The Bengals might have a fourth quarterback play this season.

Joe Germaine wears Boomer Esiason's No. 7. (AP/Al Behrman photo) | ZOOM |

        Think former Ohio State star Joe Germaine, signed last week to the practice squad, was brought in as a developmental project? Think again.

        Bengals president Mike Brown said Wednesday that Germaine could play if the season continues to go poorly for the 0-6 Bengals.

        “We haven't done very well at that spot this year so far,” Brown said while watching practice. “(Germaine) will learn the system. If things don't improve as we go along, he would be an option for us.”

        That was news to coach Dick LeBeau.

        Asked during his regular Wednesday news conference if he and Brown had discussed playing Germaine, LeBeau said: “We have not. But we will continue to press toward improving our play on the field. That will be our sole focus. That's about the only way I know how to answer that question.”

        Gus Frerotte, Akili Smith and Jon Kitna each has started a game this season. Frerotte started the first three, Smith the fourth and Kitna the last two.

        Germaine, who has played in three NFL games with the Rams, was recommended to the Bengals by his former Ohio State coach, John Cooper, a scouting consultant for the Bengals.

        For his part, Germaine appeared Wednesday not to know what he had gotten himself into.

        “That's really out of my hands right now,” he said. “I'm not really sure what the decision-making process is going to be. I do have a lot to learn, a new offense. There's going to be a little bit of a learning curve for me.”

        Kitna and Frerotte both have said the Bengals need to stick with a quarterback for the long haul.

        Kitna, who started 15 games last season, will make his third consecutive start Sunday against Tennessee.

        “A quarterback going down with an injury is different than simply making a quarterback change,” Kitna said Wednesday. “When a quarterback goes down with an injury, a change is made out of necessity, and guys kind of rally around. When you start making quarterback changes, guys don't know, and hopefully we've seen the end of that.”

        Maybe not.

        “If we don't do better than we're doing, we're going to be looking for a different way to do things,” said Brown, who clearly is frustrated with his quarterbacks' production.

        They have thrown 13 interceptions and just two touchdown passes and have a composite passer rating of 48.5, well below the league average. Twelve of 17 rated passers in the AFC are at 81.4 or higher.

        “The problem is we've had these quarterback ratings that aren't anywhere near the norm,” Brown said. “They're way below it. One option is to keep hoping it works. And another is to try something else and see if it will work.

        “You can argue both sides of that. I tend to be of the opinion to see if something else can't be done.”

        If Kitna continues to falter - he has thrown one TD pass and seven interceptions - the buzz around the Bengals is that Smith would get another chance to play. If Smith doesn't perform well, the sense then is that Germaine would step in if he knows the offense.

        Brown pointed to Pittsburgh and St. Louis as teams that have made quarterback changes successfully. Tommy Maddox replaced the benched Kordell Stewart with the Steelers, and Marc Bulger is starting for the Rams because of injuries.

        “Quarterbacks pop up in the strangest ways,” Brown said. “You go over to Pittsburgh, and they have Maddox, and it's like that Robert Redford movie.” Redford starred in The Natural, the story of an aging baseball player who stars in the big leagues after having his career sidetracked as a young man.

        Said Brown, “Other people seem to have this magic ability to pull a rabbit out of the hat at that position, and we have so far struggled trying to get it ironed out.”

        Frerotte is the most likely to go if Germaine is signed to the 53-man roster. Frerotte signed a one-year contract May1 worth $1.5 million.

        Kitna has two years left after this season on his contract, and Smith has three remaining.

        Frerotte will cause the Bengals no salary-cap problems after this season. He would be a clean cut.

        “I'm like one of those leaves that fall off a tree, just waiting to land,” Frerotte said before Wednesday's practice. “Things could be a lot worse. I could be sick. I'm still doing what I love, and while it might not be the best situation, I'm here to make the most of it.” BENGALSFrom Page The Associated Press/AL BEHRMANBengals quarterback Joe Germaine (7) throws a pass while quarterbacks

        Frerotte is the most likely to go if Germaine is signed to the 53-man roster. Frerotte signed a one-year contract May1 worth $1.5 million.

        Kitna has two years left after this season on his contract, and Smith has three remaining.

        Frerotte will cause the Bengals no salary-cap problems after this season. He would be a clean cut.

        “I'm like one of those leaves that fall off a tree, just waiting to land,” Frerotte said before Wednesday's practice. “Things could be a lot worse. I could be sick. I'm still doing what I love, and while it might not be the best situation, I'm here to make the most of it.”

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