By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Gus Frerotte

The Bengals have their fifth opening day starting quarterback in five years, Gus Frerotte.

Offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski is looking to have an improved sophomore season.

Defensive coordinator Mark Duffner's squad wants to have a top-3 ranking by season's end.

Last season, the Bengals improved two games, to 6-10, compared to 1999 and 2000.

Can personnel additions and the stable leadership of coach Dick LeBeau get this team the three more wins necessary to make the playoffs?

One way to answer those questions is to look at the team by position groups and compare where the groups ended last year and where they appear to be now.

QUARTERBACK

2001 grade: D+

2002 projected grade: C+

Jon Kitna started 15 games, and he closed the season with 751 yards passing in two consecutive victories. But he also threw 22 interceptions, compared to just 12 TD passes, in a season marked by growing pains in a new system.

The Bengals have just 18 TD passes and 40 interceptions in the past two seasons.

Frerotte has a stronger arm than Kitna and a history of throwing more touchdowns than pickoffs, 69-59, in his eight-year career. Continuing this trend with the Bengals would be a big boost to the offense. Frerotte does not have to be great to win, just good.

RUNNING BACK

2001 grade: A

2002 projected grade: A

Corey Dillon (right) ran for 1,300-plus yards for the second consecutive season and earned a third consecutive Pro Bowl trip. And, again, he did it against defenses geared to stop him.

Dillon could get 1,500 with a little help from his friends in the pass offense. Fullback Lorenzo Neal is back for a second season. This group is deep. Brandon Bennett is a perfect complement to Dillon.

WIDE RECEIVER

2001 grade: C

2002 projected grade: B+

This group of players has matured and improved as much as any on the team. Peter Warrick, Ron Dugans and Danny Farmer are in their third seasons, and Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh have their rookie years behind them.

The mistakes in route running and coverage recognition that hurt the receivers and Kitna last season appear to be greatly reduced.

Add to the mix veteran Michael Westbrook, who wants to be the go-to receiver, and it's a solid group from Nos. 1 to 6.

The thing is, there really isn't a last guy. All of the receivers will play. Houshmandzadeh, if he keeps his ankles healthy, could be the fantasy football steal of the year. All he does is run where he's supposed to, get open and catch the ball.

TIGHT END

2001 grade: F

2002 projected grade: C-

Just an average NFL performance from the combination of Sean Brewer and Matt Schobel would be welcomed. Neither man has played a down in the league, yet both have shown flashes of talent.

But both have had trouble staying healthy in the preseason.

Last season, the Bengals had just 29 receptions and one TD from tight ends. Production was harmed last season by bad management decisions to shelve four tight ends on the Injured Reserve list.

OFFENSIVE LINE

2001 grade: B+

2002 projected grade: A-

Given that defenses didn't respect the Bengals' pass offense last season and loaded the box with eight or nine players, the line did a good job of run blocking.

And, with the addition of Richmond Webb at left tackle, the sack total dropped from 52 to 28 - especially impressive considering the Bengals attempted 602 passes, up from 454 the season before.

The middle of the line, guards Matt O'Dwyer and Mike Goff and center Rich Braham, is solid. Right tackle Willie Anderson, the emotional leader of the offense, has vocalized greater goals for his linemates: fewer sacks and 1,600 to 1,700 rushing yards for Dillon.

Rookie left tackle Levi Jones will work his way into the lineup, and as the season begins, his run-blocking skills appear to be ahead of his pass protection.

DEFENSIVE LINE

2001 grade: B+

2002 projected grade: A-

The Bengals' jump to No. 9 in total defense last season started up front with tackles Oliver Gibson and Tony Williams, one of the league's most underrated tandems.

Ends Justin Smith and Reinard Wilson combined for 17.5 of the franchise-record 48 sacks.

The front four contained offensive lineman, got consistent penetration and kept linebackers clean to make tackles. The line put enough pressure on QBs to allow an injury-depleted secondary to hold its own.

How much better was this line? In 2000, Bengals lineman had only 10 sacks. Last season, the defensive line accounted for 28.

LINEBACKER

2001 grade: A

2002 projected grade: A

Takeo Spikes and Brian Simmons are the best players on the defense, and it shows when they are out of the lineup. The other starter, Steve Foley, is out with injuries. This position is as deep as running back, and the linebackers have played together for several seasons in the LeBeau-Duffner zone-blitz scheme.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

2001 grade: C-

2002 projected grade: C+

Artrell Hawkins got the big contract to start at one corner. Along with Frerotte and the kickers, Neil Rackers or Travis Dorsch, Hawkins' performance this season is pivotal. He and the other starting corner, newcomer Jeff Burris, have to prevent offenses from converting third-and-8 pass plays into first downs.

The Bengals have more depth at corner and safety than they've had since 1996.

SPECIAL TEAMS

2001 grade: D+

2002 projected grade: C-

The depth of this unit keeps improving, but performance does not.

The coverage teams are littered with outstanding athletes -- Dugans, Adrian Ross, JoJuan Armour, Marquand Manuel, to name just a few. Special teams cannot cost the Bengals any games this year.

There can be no showings like the 2001 game at Detroit, where the kickoff coverage teams let the Lions back into the game, and at home against the Tennessee Titans. That's the game that started with a kickoff return for a touchdown for the Titans on the first play.

Rackers or Dorsch, like Frerotte, do not have to be the best. He just has to be average and lift the Bengals' NFL-worst .607 field goal percentage to the league norm of .760.

COACHING

2001 grade: C

2002 projected grade: B

An NFL coaching staff, like quarterbacks, is judged by wins and losses. Last season's 6-10 could have been 9-7, given the three consecutive losses by a total of eight points.

LeBeau's team plays hard for him. Duffner is one of the game's emerging coaching stars, and Bratkowski's offense has produced everywhere else he has worked. Why not here?

LeBeau's game-management decisions figure to smooth out as the career assistant moves into his second full season as a head coach.

OVERALL

2001 grade: C-

2002 projected grade: B-

An 8-8 record in the NFL is average, so that is a C. A 9-7 record would make the Bengals slightly above average, which could be enough to get a team into the playoffs.

Special teams and the pass offense are the two biggest question marks, and those areas will have to produce more points to better the league-worst 14.1 scoring average.

A minimum of five home victories are essential for a playoff run. A 5-3 record at Paul Brown Stadium means the Bengals would have to go .500 on the road -- something the Bengals last did in 1995.

The biggest game of the year could come in Week 3, when the Bengals play the Sunday night national TV game at Atlanta. The core of good Bengals players has been craving such exposure for years. Here is that chance.

E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com.