Ask Mark

Free agency spurred several dozen questions and comments from fans in the last two days.

Question, from Joe in Sycamore Township: I usually support Mike Brown's decisions, but losing Lorenzo Neal was a major mistake. The Bengals low-balled him, so he went to San Diego. Don't Katie (Blackburn) or Mike get it? The Bengals lost the best blocking fullback in the NFL. What sense does this make?

Answer: There is talk about the Bengals going up to $900,000 a year opposed to the $1 million Neal wanted. Neither the Bengals nor Neal's agent has substantiated the $900,000 number.

Taking nothing from Neal, he is an outstanding player and a clubhouse leader. But the position he plays - blocking fullback - is growing increasingly obsolete in the NFL. He was on the field for fewer than four of every 10 offensive plays last season.

Neal was an aggressive acquisition by the Bengals two years ago when Nicolas Luchey (the former Nick Williams) suffered a knee injury in minicamp. Luchey was the starter, and when given an opportunity (remember the New Orleans game), he has played well. The Bengals should sign the versatile Luchey. All indications are he's ready to step into Neal's role.

Q, from David in Charlottesville, Va.: Do you think it would be advisable for the Bengals to use their No. 1 pick on a quarterback such as Carson Palmer? Would not his presence be enormously awkward with Akili Smith still around, especially since the choice of Palmer would have to be seen as official acknowledgement that Smith is a bust.

Would not the selection of Palmer on the basis of one outstanding collegiate season in the Pac-10 be eerily reminiscent of the Smith debacle?

A: Unfortunately for the Bengals, this year is a rotten one to have the first pick. There are still seven weeks until the draft, and time remains for a team to make a fair trade offer, but the Bengals might be stuck with the pick.

It's difficult to economically justify using the first pick on anything but a quarterback when there are no other clear No. 1 players available. The team would have to overpay for any player except Palmer or Marshall quarterback Byron Leftwich.

Marvin Lewis is a defensive coach, and defense is what wins Super Bowls these days.

The Bengals should consider just about any trade offer, get an additional first-day pick and draft defensive players with their first two picks. Take a quarterback lower down and let him develop for a year or (better yet) two behind Jon Kitna.

Q, from Jim: Enough with (Takeo) Spikes already. If he doesn't want to be here, why continue the fiasco? Is the defense going to drop off substantially from his departure? Drop off from what? Nobody on that defense is so valuable he can't leave.

A: Lewis himself has said in general terms that no one player is bigger than the team and if a player doesn't want to be with the Bengals, he could go.

Spikes is one of the league's top linebackers and deserves a chance to go elsewhere if he chooses.

There's a philosophy in the NFL that excellent defensive linemen - particularly tackles - are more valuable and harder to find than linebackers.

Q, from Darrel in New Castle, Ind.: With Kordell Stewart available, do you think the Bengals will be interested in him? I like Jon Kitna, but the idea of Stewart in a Bengals uniform is interesting.

A: It won't happen. The Bengals like Kitna, and they might be forced to take a quarterback with the first overall draft pick. They're still paying Smith's signing bonus against their salary cap.

E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

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