Jon Kitna (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        The Bengals' quarterback competition consumed all five weeks of training camp and three of the four preseason games.

        Jon Kitna, the newcomer announced Monday as the team's starter, has eight practices with the regular offense to prepare for the Sept. 9 opener against New England.

        “It has to be enough time,” Kitna said. “We don't have any excuses now. I think it will be plenty of time.”

        Coach Dick LeBeau made public Monday the decision he reached late Sunday after consulting his top offensive assistants and team president Mike Brown:

        Kitna is No. 1. Scott Mitchell, edged out by Kitna, is the top backup. Akili Smith, who has tendinitis in his right shoulder and hasn't practiced for two weeks, including Monday, is the third QB for now.

THROUGH THE YEARS

Here's a list of the Bengals' starting quarterbacks and the years they made their first start:   1968: Dewey Warren; John Stofa, Sam Wyche   1969: Greg Cook   1970: Virgil Carter   1971: Ken Anderson   1974: Wayne Clark   1975: John Reaves   1979: Jack Thompson   1983: Turk Schonert   1984: Boomer Esiason   1987: Adrian Breen; Dave Walter   1991: Erik Wilhelm   1991: Don Hollas   1992: David Klingler   1993: Jay Schroeder   1994: Jeff Blake   1998: Neil O'Donnell; Paul Justin   1999: Akili Smith   2000: Scott Mitchell   2001: Jon Kitna

        “Veteran leadership, has been to the playoffs, escapability,” LeBeau said of Kitna's qualities. “It was not an easy decision. It was my decision.”

        Said Brown of Kitna, “He's a little more accurate, a little more mobile.”

        Now Kitna, signed in March as an unrestricted free agent from Seattle, has to get comfortable with his offensive teammates.

        “I haven't got to work with Corey (Dillon) in a game,” Kitna said. “I haven't got a chance to play with (right tackle) Willie Anderson.”

        Kitna took the vast majority of offensive snaps at Monday afternoon's practice. Mitchell ran the scout offense of the Indianapolis Colts, the Bengals' opponent Thursday night in their preseason finale. Smith was hurt, and fourth quarterback Scott Covington was one of eight players released Monday morning.

        After practice, Kitna stayed on the field to take extra snaps from center Rich Braham.

        “I think, for the long run, he's the guy to go with and he's going to do a great job for us,” Braham said.

        Kitna played in the offense in Seattle that new Bengals offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski has installed since minicamp. Part of the new scheme is the quarterback's responsibility to call pass-blocking assignments at the line, something the center had to do in Cincinnati last season.

        “He makes calls real quickly, and that's nice for us,” Braham said of Kitna. “He has good recognition of how they're lining up and what they're going to do.”

        LeBeau admitted the three-way QB competition wasn't best for the quarterbacks individually but was best for the team and the only way to handle a unique situation.

        “As a quarterback, you want to take control of things,” Kitna said. “But when you're in a competition, especially a three-way competition, you don't want to step on somebody else's toes. You guard yourself a little bit. It's a mental thing.”

        “Now that it's over, I've got a little less than two weeks to jell with these guys.”

        Kitna wants to learn, for example, “what Matt O'Dwyer is like at left guard in certain situations. The more you play together, the better feel you get for the guys around him.” Familiarity, Kitna said, will help him learn receivers' body language as they get open on pass routes.

        Mitchell, who threw two of his three preseason interceptions in the 20-10 loss Saturday to Buffalo, was admittedly upset.

        “I'm hurt,” Mitchell said. “I feel like I need my day of mourning.”

        Smith said he would play sometime this season, even though he's likely to miss the Colts' game with his injury.

        “In my opinion, you could have flipped a coin,” Smith said. “When I get my chance to play, I have to make sure I'm ready.”

        Brown expects Kitna to be ready.

        “It's what we have,” he said of the 13-day window. “That better be enough.”

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