Ask Mark

The regular-season opener is two weeks away, and some fans want to know how the Bengals will do under Marvin Lewis in 2003.

Several questions are asking for clairvoyance.

Question, from Ed: Don't dodge it. What record will the Bengals have this season?

Answer: Uh, I mean, well, I think, ooh, let's see. You know, records are hard to predict.

How about 6-10?

Expecting more from the Bengals this season might be asking too much.

Lewis has assembled an impressive coaching staff. He oversaw one of the league's most potentially productive drafts. The Bengals signed key players in free agency.

Everything that could have been accomplished in the offseason has been. Addition has been achieved through subtraction of players.

But September is a different thing. The first five weeks feature five potential AFC playoff teams. A 2-3 record at the bye would be good.

It's almost impossible to predict victory totals. What's easier to see already is that, under Lewis, this team no longer will embarrass itself.

Q, from S.K.: Where is Akili Smith now? Wasn't he sent to Seattle? I have watched some of their games but do not see him playing asthe third- or fourth-string quarterback. Did they release him?

A: Smith was released June 2, two days after the Bengals signed Shane Matthews.

Smith signed a one-year contract with the Green Bay Packers a week later. He is still in Green Bay, battling Craig Nall for the third quarterback job behind Brett Favre and Doug Pederson.

In two games (he didn't get into the Hall of Fame game; it was shortened by lightning), Smith is 12-for-17 (70.6 percent) passing for 107 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He has an 82.0 passer rating.

Smith turned 28 Thursday.

Q, from Bob: I can't believe that some fans would want Carson Palmer to start. Who do you think should be the starting quarterback?

A: I can understand why people want Palmer to play. He's exciting to watch, and he looks like someone who will live up to his lofty draft status and play 12 years in the league. He appears to be Mike Brown's elusive franchise quarterback.

But Jon Kitna deserves to be the starter in 2003. He gives the Bengals their best chance to win games now.

Palmer has been impressive, probably even better than most fans had hoped.

Kitna has taken a lot of blame for other people's mistakes the past two years. He stopped talking about the interceptions, because many of them were the responsibility of receivers running imprecise routes. Kitna manages to get rid of the ball quickly, and if he can replicate last season's 12-game starting streak, the Bengals have hope.

The quarterback people seem to overlook in the equation is Shane Matthews.

Playing with second-team players one week and rookie free agents the next, Matthews is 16-for-22 passing for 118 yards and no interceptions. Matthews has looked sharp with limited training camp snaps - far fewer than Kitna and Palmer.

Yet Matthews has not complained. He will be ready if called upon.

---

E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

Return to Bengals front page...