Mark Curnutte

Question, from Jamillah Abdullah in Jacksonville Beach, Fla.: How did Khalid do in mini-camp? What do you think will be his greatest impact with the Bengals? What is his chance to start?

Answer: He should be able to do more this season because his right shoulder is now healthy after surgery.

The second-year linebacker was able to lift weights more aggressively in the winter, and his weight increased from 217 to almost 240 pounds. He is down to about 232 after mini-camp and coaching-session practices.

His biggest impact will be on special teams, where he was third last season with 14 tackles. He said Tuesday that he is playing with the third team at weak-side linebacker behind starter Brian Simmons and rookie Landon Johnson.

"That's OK," Abdullah said. "I'm not going to go down without a fight. That's why they drafted the linebackers, for competition."

The Bengals used both of their third-round draft picks on under-sized, fast linebackers - like Abdullah - in Johnson and Caleb Miller.

Q, from Matthew in Wichita: How many carries will Chris Perry steal from Rudi Johnson? Should Rudi get the bulk of the carries this year? What is your prediction for Rudi's output this year?

A: Johnson was working hard in the weight room after Tuesday's on-field coaching session, and he plans on being the durable starting back that gets most of the work.

Perry, the rookie, will be a change-up outside back, compared to Johnson's heavy-duty work inside. Johnson shared time with Corey Dillon in 2003.

Coach Marvin Lewis wants a two-back offense to help control the ball and take some pressure off first-time NFL starting quarterback Carson Palmer.

Perry will get a lot of time on third down because of his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.

Q, from David in Clearwater, Fla.: If my memory serves me correctly, it was 1985 and the Chicago Bears were the last undefeated team in the league, and the Bengals changed that. But I was rather young at the time. Can you give me more information on that?

A: The Bears were 12-0 and lost at Miami on Monday night, Dec. 2, 1985. Of course, Chicago went on the win six more games in a row - including Super Bowl XX - to finish 18-1 overall after a 15-1 regular season.

From 1984-87, the Bears had a 50-13 record (including two strike-replacement player victories) and played the Bengals just once. On Sept. 28, 1986, Chicago defeated the Bengals 44-7 at Riverfront Stadium.

The 1986 Bengals actually were a strong team that finished with a 10-6 record. The Bengals, somewhat surprisingly, hold a 4-3 series edge over the Bears.

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E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

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