Ask Mark

        Welcome to the first in a weekly question-and-answer exchange with Bengals fans. I'll accept e-mail questions and do my best to respond to as many as possible in this space every Wednesday morning.

        On to the questions.

        This from Jeffrey: Not taking anything away from Corey Dillon (the best runing back in football), why do you never see the Bengals use Dillon and Brandon Bennett in the backfield like they used Ickey Woods and James Brooks at the same time back in the late '80s? I think it would make the runing game even more effective.

        Answer: The Bengals like to use Dillon and Bennett as a one-two punch as the featured back.

        Dillon is in the best shape of his career this early in a season, and his 104-yard game Sunday was the earliest he has hit 100 in his career. His previous first 100-yard game was the third game in 1999.

        Bennett comes in with fresh legs, and there is little dropoff in production. If defenses relax with Dillon out, Bennett makes them pay. He ran for 324 yards and two touchdowns in relief of Dillon last season and Bennett averaged 7.2 yards on six carries in the 23-17 victory against New England.

        When the Bengals use a two-back set, you're likely to see fullback Lorenzo Neal in there as a punishing blocker for either Dillon or Bennett.

        This from Jason, who sent this to me 10 minutes before Sunday's kickoff: Regarding “The Edge” (in Sunday's paper), you gave the offensive line edge to the Bengals? You said they run block as well as anyone? (Left tackle) Richmond Webb is an upgrade? I realize you have to cover this team day in and day out, so you almost have to do some butt-kissing, but you should pick a part of the team besides the O-line.

        Do you know anything about the Bengals for the past decade? Mike Brown has ignored the O-line in favor of high-priced QBs. The reason they had the second-most rush yards in the league last year was because they ran the ball a higher (percentage) of their plays than any other team.

        So please pick another part of the team to suck up to. You might be able to keep some credibility in this long, 16-game season.

        Answer: The Bengals did run the ball 495 times last season, compared to calling 506 pass plays (52 sacks). But their average gain per rush was 4.7 yards, which was the third best in the league. So the line must have been doing something right, even with the benefit of blocking for one of the league's top backs in Dillon.

        As for “The Edge” pick against the Patriots, the Bengals called 28 pass plays, and the only sack came when Jon Kitna dropped the ball while starting to throw in the pocket. Webb, as he did at Miami, did a good job of pushing New England defensive ends beyond Kitna — who then stepped up in the pocket.

        Kitna threw for 204 yards. The Bengals ran for 157 yards, compared to 68 for the Patriots. New England quarterback Drew Bledsoe was sacked four times and hit a couple of other times. The Pats also failed to convert on a fourth-down QB sneak. No question the Bengals had the better offensive line.

        This from Rick: Realistically, how do you think the Bengals will do this year? My guess is 7-9 or worse.

        Answer: Given the Bengals' schedule, with four games against Baltimore and Tennessee, 7-9 would be a vast improvement over last season.

        But 7-9 is a possibility. But so are 5-11 and 6-10. What's clear from Sunday's victory is that the Bengals are much better this season than last. They are deeper. They are mentally tougher. The quarterback is better. Darnay Scott and linebacker Brian Simmons are important players coming back from injuries.

        Webb, Kitna, fullback Lorenzo Neal and defensive tackle Tony Williams are players who've come from playoff teams. They know how to win. And coach Dick LeBeau has his team playing hard.

        Finally, this from Jake: I was wondering what other additions or improvements will be made to Paul Brown Stadium?

        Answer: The biggest change this season is the playing field itself. Gone is the temporary Bermuda grass that fell apart at the end of last season and provided poor footing all year. It had to be put in because the original Kentucky Bluegrass burned up in a drought.

        The bluegrass put in this year already is a hit with players, especially kicker Neil Rackers. The footing is much better.

        Ask Mark a question.

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