Ask Mark

        Judging by e-mail and the more than 3,300 individual hits the Enquirer received on its quarterback poll, fans are interested in who's under center.

        Question, from Chad in Springfield: Are you (Jon) Kitna's agent? You're always talking up the last two games when he threw for 751 yards. What about the other 14 games, especially the seven-game losing streak? ... Why did we offer just a second-round pick for (Drew) Bledsoe when we could have got him for a first-round pick?

B E N G A L S   P O L L

Who would you start at QB next season?

OK, pretend Mike Brown and Dick LeBeau have put you in charge of the Bengals. Who would you start at QB next season? Click at the bottom if you just want to view the results without voting.   Gus Frerotte   Jon Kitna   Akili Smith View current results

        Q, from Adam in Erlanger: Do you really think that the quarterback position will be Kitna's to lose? I just do not see (Gus) Frerotte coming here and not being the starter. Recent history says that a free agent that Mike Brown signs will generally be the starter.

        Q, from Alex in St. Paul, Minn.: Why are the Bengals focusing so hard on their passing game if their running game is so great? We can still use improvement at fullback and on the offensive line.

        Answers: I mention the last two games from time to time because offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski, coach Dick LeBeau, the wide receivers and Kitna all talk about them. I often offer the perspective of the times the pass offense slumped. But all 22 of Kitna's interceptions were not his fault.

        As for the Bledsoe deal, Bengals president Mike Brown was unwilling to part with his first-round draft pick, and the Bengals also heard from Bledsoe's people more than once that the quarterback didn't want to play in Cincinnati. And the Bengals didn't want to trade a first-rounder for a player they would have to beg to come to town.

        As for Frerotte starting, that's a good point. Brown does like his new quarterbacks, and the shortcomings of the 2001 season can't be hung on Frerotte. Just as the failure of the pass offense in 2000 couldn't be hung on Kitna. Frerotte knows a lot about playing quarterback, especially having spent the past two years in Denver learning under coach Mike Shanahan.

        And why are the Bengals trying to improve their pass offense? The better and more dangerous the pass offense, the more room Corey Dillon will have to run. This is where the selection of left tackle Levi Jones in the first round makes sense, too. There is talk inside the Bengals organization that, while he make a huge contribution to the pass blocking, Richmond Webb wasn't effective enough as a run blocker.

        Q, from Mark in Cincinnati: If Mike Brown signs Takeo Spikes or Brian Simmons and then puts the (franchise or transition) tag on the other player, will that cause problems? It seems that no player likes to get the tag.

        A: The tags are part of the Collective Bargaining Agreement that make tagged players less attractive in free agency because they require draft-pick compensation and/or allow the original team to match an offer sheet.

        Spikes and Simmons, beside being two of the better players on the team, are two of the most intelligent. They understand that professional football is a business. Personal feelings rarely enter into the equation.

        Q, from Jonathan in Symmes Township: Why is it that we couldn't trade for Bledsoe when he was still on the Patriots because of salary cap problems, but right after he gets traded we drop Tony McGee and Darryl Williams and sign Frerotte? We should have gotten rid of McGee and Williams and traded for Bledsoe.

        A: The Bengals might have forked over their first-round pick if they had been told Bledsoe wanted to play in Cincinnati. The Bledsoe camp put quite a spin on their initial words to the Bengals, which essentially were, “Don't even try.” Still, fans' frustration over the failure to get Bledsoe are easy to understand.

        Until the Bengals win, just about every move they make or don't make will be open for legitimate criticism.

        Q, from Trey in Fishers, Ind.: Many fans feel the last two guys we drafted to play tight end tight end (Sean Brewer and Matt Schobel) are too fragile. And none of us wants to witness the scrub-team backups embarrass the team again like last year. Do you think the Bengals are comfortable with the possible instability at tight end? Who do you think they might go after after June 1?

        A: The Bengals are optimistic about the futures of Brewer and Schobel, a pair of third-round picks, albeit untested ones. The hamstring injuries are nagging ones, not tears that will require surgery. One of the scrubs you mentioned, former free agent Kirk McMullen, made a couple eye-popping catches in minicamp and has benefitted from an entire season in the offense.

        But, sure, there is reason for concern given the recent problems keeping tight ends healthy and the inexperience of the front-line players at that position.

        Q, from Heath in Dallas, Texas: I was wondering how did (strong safety) Marquand Manuel and Pig Prather look at minicamp? And what about the Neil Rackers-Travis Dorsch saga?

        A: Manuel looked good, and he couldn't do what he does best, hit people. He's a smart guy who can play. It's early, but Manuel gives reason to think the Bengals made a late-round find that they've failed to do in recent years.

        There are still concerns about the health of Prather's knee and his ability to intellectually grasp the NFL game. But the former Mississippi State star was popular with the media, which wanted to know how he got the nickname Pig. (He stole food off classmates' trays in first grade and was called “Pig” by a teacher.)

        As for the kickers, Rackers looked good, and he always looks good in practice. Dorsch is long and smooth into a kick. He kicks a high, floating ball, where Rackers is more like a shot out of a cannon. More impressive to me was how Rackers and Dorsch behaved as professionals to diffuse a potentially uncomfortable situation.

        Q, from Terry in Miamisburg: Darnay Scott has been good for many years, but maybe it's time to say thanks and use that money to sign Simmons and Spikes. What do you think?

        A: I think I'm glad I don't have to pay Spikes and Simmons, who both deserve substantial raises. The Bengals are beginning to try to extend Scott's contract by renegotiating it and dropping his cap count. Scott still has a lot of speed and experience that none of the other wide receivers do.

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