Bengals coach Dick LeBeau is sticking with quarterback Gus Frerotte but is growing increasingly impatient with the pass offense.

        LeBeau said Wednesday he is staying with Frerotte because of the promise Cincinnati's offense showed in Sunday's 20-7 loss at Cleveland.

        But, LeBeau said, he wants to see 23 points a game from the offense — the amount of points playoff teams usually score — and not the six and seven points he has received in the team's first two games.

        With the running game apparently on track — Cincinnati ran for 192 yards in its first two games — the pressure is on Frerotte and the receivers.

        “I want the productivity to come up in the passing game,” LeBeau said.

        LeBeau picked Frerotte as the starter 24 days ago after a close competition with 2001 starter Jon Kitna.

        Frerotte got the nod because of his strong arm, which could give the Bengals a deep threat.

        A rough start was not unexpected, because Frerotte is new to the offense, but his performance has been a disappointment. He has thrown one touchdown pass and four interceptions, including a left-handed pass thrown for an interception Sunday that swung the game in the Browns' favor.

        “I had one play that probably cost us the game,” Frerotte said Wednesday.

        LeBeau was serious this week about turning to Kitna, a known commodity whose strength is his command of the offensive scheme. LeBeau hinted Wednesday that he would consider a change if there isn't more scoring.

        Besides Frerotte, the heat also is on offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski. In 18 games under Bratkowski, dating to last season, the Bengals have averaged 13.3 points and thrown 30 interceptions and just 13 touchdown passes.

        “Nobody wants to hear it,” Bratkowski said of his offense, “but we're not that far away.”

        The stumbling in Cleveland was the result of different errors on different plays, he said.

        Sometimes it was the protection; Frerotte was sacked five times and pressured consistently by the Browns.

        Sometimes, when Frerotte had time, receivers were beat in bump-and-run situations, Bratkowski said.

        Injuries to receivers Danny Farmer and T.J. Houshmandzadeh forced the Bengals to use Michael Westbrook more than they wanted to. Westbrook, in his first season with the Bengals, missed the preseason because of a broken wrist and on Sunday reverted to route adjustments he employed while with Washington, Bratkowski said. As a result, he and Frerotte were out of sync.

        “He's the one we're trying to get up to speed as fast as possible,” Bratkowski said. “Michael's a playmaker, and we expect him to make a lot of plays when he's comfortable. We threw a lot at him last week.”

        Bratkowski also said Frerotte's slow start in the passing game is due in part to his limited preseason work with the receivers.

        “We can't use that as an excuse,” he said. “In a perfect world, you would have liked to have had substantially more time together. But we have to play the cards we were dealt.”

        As a whole, Bratkowski said, the receivers are running their routes well.

        “I am not totally dejected and discouraged, but I do understand that rapid progress has to be made,” he said. “We have to score points. Going up and down the field between the 20s isn't going to do us any good.”

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