GEORGETOWN, Ky. — Nobody ever accused Boomer Esiason of being a homer, so when the CBS-TV analyst picks his former team to win their division this season, he has to have his reasons.

        That's right, the former Bengals quarterback says Cincinnati will win the new AFC North.

        “I feel they are very close to being a very good football team,” Esiason said Friday from New York. “If Jon (Kitna), Gus (Frerotte) or Akili (Smith) can ignite the offense, they have a lot of talent around them.”

        The key, as Esiason sees it, is the play of the quarterback.

        “That's the most important decision Dick LeBeau will make,” he said. “Everybody's going to play off that guy.”

        The Bengals' strengths are their defense under coordinator Mark Duffner, running back Corey Dillon and the offensive line, said Esiason, one of 10 experts who writes for NFL Insider magazine. He was the only one of the 10 to pick the Bengals.

        The Bengals were 3-3 against the three AFC North teams last season — splitting games against Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Baltimore, although they were outscored 97-78 in those six games.

        “Obviously, Pittsburgh is the team to beat,” said Esiason, who is preparing for his first season as a member of CBS's NFL Today pregame show. “The Bengals can't afford to get off to a bad start.

        “The biggest thing for the Bengals is to get over the here-we-go-again syndrome. They have to win the close games, get some breaks.”

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