By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The Bengals will try to stop Carolina's Dee Brown today. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Bengals will open the fourth quarter of their season today against the Carolina Panthers with a two-game lead for the first overall pick in April's college draft.

Where the Bengals will draft is just one of the questions that will begin sorting themselves out in the final four weeks of the season.

Will quarterback Jon Kitna start the final three games after today? Or will the Bengals take another look at Akili Smith, or see what Joe Germaine can do?

Will Bengals president Mike Brown make any changes on a coaching staff that is 1-11 this season and 7-21 in the past two?

Will Brown follow through on plans to add scouts or make other changes in the Bengals player personnel department?

The draft: The Bengals' record is the worst in the NFL. Four teams have 3-9 records - Chicago, Detroit, Minnesota and expansion Houston.

The Texans will not auto matically receive the first pick, as they did in April.

The two most winnable games remaining for the Bengals are today's and a Dec. 15 matchup against Jacksonville. Cincinnati's final two games are against hungry playoff contenders, New Orleans at home (Dec. 22) and at Buffalo (Dec. 29).

Failure to win at least two games would give the 2002 Bengals the worst record in franchise history. To date, the worst is 3-13 (four times).

Until Kitna led the Bengals to a six-game average of 25.5 points, the Bengals appeared ready to spend their first pick on a quarterback.

But with the Bengals allowing 27.9 points a game, 31st in the league, the greatest needs would seem to be on defense.

The Bengals are yielding 140 yards a game rushing, which is 30th in the NFL, and could use help at defensive tackle from the likes of Miami's William Joseph or Penn State's Jimmy Kennedy. The Bengals' plan seems to be to get help on the defensive line and at cornerback before going for a quarterback - such as Southern California's Carson Palmer or Texas' Chris Simms - in the second or third round.

Kitna: He has given the Bengals their best streak of quarterback play since 1997, but Kitna gets no respect - or at least no job security.

Coach Dick LeBeau said Kitna would start today, but would not commit for the final three games.

In the past six games, over which the Bengals are 1-5, Kitna has thrown 12 touchdown passes and four interceptions. His passer rating is 100.6.

Brown has said he is pleased with Kitna's performance and the decision to play him or not is LeBeau's.

Kitna's fate is in his hands. Every good game gives him a better chance of keeping the job the rest of the schedule and through the offseason.

Brown also is happy with coordinator Bob Bratkowski's offense, which has found its stride after one-plus seasons.

Staff and front office: There is a sense in the organization that starting over with the offensive staff would set the Bengals back several steps.

A strong case has been made for continuity with Kitna and the offensive scheme, and that side appears to have persuaded the front office to keep the offensive staff together.

Don't look for any changes on the defensive staff or with LeBeau, either.

The Bengals have talked internally that much of the problem with the defense is the result of injuries - namely the 38 percent of starters' time lost in the front seven.

Linebacker Steve Foley was lost in training camp, and tackle Oliver Gibson's season ended in Baltimore Nov. 10. Defensive end Vaughn Booker has started just five games.

The Bengals have lost 49 starter games on both sides of the ball to injury - second-most in the league to Seattle's 69 games.

The Bengals think they can add some players in the draft and free agency to return the defense to its 2001 level.

As for LeBeau, Brown is impressed that the team has not quit after being blown out in the first four games by a combined 119-23 score. Since then, the Bengals have lost five games by eight or fewer points.

In other words, Brown thinks the team is close to winning and not nearly as bad as its 1-11 record.

There had been talk earlier in the season of possibly adding scouts or altering the personnel department. But don't look for much to change there.

What will change is Brown's level of involvement in the draft process. He will make more decisions on picks. He says he has traditionally given his coaches a lot of say in whom they want to draft, but Brown has not been thrilled by all of their ideas.

Look for Brown to rely more to his brother, Pete Brown, the Bengals senior vice president of player personnel. Mike Brown believes the Bengals have as much information on players as any other NFL team, and while he will continue to listen to his experienced coaches, he and his brother will make more final calls on draft selections.

Bad signs

The Bengals have been outscored 508-310 over their past 21 games, an average loss of 24-15.

They have had two losing streaks of seven games and are in the midst of a four-game slide.

The team has won one home game during the stretch.

E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

Return to Bengals front page...