Bengals fans have a limitless resource of optimism. Hope springs eternal. Despite the team's 0-3 start, fans always are looking ahead. Their passion for this team is, at times, unbelievable.

Question, from Ryan in Tampa, Fla.: What are the chances of the Bengals landing a decent or even top-notch free agent next season? Call me crazy, but we seem to have the makings of an almost stable offense. (Washington cornerback) Champ Bailey is in the final year of his contract and has worked with Marvin Lewis. That would be the signing of the century. Is there any chance of that happening?

Answer: Bailey is in his fifth NFL season and will be an unrestricted free agent after 2003. He and Lewis got along well during Lewis' one season as Redskins defensive coordinator.

Washington attempted to extend Bailey's contract during training camp but decided to break off talks until the end of the season.

Bailey has played in three consecutive Pro Bowls and is considered one of the top, if not the top, cornerbacks in the league. In his first four seasons, he started 64 consecutive games and had 16 interceptions. He also had a career-best 84 tackles in 2003.

If the money were right, Bailey would have no objections to playing in Cincinnati for Lewis, sources say. But the Redskins do have the ability to put the franchise tag on Bailey, which would give them the right to match an offer and require two first-round draft picks as compensation.

Though the 2003 Bengals are an improved team, their 0-3 start suggests another top-10 first-round draft pick. That would force the Redskins, in this case, to add at least one (2004), if not two (2005), costly rookie to their payroll.

Lewis attracted some top veteran free agents - defensive linemen John Thornton and Duane Clemons, linebacker Kevin Hardy and cornerback Tory James - who otherwise would not have given Cincinnati a first glance. Landing a player of Bailey's caliber would be a major coup for Lewis and the Bengals.

Bailey was the seventh overall pick in the 1999 draft, the year the Bengals turned down a trade for all of New Orleans' choices in order to take quarterback Akili Smith at No. 3. Those types of terrible football decisions took place for 12 consecutive years and are the kind that Lewis and his people are trying to reverse. They're going to take more than a few games or a single season to fix.

Lewis' second offseason will be fascinating in terms of free agency and the draft. Never mind the fans, what's most critical for the Bengals is when Lewis' honeymoon might end with team president Mike Brown.

As for that old Bengals administration, they're fond of saying hindsight is 20/20 when decisions such as Smith are discussed. The trouble is their foresight has repeatedly been proven to be no better than 20/200. That's how a franchise arrives at a composite 55-140 record since its last playoff game.

Q, from Bill in Wilmington: The difference in Sunday's loss to the Steelers was the coaching. The entire game turned on a six-minute time frame in the first half when the Bengals had fourth-and-3 on the Pittsburgh 33-yard line and punted through the end zone for 13 net yards.

Then the Steelers take it down to the same spot and make the big play with the fake field goal and wind up with a touchdown.

The decision to punt from the 33 instead of either going for it, trying a field goal, or coming up with a gadget play of your own, sunk our hapless Bengals again. Welcome, Coach Lewis, you're becoming one of ours.

A: No real question in there, but it's an interesting comment worthy of reaction.

For all of his savvy off the field and as a motivator, Lewis is a rookie head coach. He has never been a head coach on any level - high school or college. In Lewis' defense, he is decisive and self-confident. He has concrete reasons for each decision he has made. With such solid underpinnings, his game management will only get better as he gains experience making those kinds of decisions.

Lewis has said he is learning to coach with his face toward the game at all times. As a defensive coordinator, Lewis previously coached with his back to the action when his defense was on the bench.

The Bengals are fortunate to have him. The future is bright as long as Lewis remains in control of the franchise, in spite of its winless opening stretch.

As for punting from the 33 and 36, Lewis probably should have run a play - maybe a screen to Brandon Bennett. Playing a field-position game is for playoff contenders, not for teams that are trying to build some positive momentum and escape their passive past.

Q, from Jack in Stamford, Conn.: How many games do the Bengals have to lose before Carson Palmer is the quarterback? With a Manning, McNair or Maddox, the Bengals are at least 2-1. Chad Johnson and Peter Warrick can't reach their potential with Kitna. Jump on the Palmer bandwagon before the Bengals are 0-14.

A: Well, at this point in his career, Palmer is not Manning, McNair or Maddox. Palmer himself said he is not yet at Kitna's level.

That said, Lewis has said Palmer is developing well, learning and working hard in practice. The Bengals' next two games are at Cleveland and Buffalo before their bye. It's difficult to imaging Kitna holding the job if the team is 0-5, 0-6 or 0-7. At some point, the Bengals would have to start playing for their future.

The on-going conversation between Lewis and Mike Brown on this subject would be priceless to hear.

Q, from Mark at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany: I am in the U.S. Air Force, stationed overseas. I have been a Bengals fan since the 1970s. The last few years have just been miserable, and if it were not for Ohio State I wouldn't have much to root for. From what I can see, the Bengals need to leave town and start from scratch. The Houston Texans, in their second year, are better and play with more heart.

A: The serious answer to your point about the Bengals leaving town is this: if they did, Cincinnati would never see an NFL franchise again. The market is too small, though one continually has to marvel at the support shown by fans for the consistently inferior product put on the field by the Brown family.

As for starting from scratch, Lewis is essentially doing that. There are 24 new players on the roster from opening day last year. The key, again, is for Lewis to maintain the control to do it his way. Then if he bombs, he has no one to blame but himself. And the Brown family can be given credit for staying out of Lewis' hair.

Q, from Tom in Winton Place: You know, the story about the Bengals complaining about the grass field makes me sick.

The Steelers didn't complain about the grass. They won on this so-called "bad" turf. If the turf is so bad, the Bengals should be able to use it for a home-field advantage.

The Bengals need to stop trying to blame the field and concentrate on playing the game, no matter the conditions. Please. Grow up and earn your living.

A: You make some interesting points, but so do the players.

Amos Zereoue and Jerome Bettis didn't slip and slide on the field Sunday. And there was no mention from any Steelers players in the Pittsburgh newspapers on Monday morning about the field. In the past, opposing players have complained about the conditions.

The other thought is how winning would cure all ills Bengal, including complaints about the field.

Still, something is fundamentally wrong with that field. If you're at the stadium, one of the most entertaining parts of the day is watching the divot patrol - which includes some high-ranking Bengals executives - running out onto the field and trying to stomp loose grass back into place, especially to the accompaniment of hip-hop music.

Millions of dollars are invested in these players, too much to risk injury because of a sub-standard field. The simple question remains: Why can't the grounds crew get this field right? It's not November or December yet. Grass still grows well in southwest Ohio in September. The stadium's managing director basically admitted something's wrong when he said, in a statement, that the field would be in better shape for the next Bengals home game, Oct. 19, against the Ravens.

Q, from Chris: I was talking to a friend about the Bo Jackson injury in (the 1990 playoffs) against the Bengals.

He contends that Solomon Wilcots made the tackle on the play. I say it was Kevin Walker. Can you give us the 100 percent correct answer and put this baby to bed once and for all?

A: Upon further review of NFL Films footage, linebacker Walker made the tackle that injured Jackson's hip.

Sleep well.

Defensive tackle Tim Krumrie was in pursuit, too. That game, played Jan. 13, 1991, against the Los Angeles Raiders was the Bengals' last playoff appearance.

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E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

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