Readers not happy with Bengals defense

Some reader e-mail on Wednesday morning.

Question, from Mary Lou in Akron: If Plan A was to stop the run, what's Plan B?

Answer: You're refering to the interview with defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier from last week, in which he said the Bengals defense could be more aggressive if it stopped the run
and dictated tempo. Week 1 was not so good.

Including the Monday night game between Carolina and Green Bay, the Bengals are dead last
in the NFL in rush defense. The Jets got them for 219 yards. Coach Marvin Lewis, like all good leaders, took responsibility on Monday for the poor run defense. He said to put the blame on him. OK. The players on defense are largely his. Only four remain from Dick LeBeau's opening-day roster in 2002.

And actions do speak loudly. If there weren't perceived problems at defensive tackle in the
offseason, why would the Bengals have gone after Warren Sapp so aggressively and then counted on Daryl Gardener to become available? But the Jets said they attacked the Bengals perimeter -- the outside linebackers, the cornerbacks, the strong safety. The likely return of outside linebacker Brian Simmons should help.

The Bengals had better be able to stop Miami on the ground. The Dolphins are 29th in the league in rushing, having gained just 65 yards in Week 1. After the unexpected retirement of Ricky Williams, they are hurting. Travis Minor rushed for 25 yards on five carries against Tennessee on Saturday. The Bengals will probably get a look at Lamar Gordon, acquired
from St. Louis a couple of weeks ago.

Question, from David in Finneytown: Pardon my ignorance here, but why can't the Bengals make a trade to help themselves out on defense? We look around the league and see teams clamoring for help at the quarterback position.

The Miami Dolphins immediately come to mind. After Jon Kitna's 2003 season, I can say that there are probably 10-12 quarterbacks (tops) in the league who are capable of putting up better numbers. That leaves 20 NFL teams (or so) with quarterbacks that are not of Kitna's caliber. I
think it's safe to assume there's three or four out of that 20 that are in the market for a
trade. I understand the importance of having a viable backup QB, especially with a (young)
quarterback. But, I think, the immediate needs on defense outweigh the risk exposure in shopping Kitna around. Thoughts?

Answer: Good question. Lewis, who will never show weakness, said he is confident he has the players on defense to stop the run and the pass. Even though he is not the coordinator, his reputation as a top defensive coach is not being helped by his team's performance. Nobody expected this. He might be of the mind, though, that you don't fix one position by creating a weakness at another.

Kitna is invaluable off the field, as Palmer's tutor. And the Bengals are a twisted ankle away from needing Kitna to play. He is probably the best No. 2 quarterback in the league right now. If Palmer were hurt, and the Bengals had traded Kitna, they'd be forced to go with rookie seventh-round pick Casey Bramlet.

But you do bring up a good point: The run defense is not good now, and it seems to be getting worse, not better -- as evidenced by the last five games. The draft might have forced the Bengals to keep two defensive lineman -- fourth-round picks Matthias Askew and Robert Geathers -- who are not yet ready to contribute. Both entered the draft early and have been injured throughout the preseason.