Less than one month ago, the Bengals were 4-3 and in playoff contention. They had won their first road game, 31-27 at Detroit, and had their best record entering November since 1990.

        But since their Nov.4 bye, the Bengals are 0-3 and have been outscored 68-20. At 4-6, they are struggling to climb into the postseason picture.

        Most of the problems lie with the offense. Quarterback Jon Kitna was pulled in the second half at Cleveland last week and has thrown five interceptions and one touchdown pass in his past three games. Tailback Corey Dillon has averaged just 53 yards a game since the bye, and kicker Neil Rackers is 2-of-4 on field goal attempts, matching his season's 50-percent success rate.

        Bengals president Mike Brown discussed the events of the past month Thursday afternoon while watching practice in a light rain:

        Question: The biggest news of this week has been the promotion of Akili Smith to No.2 quarterback behind Kitna. Was that coach Dick LeBeau's decision or yours, and should fans read any more into it?

Answer: We talked about it, and I think he thinks it's the best way to go at this point in time. We're going to have to find out about Akili. If we're not in the running, we'd like to get him ready to go out there and see what he can do. Some of that is looking out for the future. On the other hand, I'm not sure he won't step in there and do well.

        Quarterbacks, they don't come along on the same path. They all have their own way. Some of them don't get there. But I wouldn't say Akili is at the point where he has proven that he can't. He did have a down time last year, that ended up with that Dallas game, which was a fiasco (Smith was 10-of-25 for 68 yards with one interception in a 23-6 loss, then was replaced as the starter). And then, this year, he has had to take the backseat. That can be a positive. We'll see what happens if he gets in there.

        Q: How much say do you have in Rackers' status? A: We talk about these things, but I don't make that decision. We're out here watching practices, and (Rackers) does well in practice. He's got a very strong leg. He has NFL ability. He's missed some kicks, but he hasn't cost us a game.

        Q: What are your impressions of the past few weeks?

A: We've slipped badly. Everyone down here is fully aware of that. It isn't what we wanted. It really isn't what we expected. Now we have to gather ourselves and get going again. We've seen enough of the down times to know those are hard (The Bengals are 51-119 since the the start of the '91 season). We don't want to have that kind of thing going on any more than our fans want to have it. The players are bothered by it most of all.

        In some ways, we've played pretty well. We've played well enough defensively to win. But offensively, we have not been able to stay on track.

        Q: What seems to be the problem with the offense?

A: Oh, there have been things happen that are not easy to explain. Some of it, for example, the injury part of it is there. Our wide receiving corps has been touched up. They haven't been at full tilt for a few weeks. Even when they're out there, they're hurting, and it shows.

        Our pass protection has not been as solid as it was early on. And I would probably say some of the plays by Jon haven't been what he would have wanted them to be.

        Last week at Cleveland was a lot like last year. When you have seven turnovers in one game, you're not going to beat anyone but the Sisters of the Poor, and maybe not them. We just threw the ball to them, time after time. Too many of them were bad throws by Jon and by (Scott) Mitchell both.

        Q: Is the downturn of the past few weeks harder to go through after the 2-0 start?

A: It's never fun to revisit misery.

        Q: You had said you were pleased by the job LeBeau had done. Are you still pleased with him, and what are you learning about him in these tough times?

A: He's very good under duress. Honestly, I would tell you, better than I. I have a bit of a temper at times.

Q&A with Mike Brown Bengals notebook Mora says Manning issue 'closed book' NFL: Eagles top Chiefs 23-10

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