Ask Mark

The draft and Marvin Lewis are the topics of most fan e-mail this week.

Question, from Jay in Beavercreek: What can Carson Palmer do that Peyton Manning cannot? I don't believe Manning has won a playoff game, but Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson have Super Bowl rings. It appears obvious that the Bengals should take the player who can help them most next year, Terence Newman or Charles Rogers.

Answer: Yes, Manning is winless in three playoff games over five seasons, but at least he has been there.

Cornerback Newman (Kansas State) and wide receiver Rogers (Michigan State) are on Lewis' short list of four. It also includes Palmer (Southern Cal) and another quarterback, Byron Leftwich (Marshall).

No doubt, Newman and Rogers can play and are likely to make contributions to their NFL teams as rookies. Palmer and Leftwich, as quarterbacks, are more long-term projects than immediate fixes.

Adding to the intrigue surrounding the Bengals' first overall pick is the coaching staff's apparent determination to see what it can get out of fifth-year quarterback Akili Smith.

Q, from Ryan in Oxford: With apparently no trade down in the first round, has the club considered taking Newman or Rogers with hopes of picking up a quarterback like Chris Simms or Dave Ragone in the second? Which player is the club higher on, and which position needs more help?

A: The Bengals seem to be higher on Simms (Texas) than Ragone (Louisville). Another quarterback they like, as does just about every other NFL team, is Kyle Boller from California.

Q, from Nick in Bond Hill: Why should the average Cincinnati sports fan jump on the Bengals' bandwagon this year? From the outside, it appears the franchise has the worst GM in sports and a rookie head coach, lost two of its top players, didn't acquire any spectacular free agents and cannot be hoping for much instant improvement from the draft.

A: The general manager you reference, Bengals president Mike Brown, is not GM in title. But you make a worthy point. He presided over a 12-year stretch with no playoff appearances and a 55-137 composite record.

True, linebacker Takeo Spikes and fullback Lorenzo Neal were two of the top players on a 2-14 team.

Though Lewis is a rookie head coach, he has been a wildly successful defensive coordinator. His resume is impressive.

In less than three months, Lewis has instituted changes that few Bengals fans thought they would live to see. He brought in his own staff, displacing several underachieving assistants. Several free agents you label as not spectacular nonetheless were highly sought after by other teams and chose the Bengals because of Lewis.

The Bengals have been a group of players, many talented like Spikes and Neal, which still lost badly and often. Perhaps Lewis and his staff can mold their players into a team.

This is not a call to jump on the bandwagon. Bengals fans have earned the right to be cynical. The biggest test - and the only one that counts - remains when the season starts.

Q, from Josh in Loveland: I'm 16 years old and have been a Bengals fan my whole life. Do you think Coach Lewis can turn the team around?

A: He has as good a chance as anyone. He possesses the diplomacy and personality to manage the people he works for and get much of what he wants.

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E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

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