Mark Curnutte (Sep 19, 2003 12:12:01 PM)
Welcome to Steelers Week. This Sunday's game should be another exciting one. Look for a high-scoring game.

boomer (Sep 19, 2003 12:13:46 PM)
Mark, a lot of fans are going overboard and expecting to beat the Steelers. Do you think they're crazy or did the Raiders game show that the Bengals can compete on a consistent basis?

Mark Curnutte (Sep 19, 2003 12:13:46 PM)
I don't think it's overboard to think the Bengals could beat the Steelers. It's one of those throw-out-the-records kind of rivalries. It's another big challenge for the Bengals, though. I think you did hit on the biggest question of the week: Can Marvin Lewis get his team to play as well with as much intensity as it did last week? That's a strong possibility.

Guest (Sep 19, 2003 12:15:04 PM)
Big UofTennesse fan here. What's the future looking like for "The Future" aka Kelly Washington?

Mark Curnutte (Sep 19, 2003 12:15:05 PM)
With the injury to T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Kelley Washington is getting a lot of snaps -- some 40 alone in the Oakland game -- at wide receiver. He still looks a little unsure of himself on some routes, and he cut short a deep route last week and seemed surprised that the ball was there. He's an impressive player, and he's only going to get better.

bringbackcraigyeast (Sep 19, 2003 12:16:35 PM)
Do think the Bengals will have a top 10 defense this year. Their stats are favorable so far, but they are not getting to the QB effectively.

Mark Curnutte (Sep 19, 2003 12:16:36 PM)
They're not getting to the QB, but Duane Clemons put two hits on Rich Gannon last week, and the first one knocked Gannon a little woozy. The fact the Bengals aren't blitzing on every play and primarily using a four-man rush has helped the coverage. They're keeping the linebackers back to cover tight ends and running backs. Tory James and Mark Roman are off to excellent starts in the secondary.

boomer (Sep 19, 2003 12:18:21 PM)
Mark, what's Dillon's status. If he's not ready, forget it.

Mark Curnutte (Sep 19, 2003 12:18:21 PM)
Dillon practiced Thursday and is out there again today. He said he'll play. He was walking and running with no apparent pain. He's a tough player. He'll be out there.

beau (Sep 19, 2003 12:20:00 PM)
i really am a big kitna fan. i hope he has a great year. what do you think about him?

Mark Curnutte (Sep 19, 2003 12:20:00 PM)
I've written this many times: Jon Kitna is one of the finest people I've meet in 19 years of newspaper work. I admire his toughness and how he has played so long in the league when no one gave him a chance. He has one flaw, and that's the interception. He is such a competitor, he sometimes doesn't take the sack and will force a couple throws a game. Using Jon as the starter this year is the right move. Last year would not have been such a disaster had he been the starter from Day 1.

bengalsfan28 (Sep 19, 2003 12:21:50 PM)
Mark, how do you think the bengals plan to rattle Tommy Maddox, are they going to blitz and hope to get the first legitimate pass rush of the year or are they going to continue to drop back and hope the front 4 can generate some pressure?

Mark Curnutte (Sep 19, 2003 12:21:50 PM)
Marvin Lewis and Leslie Frazier don't reveal much about the game plan. But so far, they have blizted only sparingly and relied on the front four. See one of my earlier responses about the hits Clemons put on Gannon last week. The Steelers line has given up six sacks in two games, a pace that would bury the 34 they allowed last year. If there's some weakness in the Steelers line, Lewis and Frazier will try to exploit it.

GODZILLA (Sep 19, 2003 12:23:05 PM)
Does Coach Lewis have any say on the play calling on offense. I'm not too thrilled with the offensive coordinator.

Mark Curnutte (Sep 19, 2003 12:23:05 PM)
Well, Lewis is wearing a headset and hears what's going on with coordinator Bob Bratkowski. Bob called a good game last week. If Buchanon doesn't make the interception and Chad scores on that pass, fans would be hailing the call. The Bengals have had much better balance in their offense so far than the Steelers.

northsiderepresent (Sep 19, 2003 12:24:19 PM)
do you think that chad johnson is better than burress and ward?

Mark Curnutte (Sep 19, 2003 12:24:19 PM)
I think Ward is the best of the bunch because of his consistency over a number of years. Chad is pretty amazing, and he is working hard to be great. Chad was the best receiver on the field last week at Oakland.

Guest (Sep 19, 2003 12:26:03 PM)
There has been a lot of talk from the coaching staff about Jeff Burris's improvements. I haven't reallly seen that yet this year, and he's clearly lost a step. Is Hawkins a better option at CB than Burris right now?

Mark Curnutte (Sep 19, 2003 12:26:03 PM)
The coaches made the move to Burris early in the spring and have stuck with him. It's hard to argue with the results on the pass defense so far. Burris' only big blunder in two games was the missed tackle on Oakland's winning drive last week, when he whiffed on Charlie Garner. Hawkins gets plenty of work in the nickel and has played well for a couple of years now. Tory James clearly is the top corner on the team.

beau (Sep 19, 2003 12:26:59 PM)
what if kitna ends up having a huge year and takes the team to the playoffs, does he go to number 2 next season?

Mark Curnutte (Sep 19, 2003 12:26:59 PM)
Great question and almost impossible to answer. I don't know how you could sit the quarterback that takes you to the playoffs (if the miracle happens here). The Oilers/Titans sat Steve McNair pretty much for two years.

ontario WhoDey (Sep 19, 2003 12:28:36 PM)
Hi Mark....I've been a die hard fan from Ontario Canada since 81. My Wife and I drove to Cinci @ years ago to see them get shut out by Chicago. The tailgaters were awesome and really made us feel welcome. After last weeks game I really feel good about the turnaround Lewis has done.. When do you see in the future and playoff contender???

Mark Curnutte (Sep 19, 2003 12:28:36 PM)
I don't see how Lewis won't get this team to the playoffs at some point. He has the support of the organization, and he has done as much as possible in one offseason. There are 24 new players on the roster compared to the start of last season. Lewis' second draft and free-agent period are going to be more interesting than his first.

bengalsfan28 (Sep 19, 2003 12:30:14 PM)
Do you think the bus is going to get more carries this week due to his success against the Bengals in the past? Zeroue hasn't been very effective this year.

Mark Curnutte (Sep 19, 2003 12:30:14 PM)
Jerome Bettis has crushed the Bengals with an average of 104.7 in 14 career games against the Bengals (10 100-yard games). Both Bettis and Amos Zereoue said this week that the offense has not committed itself to the run game and is out of rhythm. I wouldn't be surprised to see Bettis this week, given his history against the Bengals.

HUSKER24 (Sep 19, 2003 12:31:47 PM)
Mark, How come no body is giving our Defense any respect? They are saying Gannon and Plummer just had bad games, I disagree don't you?

Mark Curnutte (Sep 19, 2003 12:31:47 PM)
Look at some of my earlier responses. I do think the defense is vastly improved. I have seen more passes broken up in the first two games this year than I saw in the first 48 I covered. The defensive line is deep. The linebackers are solid. The secondary is much better. But they've got to stop the run.

Mr. GoBengals (Sep 19, 2003 12:33:23 PM)
Mark, what's the mood in the locker room? Did the team learn anything from their horrible performance at home in week one?

Mark Curnutte (Sep 19, 2003 12:33:23 PM)
They might have learned how to relax since Week 1. These players are loyal to Lewis and wanted to win the opener for him -- almost too badly. The sense I get in the locker room is that the Oakland game provides a template of how to play (short of making big plays at the end of the game). I was there, and I was amazed at how the Bengals didn't get rattled after falling behind 10-0. The coliseum in Oakland is as loud as advertised.

smitty (Sep 19, 2003 12:35:21 PM)
Do you think, with the move of Mike Goff from center, our offensive line will be more effective?

Mark Curnutte (Sep 19, 2003 12:35:21 PM)
Goff and Matt O'Dwyer both played well in rotation at right guard. Rich Braham is such a solid pro. Every offensive coach who has been here in the last three adminstrations has a ton of respect for Braham. The whole line did a much better job in Oakland by simplifying their approach and just going after the defense, instead of angle blocking and the like. It was the same thing that worked well last December in the upset of New Orleans when Nicolas Luchey had his big day.

Jonny G (Sep 19, 2003 12:37:04 PM)
Hi Mark, what do you think about the idea or possiblity that the Bengals should starting using more of a spread offense on short yardage situations and force other teams to either use LB's to cover the WR's or bringin' in DB's and chancing it that they can contain Dillon without the LB's. Once Kitna see's the defensive package, he can call an audible if he sees the mismatch. Plus, with their O-Line problems, spreading the defense out could help Dillon get that one or two yards he needs.

Mark Curnutte (Sep 19, 2003 12:37:04 PM)
A lot of teams have tried to spread out the Steelers defense. The problem right now for the Bengals is the loss of T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who is out at least one more week because of the hamstring injury. After Johnson and Warrick, the Bengals have two rookies. In the game last November at Pittsburgh, the Bengals effectively spread out the defense. But, yes, it's a good idea for all of the reasons you mentioned. An idea is one thing. Execution of the idea is another.

Mr. GoBengals (Sep 19, 2003 12:39:39 PM)
Mark, I'd like to make and observation and follow it up with a plea. While I was at the Denver game I noticed that most of the fans in the Club section were sitting in the lounge sipping tea or something. When the game is on and the action's on the field how about those fans staying in their seats and getting LOUD! We need to drown out those Steeler fans and help keep those stupid "Terrible Towels" in their pockets.

Mark Curnutte (Sep 19, 2003 12:39:39 PM)
I noticed that the club seats were somewhat sparsely populated, too. I guess you can do what you want when you fork over $160 a seat. Tea or beer. Oakland had just 50,000 fans in that 63,000 stadium, and it was loud. And they knew to make a lot of noise when the Bengals had the ball and were relatively quiet when Gannon was calling the signals. But I have a hard time criticizing Bengals fans. Their loyalty is incredible, given the terrible product that's been on the field for 12 years. Maybe the folks stayed in last time because Denver had a big lead.

BengalsNYC (Sep 19, 2003 12:40:46 PM)
What's the story with Khalid Abdullah? Is he the diamond in the rough Lewis had thought so far?

Mark Curnutte (Sep 19, 2003 12:40:46 PM)
Abdullah hasn't had much of a look on defense, but he is one of the top three or four special teams players. He is fast, and it's just a matter of learning the NFL game after playing in Division II.

Jamal (Sep 19, 2003 12:42:26 PM)
What is your gut feel for the time frame to turn this around? I believe that this game is pivotal to keep the attention of not only the team but bengals fans. Marvin Lewis's words can only go so far without wins.

Mark Curnutte (Sep 19, 2003 12:42:26 PM)
Fans have to look at more than victories and losses. As much as winning is the only thing that matters is the NFL, showings such as the Oakland game should give fans a lot of hope. The key is to put those kinds of composed, solid games together week after week. The inconsistency has been the killer in the past decade. I almost wrote this earlier, but I'll go on the limb now -- playoffs in Lewis Year 3.

moderator (Sep 19, 2003 12:47:23 PM)
Mark has to leave now for an interview with Coach Lewis. We're sorry he didn't have time to answer all the questions. There were a lot of good ones. We'll post the transcript shortly. Hope you'll come back next time.

E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com