Scott Mitchell does his best work with a condensed playbook. Unless everyone is on the same page, he wants the page ripped out. He subscribes to the Vince Lombardi theory that it is better to do a few things well than a lot of things lousy.

        “I'd rather do less than more and have everybody know their assignments,” the Cincinnati Bengals' new starting quarterback said Wednesday. “One year (in Detroit), we probably ran seven different pass plays all year.”

        Simplicity does not always succeed in pro football, but it is often preferable to overload. For 10 games, the Bengals' offense has operated with all the precision of a Palm Beach voter — confused by complexity, unable to se
lect the best of bad alternatives. Mitchell's mandate is to sift through the garbage and locate the gold.

        His promotion, in all probability, is temporary. Poorly as Akili Smith has played — and no recount could make it respectable — the Bengals need to see more of their fading “franchise” quarterback before facing their delicate offseason decisions. If Mitchell is to keep the job beyond Sunday's game at New England, he must find enough workable plays to construct a coherent game plan. He must perform as if he has absorbed the whole playbook and not just the Cliff's Notes.
       

A TD drive would be nice
        Either that, or he must conduct at least one legitimate touchdown drive. With the Bengals, forward progress must be measured on a sliding scale.

        That Mitchell has been granted this opportunity at this time owes in part to Smith's inability to move the offense and in part to the particular problems he might face against the Patriots. Bill Belichick's team is 2-8, and his defense ranks only 15th in the NFL, but its sophistication level is comparatively lofty. Bengals center Rich Braham said the first playbook sheet he saw Wednesday contained 16 different defensive fronts.

        “This week, we want to be like the guy who invented the tripod for the pizza box that keeps the pizza from getting crushed,” said offensive line coach Paul Alexander. “We want to find a simple solution for a complex problem.”

        This is consistent with Mitchell's mindset and in stark contrast with Smith's stage of development. Running the scout team Wednesday afternoon against the Bengals' No.1 defense, Smith continued to make misguided decisions and inaccurate passes — so many of them that one Bengals executive observed, “It's as if he's trying to look worse than he really is.” Though the party line remains hopeful, the Bengals privately fear for Smith's confidence and his future.
       

Experience required
        “This is a league that requires experience,” Bengals coach Dick LeBeau cautioned Wednesday. “I've said it, and I'll continue to say it: It's difficult to recall a quarterback that stepped right out of college and was successful right away.”

        At Oregon, Smith was accustomed to waiting until his receiver separated himself from a defensive back. In the pros, a quarterback must anticipate an opening before it exists.

        “When you go out on the football field in real time, it's a lot different than going up to the blackboard and showing you know something,” Bengals president Mike Brown said. “The play's over in two seconds.”

        Mitchell has been around long enough to know there's no time to waste on plays that don't work.

        E-mail: tsullivan@enquirer.com
       

A veteran approach SULLIVAN: Scott Mitchell Bengals notebook: Spikes' play could lead to Pro Bowl

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