By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Bengals president Mike Brown and the rest of the team's front office remained quiet Monday, but coach Dick LeBeau let down his guard a bit during his regular news conference.

LeBeau, whose team lost Sunday for the 20th time in the past 23 games and dropped to 1-13 this season, continued to defend the organization and his players.

LeBeau, whose teams are a combined 11-32, was asked if the organization has done everything it could to put the best team on the field.

"I don't feel it's anywhere in my jurisdiction to even hazard a guess to answer that question," LeBeau said. "I think I've been treated very fairly by this organization, always.

"And I'll throw in the whole 20 years. Cincinnati is my home, and the Bengals are my family. If you're looking for me to say anything other than that, you're asking the wrong bird."

Sunday, after a 29-15 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Bengals quarterback Jon Kitna said the organization - from the top down - needed to adopt a winning attitude.

"I wish Jon wouldn't say that," LeBeau said. "This has been a rough year for all of us. When you talk to these players immediately following a game, you're going to see some frustration. I don't believe our players feel that way other than in that situation, immediately after a game."

For a second consecutive Monday, LeBeau gave his players the day off.

The idea is to give them "space and time, an attempt to shake it up a bit and see if we can finish with two strong wins," he said.

The Bengals host New Orleans on Sunday. If they lose, they would go winless at home this season.

LeBeau, without mentioning any players by name, said roster moves were possible because of injuries.

Four starters - wide receiver Peter Warrick, defensive lineman Bernard Whittington, strong safety Cory Hall and cornerback Artrell Hawkins - are questionable for the Saints game.

And whether the upcoming two games are LeBeau's last, he said he understood the fans' frustration with the Bengals' 12 consecutive non-winning seasons without a playoff appearance.

"We would very, very much like to change that," LeBeau said. "We are equally frustrated."

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