Tuesday, October 09, 2001
LeBeau: Kitna's job is still safe
Passing game waylaid by wrong reads, routes
By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Problems with the Bengals' short-circuited pass offense are the result of receivers reading coverages differently than quarterback Jon Kitna and free-lancing too much on routes.
The pass offense has slumped the past two games, both losses.
Sunday at Pittsburgh, Kitna threw an interception when rookie wide receiver Chad Johnson didn't cut in front of a Steelers defender soon enough on a crossing pattern, and three times Kitna overthrew open receivers who weren't where he expected them to be. Johnson said the bad route was his fault.
The week before at San Diego, Kitna was intercepted three times, and some of the blame was placed on receivers who were out of position on routes.
Against the Steelers and Chargers, the NFL's third- and fourth-ranked defenses, the pass offense didn't pose enough of a threat and allowed defenders to effectively focus on stopping the Bengals' running game.
The last two games contrast the opener and the upset of Baltimore, when Kitna and his receivers completed some big plays and kept safeties off the line of scrimmage by forcing them to respect the passing game.
On Monday, while hinting at making switches elsewhere in the starting lineup — positions he declined to name — Bengals coach Dick LeBeau said Kitna's job is safe.
“I am not contemplating a change at quarterback,” said LeBeau, who acknowledged the stilted pass offense without placing blame.
“We have to address the problems we have. There's no sense in picking out any position or player. We all have to get a lot better.”
Kitna was clearly upset with his receivers after some incompletions at Pittsburgh. He said the offense didn't take advantage of opportunities to make game-breaking plays.
After Peter Warrick stopped short on an open route down the middle in the third quarter, and his pass sailed over Warrick's head, Kitna hopped in anger when leaving the field.
“Each guy has to take it upon himself,” Kitna said Monday. “You got to go in with the mindset of saying, "This snap right here, I'm going to do exactly like I'm taught ... even if I feel like I should do something.
Kitna shared some of the blame while defending his performance. He is 74-for-123 for 657 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions. His passer rating is 74.5.
“I feel like I'm playing well,” he said. “(But) to fix this little spiral we're in right now, I'm looking first at myself: "What more can I do to help us win?'”
Receivers know the passing game is struggling and are probably trying too hard to fix it by themselves, said tight end Marco Battaglia, who has four catches.
“That's when you make mistakes, doing extra things,” he said.
The Bengals have worked hard to improve a pass offense that was last in the NFL at 122 yards a game last season. Kitna was signed as a free agent from the Seahawks but wasn't named the starter until Aug. 27 after beating out Akili Smith and Scott Mitchell.
LeBeau was asked about his decision to run such a lengthy quarterback competition and whether it contributed to the passing game's troubles. Did Kitna have enough time to develop chemistry with his receivers?
“Well, our red-zone execution is pretty good, and you probably need more timing there than any place,” LeBeau said. “We had pretty good execution the first two weeks, and it didn't seem to be a problem then.”
Johnson was drafted in the second round. Veteran Darnay Scott, who leads the team with 254 receiving yards, came back healthy from a season-ending broken leg. And Warrick, Ron Dugans and Danny Farmer were all coming off rookie years with a lot of trial-by-fire experience.
But talk of receivers being in the wrong spot on routes, misreading coverages and “not being on the same page” with the quarterback sounds like 2000 when Smith didn't play well and lost his job to Mitchell.
New offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski brought in an offense that Kitna worked in for two seasons when Bratkowski held the same position in Seattle.
“What's happening with a lot of the routes is you practice them against certain defenses and make adjustments against different coverages, but then some things come up for the first time in a game at full speed,” Bratkowski said. “We're young in the pass offense. With younger talent, the next time they see something they respond properly.”
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LeBeau: Kitna's job is still safe
