Bengals try to avoid letdown vs. Browns

After a big win over Baltimore, Cincinnati goes on the road to face a struggling Cleveland team. The Cincinnati Bengals say that they're not taking Cleveland for granted. Seeing will be believing when they invade the Dawg Pound known as Cleveland Browns Stadium today.  The Bengals will face a Cleveland squad eager to rebound from last week's embarrassing 34-7 home loss to Pittsburgh.  The Bengals also will try to give a Heisman Trophy-like stiff-arm to the "Monday Night Jinx."  Cincinnati holds a 34-33 edge in the "Battle of Ohio" rivalry and owns a 4-4 record the week after Monday night victories.

Do the Bengals have to avoid a letdown?

"Yeah, you do, anytime you come off a big Monday night game, a big division game, a physical matchup like we had," quarterback Carson Palmer said. "But I think this team is excited where we're at. Whether we're playing the New England Patriots, the Indianapolis Colts or the Cleveland Browns, we're going to be ready."  "Who's taking them lightly?" said wide receiver Chad Johnson. "This is a divisional game, man. Early wins will help us at the end of the season, where other games we play don't matter as much. If we win early, we'll be fine toward the end."  Overconfidence was a reason the Bengals were upset 14-13 at Tampa Bay last year.  "We've been down that road before," defensive end Robert Geathers said. "Our attitude is, 'Let's just go in there and get the job done.' "

Ugly losses, poor drafts, coaching instability and a losing mentality.  These words described the Cincinnati Bengals in the 1990s. Today, it describes the Cleveland Browns.

Although the Browns are in their ninth season since rejoining the NFL in 1999, a strong case can be made that the new Browns are the old Bengals. The in-state, AFC North rivals will meet today in Cleveland Browns Stadium, with the Bengals heavily favored. They have won five straight in the series.

Isaac Curtis set the Bengals' receiving yards record with 7,101 during a brilliant career from 1973-84.  But that record is about to fall at the hands of Chad Johnson, who stands 82 yards away from becoming the club leader.  Teammates called Curtis "The Ice Man" because of his blazing speed and smooth, graceful style. He made uniform No. 85 famous before Johnson was born in 1978. He also played his best games against the Cleveland Browns.  Curtis, who turns 57 on Oct. 20, is semi-retired as national sales director for Winegardner & Hammons Inc., a hotel management company based in the Cincinnati suburb of Blue Ash. His No. 1 hobby is golf, but he also hunts birds, deer and wild turkey in Eastern Ohio.

Q Your record stood for 23 years. You must be proud?   A I'm really surprised it's lasted this long with the number of catches these guys come up with these days. When I came into the league, there were 14 games. I thought Carl Pickens, Eddie Brown or Tim McGee would knock it down. It was a good run.

The Cincinnati Bengals are 4-4 the week after Monday Night Football victories. They haven't won after a MNF triumph since 1989. That year, Cincinnati beat the Browns in prime time in late September and followed up with a victory at Kansas City.

Ladies and gentleman, Friday is the best day of the week for two reasons, no work on the weekends and my impeccable power rankings. I’ve had four days to dissect everything but a frog. Forget what you have read on other sites, they’re wrong, I’m right and the Patriots cheat, that is as clear as I can be. For those of you not familiar with my rankings, it’s simple, I rank 12 teams, because 12 teams make the playoffs, oh yea, and I don’t ever rank the Browns, Redskins or Raiders because, well, their terrible, just like Britney Spears’ performance at the MTV video music awards, but that’s another article. Let’s get to the fun stuff…Oh, on a side note; I am ranking a lot of AFC teams this week, because comparing the NFC with the AFC is like comparing Menudo and the Beatles. One more thing, each ranking is followed by my pick for the team’s following game, if you need money, call your bookie, I am never wrong.

1. Cincinnati Bengals- Is it just me or did everyone else notice that the Ravens “lost” this game according to every expert in the country. Best week one victory goes to the Bengals, the “my whole team is injured” award goes to the Ravens. Bengals 31-13 over the Browns.

2. Indianapolis Colts- Wow, is New Orleans that bad or is Indy that good, for the sake of the Bengals Super Bowl hopes, I hope New Orleans is that bad. Look for a good game this week between the Colts and Titans. Indy 27-17.

Pressuring the Ravens' offense led to turnovers, something Bengals aim to repeat.

Bengals middle linebacker Ahmad Brooks mangles words like he mangles running backs. He invents words, such as "distruction."  As soon as Brooks uttered it, he was asked if he meant "disruption" or "destruction."  "Both," he said. "Sometimes I pronounce words wrong. Disruption and destruction. It's all the same thing. As long as I do that, I do my job."

Early in training camp, Brooks said the Bengals have a good, young, fast linebacker "corpse." He meant "corps." Numerous times, he's said he likes to "wreck" havoc in the "background." Translation: "wreak" havoc in the "backfield."  Brooks and his defensive teammates want to wreak havoc in Cleveland and wreck the Browns' offense Sunday — similar to Monday night when the Bengals forced six turnovers in a 27-20 victory over Baltimore.  "As a linebacker, you love it when the defensive coordinator calls for a blitz," Brooks said. "It allows me to get penetration and cause confusion in the backfield. That's how we won the game — getting turnovers and putting our offense in good field position. I'm ready to do it again."

Johnson plans jump into Pound if he scores Sunday!  Chad Johnson can discuss his Hall of Fame credentials if he leaps into the Dawg Pound in Cleveland Browns Stadium.

Dawg Pounders, consider yourselves warned. Bengals receiver Chad Johnson is coming.  Johnson said he plans to do a Lambeau Leap into that end-zone section of Cleveland Browns Stadium if he scores Sunday.  "I'm jumping in the Dawg Pound," he vowed. "It'll be fun, man. I love the Dawg Pound. I talked to a gentleman -- I'm not sure what his name is -- but he's sat there every year since my rookie year. Before every game, I go up to him and talk to him, a heavyset guy who wears a mask. I told him I'm going to jump in there."