Mark Curnutte

Question, from Jack in Mason: Is Marvin Lewis really in charge of player personnel, particularly related to free agency?For the second year under Lewis, the Bengals continue to sign B- and C-flight players.I think I see Mike Brown's shadow behind the "Lewis is in charge" PR smoke screen. Do you?

Answer: Not necessarily. Brown, as the team president, continues to have a say in personnel matters. But, increasingly, Lewis' fingerprints are all over the roster. Lewis, from the time he was hired, has said he likes the team approach. Lewis is a major reason the Bengals are running tighter to the salary cap than ever before.

Lewis' personnel authority is legitimate, though not monopolistic.

Question, from Pam in Mt. Orab: Do you think naming Carson Palmer the starting quarterback was the right thing to do after the season Jon Kitna had?

Answer: I can see and understand the pro-Kitna side, just as easily as the pro-Palmer side. What I think was smart was not dragging the decision into training camp, either way. Palmer now has the opportunity to work exclusively with the first-team offense and develop timing and feel.

Palmer has big-play potential, but there's a good chance the overall level of quarterback play will slip - compared to 2003 - in Palmer's first year as a starter.

Question, from Tim in Goshen: Now that the Bengals have made a $1.8 million offer to Rudi Johnson, what will happen with Corey Dillon?

Answer: Efforts to trade Dillon continue, with the Oakland Raiders emerging as the hottest potential trading partner at this time. The two teams are talking, though the Bengals will not confirm the contact.

Question, from Simon in Lebanon: Consistency at special teams is great, but the Bengals overpaid for (Shayne) Graham. Is he one of the top 5 kickers in the league? No. Therefore should he be paid like he is in the top 5? No. Yes he had a good year last year, but that was one good year. Other top kickers have been good for a long time. They just wasted money that could have gone to a cornerback or defensive tackle that we really need. Free agent kickers are a dime a dozen. Even college free agents or a seventh-round pick wouldn't be out of the question.

Answer: Graham's contract is big, no doubt. The Jacksonville Jaguars, by signing the restricted free agent to a five-year, $6.5 million offer sheet, made Graham a rich man.

The salary cap count the first two seasons is $1.1 million, more than the $200,000 the Bengals would have paid Graham had they tendered him the one-year offer at $1.3 million-plus.

He was a major part of the turnaround on special teams. He also is the type of person who wants to earn the money, despite the $3 million in guaranteed cash.

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E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

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