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        On the day the 128th Kentucky Derby will run downstream in Louisville, the Bengals will begin what has become their annual quarterback derby.

        The first workout of the three-day minicamp is Saturday afternoon at Paul Brown Stadium, and while the faces change, the question remains the same: Who will be the Bengals' quarterback?

AND THE WINNER IS ...

Jon Kitna: Will win the starting job if his year of experience in the offense and familiarity with the receivers translate into a consistently productive pass offense.     Gus Frerrote: Will win the job if his arm strength gives the Bengals a legitimate vertical passing game that prevents defenses from loading eight in the box to stop Corey Dillon.     Akili Smith: Will win the job if his hamstring is healthy, Kitna and Frerotte stumble and he displays enough knowledge of the offense to let his physical talent take over, similar to what he showed in his only 2001 start against the Jets.

        The Bengals haven't had stability at football's most important position since 1996, Jeff Blake's last year as full-time starter, and it has been a major reason for the team's 24-56 composite record in the past five years. Seven quarterbacks have had the chance to grab the job, and, with the exception of Boomer Esiason, who retired, not one has.

        Last season, Jon Kitna won the job over Akili Smith and Scott Mitchell. The Bengals finished 23rd in pass offense and last in scoring.

        This season, Kitna will have competition from Gus Frerotte, who signed a one-year contract Wednesday.

        Though the job clearly was Kitna's to lose last season, this race is too close to call. Kitna and Frerotte appear to be in a neck-and-neck battle — coach Dick LeBeau said there will be an open training camp competition — and the health of Smith's surgically repaired hamstring makes him the long shot.

        Frerotte's signing, offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski said Thursday, “makes us real solid at that position. We're better than at this time last year.”

        The winner of the 2002 quarterback derby will be determined by a number of factors, Bratkowski said.

        “You can't boil it down to just numbers,” he said. “You have to take into account how the team is being managed, who gives us the best chance to win the first game.”

        Here is a closer look at the candidates:

        • The incumbent: Kitna started 15 games last season for the Bengals, and he threw 12 touchdown passes and 22 interceptions. But he passed for 751 yards in the last two games, both victories.

        “We sat down and looked at what Jon did different the last two games, and we realized it had a lot to do with the people around him playing better,” Bratkowski said. “Jon was a better player than people saw last year.”

        Kitna's big advantage: His familiarity with Bratkowski's offense — not just in Cincinnati, but when both were with Seattle — and the year of experience with the Bengals' young wide receivers.

        • The new guy: Frerotte has 61 NFL starts, compared to Kitna's 48, and Frerotte has worked in an offense similar to Bratkowski's.

        “Norv Turner had a system something like this in Washington,” Bratkowski said.

        In fact, when Frerotte visited as a free agent April24, Bratkowski mentioned the name of a pass pattern, and Frerotte knew how it worked.

        “Gus has played a lot in this league, and he has been to a Pro Bowl,” Bratkowski said.

        Frerotte was a member of the NFC team after the 1996 season, when he threw for almost 3,500 yards for the Redskins, even though his name was misspelled on his all-star jersey.

        • The first-round pick: Smith has 16 NFL starts, and No.16 ended in the second quarter Dec.16 at the Meadowlands when he tore his hamstring. He had surgery and is expected to be cleared for training camp. Smith won't be able to participate in this weekend's workouts.

        “Akili has been very religious in terms of his offseason work,” Bratkowski said. “We've told him what we want him to do this weekend in meetings. What we want to see is, when he gets his opportunity on the field in July, he's going to need to show the improvement he has made.”

Stage set as Kitna, Frerotte face off Bengals notes: Leyva makes way to White House NFL notes: Houston Texans claim Travis Prentice

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