player of the Game in the Cotton Bowl for the #5 ranked Vols.

For 3 years there was no better WR in the NFL.
One season he scored 17 TDs.let that sink in.
17. Defenses knew Pickens was Blake's go to man
In clutch situations
In a 3 year stretch he scored 40 TDs.
40.
In a time where the league wasn't so pass happy.
He could high point the ball as well as anyone
His route running was precise too.
Most under rated Bengal
The Bengals had a playoff caliber offense
But their defenses were soft in CPs tenure
Wish I kept his jersey
He was a TD machine

(04-15-2020, 10:03 AM)impactplaya Wrote: In a 3 year stretch he scored 40 TDs.
40.
In a time where the league wasn't so pass happy.

He was a TD machine

From '94 through '96 Pickens led the league with 40 tds catches, was 5th in receptions and 6th in yards.

(04-15-2020, 10:07 AM)fredtoast Wrote: From '94 through '96 Pickens led the league with 40 tds catches, was 5th in receptions and 6th in yards.

At that time CB could be a bit more handsy and such 
At one time UT was a good source of WRS for the Bengals
Pickens 
McGee
Washington 

The guy was a beast, and he played with a huge chip on his shoulder which in part made him the player he was.

I'm not sure I would even call him a Grade A asshole. He played for the Bengals from 1992-1999 and their record was 40-88 during that time. The guy just got tired of being a perennial loser. I'd ***** too if I won 40 games in 8 years.

Great hands like he had super glue on them.

His '95 and '96 seasons were amazing and his talent popped when watching him (of course watching him meant the Bengals weren't blacked out on television).

Where does he rank among the all-time great Bengals WRs? I think tier one belongs to Chad Johnson and AJ Green. Is Pickens a tier two guy with other Bengals WRs?

We don’t have a ring of honor?

(04-15-2020, 10:21 AM)Fullrock Wrote: The guy was a beast, and he played with a huge chip on his shoulder which in part made him the player he was.

I'm not sure I would even call him a Grade A asshole. He played for the Bengals from 1992-1999 and their record was 40-88 during that time. The guy just got tired of being a perennial loser. I'd ***** too if I won 40 games in 8 years.

There was a book written some years ago on the Legends of the Bengals.  The writer put Pickens in the book and quoted Boomer saying that he wouldn't have put Pickens in the list because of his attitude.  There was a story of a FA dlineman (Buckner I think) that signed with the Bengals for 1 year (97 I think so this was after the 8-8 season where things looked promising).  Pickens told him that if he knew he was going to sign with the Bengals, he would have told him not to.  So yeah, he was a Grade A asshole.

I remember being a bit surprised he won rookie of the year.

(04-15-2020, 11:45 AM)spidey Wrote: There was a book written some years ago on the Legends of the Bengals.  The writer put Pickens in the book and quoted Boomer saying that he wouldn't have put Pickens in the list because of his attitude.  There was a story of a FA dlineman (Buckner I think) that signed with the Bengals for 1 year (97 I think so this was after the 8-8 season where things looked promising).  Pickens told him that if he knew he was going to sign with the Bengals, he would have told him not to.  So yeah, he was a Grade A asshole.

And there were players who absolutely loved him because they knew he was going to give it all he had every time he stepped on the field. Boomer played with him when Pickens was a rookie and then moved on to the Jets, so he's probably not the guy to speak of his attitude.

There was no issue with Pickens until the end when he spoke up about Coslet's 7-24 record and questioned aloud whether he should be the coach or not. It was no secret he and Coslet didn't get along. What Pickens did was say what everyone else was thinking. Yes, he wanted out at the end, but I don't blame him at all as he was 30 years old at the time and played his entire career at that point for a team that was 40-88 while he was there. That will jade anyone.

We ALL complained about the Bengals organization in the 90's. If Pickens was an asshole, we are all assholes.

Losing can really make players bitter.
They are human
Pickens saw how frugal The ownership was.
It's been documented in the last year I think by Ashley
Ambrose
Pickens gave it his all I want to believe on the
Field
When the Bengals moved from Jeff Blake
Maybe that affected CP.
But talent wise yeah the guy is tier 1.
With Chad Ike and AJ.
His numbers didn't happen on accident

(04-15-2020, 12:17 PM)Fullrock Wrote: And there were players who absolutely loved him because they knew he was going to give it all he had every time he stepped on the field. Boomer played with him when Pickens was a rookie and then moved on to the Jets, so he's probably not the guy to speak of his attitude.

There was no issue with Pickens until the end when he spoke up about Coslet's 7-24 record and questioned aloud whether he should be the coach or not. It was no secret he and Coslet didn't get along. What Pickens did was say what everyone else was thinking. Yes, he wanted out at the end, but I don't blame him at all as he was 30 years old at the time and played his entire career at that point for a team that was 40-88 while he was there. That will jade anyone.

We ALL complained about the Bengals organization in the 90's. If Pickens was an asshole, we are all assholes.

He punched a senior citizen on the side of the highway.  Do you do that?  I don't.  Grade A asshole.

(04-15-2020, 12:54 PM)McC Wrote: He punched a senior citizen on the side of the highway.  Do you do that?  I don't.  Grade A asshole.

Lol. I don't remember that one!

(04-15-2020, 01:00 PM)Fullrock Wrote: Lol. I don't remember that one!

I googled it but can't find anything about it but I vividly remember it.  I'm hazy on the exact details but I believe it was on the side of I 71.  Some altercation happened and Pickens popped an old guy, a guy in his 70's.