Opener is sometimes the window to playoffs or
door that slams early
Sunday, September 11, 2005

Both Cleveland and Cincinnati need to start with
a win.


CLEVELAND (AP) — For most NFL fans, the regular
season opener is no ordinary game. It's special,
an annual celebration mixing hope and hype. The
opener also has deeper meaning for players, who
spent the off-season preparing for games that
count.

But for Browns rookie coach Romeo Crennel, it's
just another game. A day in Cleveland like all
others.

"It's one of 16," Crennel said. "If you can win
the first one, you can't lose them all."

Don't be fooled by Crennel's candor. There are
much higher stakes in today's matchup between the
Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals, teams
from two football-obsessed cities desperate for
change.

The Bengals expect to win.

The Browns aren't sure what to expect.

How's that for openers?

Statement maker

"It's big," said Cincinnati offensive tackle
Willie Anderson. "This game usually is down the
line in October or November. Starting off, I
think it's going to be a statement maker. I think
it's going to make a statement for both cities."

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis hasn't hidden his
desire to open the 2005 season with a victory. If
there's such a thing as a must-win in September,
this one would qualify.

In June, Lewis hung a digital clock — decorated
in Cleveland's brown and orange team colors — on
a wall in the Bengals' locker room to count down
the seconds until the Week 1 kickoff in
Cleveland.

"The clock was there last year and the year
before that, so don't take that too far," Lewis
told Cleveland's media earlier this week.

Still, Lewis' message to his players is clear:
It's time.

Cincinnati hasn't had a winning record since
1990, a sorry trend partially tied to the club's
inability to start strong. Since 1991, the
Bengals are just 11-41 in August and September.
By the time the Bengals get themselves
straightened out, it's too late.

They've opened 1-4 the past two years before
finishing 8-8.

"Our focus has been geared toward beginning our
season better than we did the last two seasons,"
Lewis said. "We get an opportunity here to write
that script as we go week in and week out."

Expecting to win is something new for the
Bengals, the NFL's striped poster children for
lost causes for more than a decade.

Bengals buoyed

Cincinnati is basing much of its restored hopes
on having all 11 starters back on offense, a
favorable early schedule and third-year
quarterback Carson Palmer, who improved steadily
last season after sitting out his entire rookie
year.

Palmer's supporting cast of wide receivers Chad
Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and running backs
Rudi Johnson and Chris Perry can bust off big
plays from anywhere. The Bengals showed their
explosiveness against the Browns last season in a
58-48 shootout, Butch Davis' finale as Cleveland
coach.

"They've got a lot of talent," Browns safety
Brian Russell said. "You can't focus on one guy.
They can run it, and they can throw it."

The brash Johnson was unusually low key this
week. A year ago, he sent bottles of Pepto-Bismol
to Browns defensive backs before their game in
Cleveland. Handwritten notes warned that they'd
need the antacid when they got done trying to
cover him.

There were no packages postmarked from Cincinnati
this week in Berea.

"I asked the defensive backs if they had any
[Pepto-Bismol] left over," Crennel joked.
"Hopefully, I won't need any."


"Tail-end Charlie in a Purple Heart Box"

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