Ask Mark

Finally, say Bengals fans, the team has done something in free agency.

Question, from Doug in Lakeside Park, Ky.: Buffalo has made its offer, and Takeo (Spikes) signed it. Will the Bengals match or decline?

Answer: There is no official word from the Bengals, but they sent a message Friday by signing linebacker Kevin Hardy to a four-year contract.

The view from this perspective is the Bengals are not going to match Spikes' six-year, $32 million deal. The Bengals have seven days to make their decision, but the aggressive back-to-back deals with Hardy and defensive lineman John Thornton suggest the team is moving in another direction - and that direction appears to go away from Spikes.

Q, from John in Missoula, Mont.: Now with the signing of Hardy, it appears the Bengals are going to let Spikes walk. Why don't the Bengals attempt to get compensation for Spikes from the Bills? I realize that the Bengals transitioned him instead of franchising him, but doesn't it make a great deal of sense, given the fact that the Bills received compensation for Peerless Price, that the Bengals should also get something, namely the Falcons' first-round draft pick?

A: The Bills received the Falcons' pick, No. 23 overall, because it was a trade: wide receiver Price for the pick. Spikes signed an offer sheet with the Bills, and as the Bengals' transition player, the Bengals have the right to match. If they choose not to, Spikes belongs to the Bills. The Bengals get no compensation.

The franchise tag allows for compensation, two consecutive first-round picks, but it requires a larger tender offer from the original team.

As a transition player, Spikes was due a one-year salary of $4.85 million - the average of the top 10 linebacker salaries. If the Bengals had tagged Spikes as their franchise player, he would have been due a salary of $5.61 million - the average of the top five linebacker salaries.

Q, from Steve in St. Louis: With the signings of Thornton, Carl Powell and Hardy, will the Bengals pursue a cornerback in free agency? What are the chances the Bengals will take Terrell Suggs of Arizona State with the first pick? He would be a nice complement to Justin Smith.

A: The deal Dre' Bly received from the Lions (five years, $24.5 million) appears to have inflated the price for cornerbacks and slowed the market. But there's a good chance the Bengals could land a corner. They've confirmed visits from Denard Walker (Broncos) and Tory James (Raiders). Defensive players want to play for Bengals coach Marvin Lewis because of his past success as a defensive coach.

If the Bengals think Suggs, who set an NCAA record with 24 sacks last season, is the best player available who will help them for the longest time, they will take him. A safer bet on the No. 1 overall pick, though, is Southern California quarterback Carson Palmer.

Q, from Pat in Switzerland County, Ind.: With Arizona having lost Jake Plummer to the Broncos, might the Cardinals be interested in trading up from their sixth spot in the draft and take Palmer? The Bengals would slide back to six and pick up an additional pick on the first day.

A: That move would be a good one for the Bengals. They wouldn't have to take a player that they might feel forced to take at No. 1. They could pick up a defensive player like Suggs, defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy (Penn State) or cornerback Terence Newman (Kansas State). Saturday, the Cardinals put in a bid to sign former Steelers quarterback Kordell Stewart. They face competition from the Bears for Stewart's services, though.

But as Lewis often likes to point out, "It's all speculative at this time."

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E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

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