GEORGETOWN, Ky. -- Here are five observations from Bengals camp:

1. If first impressions mean anything, along with the whispers of team officials and a few coaches, Gus Frerotte will unseat Jon Kitna for the starting job at quarterback. Frerotte has a stronger arm, throws the ball up the field more (as evidenced by his career mark of 7.02 yards per attempt), and takes far better care of the football than the turnover-prone Kitna. At the outset of camp, Kitna got a few more snaps and worked more with the No. 1 unit, mostly because he had a better handle on coordinator Bob Bratkowski's offense, having operated it in both Seattle and with the Bengals last season. But if this team is to play up to its potential, and there is more talent here than a lot of people realize, it needs consistency at the quarterback position. Sure, there's a reason Frerotte has started only 15 games over the past four seasons. He can be a streak shooter as well, and will get into the occasional slump when he, too, throws interceptions in bunches. But on Thursday night, he demonstrated good touch, twice feathering the ball nicely over either a linebacker or a safety when deftness was required on the pass. And he opened his segment of the initial "team" drill by completing a deep pass to wide receiver Chad Johnson. The veteran Kitna is a terrific guy, the kind you root for to be better than he is, but it doesn't appear that he will ever get over his propensity for killer mistakes, a shortcoming that also marked his tenure with the Seahawks. Bratkowski and head coach Dick LeBeau probably will hold off until a few weeks into the preseason, allow each of the contenders to get some work in live conditions, before making a decision on the starter. But the way things look at this point, it will be an upset if Frerotte isn't the No. 1 guy when Cincinnati opens the regular season against San Diego on Sept. 8.

2. You hate to waste one of your five observations on the placekicker position, but the spot is a key for the Bengals, who lost two games in 2001 by three points or less. The incumbent, third-year veteran Neil Rackers, has converted just 29 of 49 field goals in his first two seasons, a woeful 59.2 percent success rate that is by far the worst in the NFL over that period. So certain is Rackers that he's a goner, he already put his house in Cincinnati up for sale and makes snide remarks like that one at the end of Thursday's practice. When coach Dick LeBeau summoned the team to the middle of the field for a few words after practice, Rackers noted sarcastically to the media: "Does this include me?" His assumptions about job security aside, Rackers was far better Thursday than his competition. Then again, his history is that he looks good in camp and gags once the season commences. Cincinnati invested a fourth-round draft choice on Travis Dorsch, who handled both the placement and punting duties at Purdue the past four years. Besides the Bengals, only one other team, Jacksonville, considered Dorsch a kicking prospect. The rest of the league regarded him as a quality punter. The 6-feet-6 Dorsch has a very long approach to the ball, in part because of his height, and his kicks on Thursday looked as if he were using a nine-iron. He is very nonchalant in his approach, almost a bit too loose, and was only moderately accurate. It would be difficult for the Bengals to release a No. 4 draft choice. Don't be surprised if, should Dorsch continue to struggle, if the team keeps both kickers on the regular-season roster.

3. Second-year defensive end Justin Smith, the team's first-round draft choice a year ago, certainly looks like the real deal. Smith, who had 8½ sacks as a rookie even though he did not sign his contract until the eve of the regular-season opener, has a deceptively explosive first step. Almost as important, the former Missouri standout uses his hands really well, and is capable of locking onto a blocker and tossing him aside. The Bengals have a deep defensive front, with seven or eight linemen they can roll in and out during a game, but Smith is the one guy in the group who can be something special. Teams will have to double-team or chip-block him at times to keep him out of the backfield. He's got a huge motor, is all football, and will be a Pro Bowl caliber performer pretty soon.

4. Someone needs to apprise wideout Peter Warrick, the third-year veteran and the fourth player selected overall in the 1999 draft, that his best shot at success is to play the slot wide receiver position. The former Florida State waterbug had a team-best 70 catches in 2001 but averaged a pedestrian 9.5 yards per reception. Isn't this the playmaker who was supposed to be a touchdown waiting to happen when he entered the league? Problem is, Warrick lacks the size and speed to play outside, can be bullied and knocked off the ball, and can't run past many corners in the league. He is more quick than fast, still retains some elusiveness, and should work principally between the hashes. Sure, he'll take more of a beating having to navigate through safeties and dropping linebackers, but he'll also get matched up with slower players while operating inside, and have the opportunity to add yards after the catch. Bratkowski ought to watch some tape of how Pittsburgh counterpart creates things for wide receiver Hines Ward, and install similar packages for Warrick. The tiny wideout fancies himself a burner. He isn't, and the sooner he realizes that, the more productive he will be.

5. Not too deep into the season, Cincinnati figures to be starting a pair of rookies at the two safety spots. Second-round pick Lamont Thompson already has been installed as the starting free safety. The former Washington State star set a Pac 10 record with 24 career interceptions. Factoid: Since 1997, the Bengals safeties have totaled 21 interceptions. Thompson is a physical specimen who can hit and has tremendous range for a player his size (6-feet-1, 220 pounds). Sixth-round choice Marquand Manuel of Florida probably won't be in the lineup for the opening of the season, but the bet here is that he's starting by midseason. Manuel dropped in the draft because most league scouts didn't feel that he ran well enough. The Bengals did their homework on him, realized he looked slower on tape because of the scheme in which he played, and took a chance. Unless we're missing our bet, the gamble on Manuel will pay off.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.