By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Bengals president Mike Brown said his new coach, replacing the fired Dick LeBeau, would choose his own staff and be heavily involved in the NFL draft and free agency.

The Bengals have moved aggressively on four candidates - among them current defensive coordinator Mark Duffner and running backs coach Jim Anderson.

They also will interview Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey on Saturday and are trying to set up an interview with Washington Redskins defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis - possibly Friday in Lewis' hometown of Pittsburgh.

"I'm kind of tied up right now," Lewis said Wednesday evening when reached at his Baltimore-area home.

Asked if he were going to be interviewed for the Bengals' job, Lewis said, "I don't really want to comment on that right now."

If the Bengals bring in a coach from the outside - Lewis, Mularkey or former Jacksonville Jaguars coach Tom Coughlin - the staff could be turned over for the first time since Sam Wyche came from Indiana University in 1984.

While saying the new coach would pick his own staff, Brown later said in an interview that he foresaw a staff mixing new and holdover coaches.

Mularkey and Anderson are offensive coaches. Lewis and Duffner come from the defensive side.

Mularkey and Lewis were interviewed for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' head-coaching job last year, a position that went to Jon Gruden.

A Mularkey hire could signal the return of offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski and several of the Bengals' offensive assistants. Bratkowski and Mularkey were assistants on the Steelers' staff, and Mularkey was hired as offensive coordinator before the 2001 season.

If Bratkowski stays, Jon Kitna would likely remain the Bengals' starting quarterback. He is most familiar with Bratkowski's offense. In Kitna's 12 starts, the Bengals scored 20 or more points nine times.

If Kitna keeps the starting job, the Bengals probably wouldn't select Southern California quarterback Carson Palmer with the first overall draft pick. Taking a quarterback in the third or fourth round as a development project would be the plan.

A Lewis hire also could bode well for the current Bengals offensive staff. The defense and special teams appear to be more broken at this time than the offense.

Still, Brown said the defense's fall from No. 9 to No. 18 in league rankings had more to do with injuries to front-line players than coaching problems.

"It's hard to make rabbit stew without the rabbits," Brown said.

Brown reportedly considers Lewis a "very serious candidate." Lewis just finished the first year of a three-year, $2.7 million contract that makes him the NFL's highest-paid assistant coach. Lewis reportedly told Redskins associates that he would interview with the Bengals if asked.

Lewis, as a defensive coach, is best known for his 2000 Baltimore Ravens defense that allowed the fewest points in NFL history. That defense started up front with big tackles, and Lewis would probably draft one of two top defensive tackles - Miami's William Joseph or Penn State's Jimmy Kennedy.

LeBeau says he still wants to coach, and the Buffalo Bills are one team interested in him. LeBeau might possibly stay in Cincinnati in some capacity if Lewis is hired.

Eleven of 15 Bengals assistant coaches don't have contracts beyond this past season. They are in limbo.

If Duffner were hired, he probably would promote Bengals cornerbacks coach Kevin Coyle to defensive coordinator. Coyle was a successful college coordinator.

Anderson has been a Bengals assistant for 19 seasons.

Regardless of who gets the job, the No. 1 free-agency priority is re-signing outside linebacker Takeo Spikes.

E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

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