I hate to say it, but I expect a loss.

[walshfan]

Hey lets face the facts ..any team can win in the NFL.. upsets every week..

I expect a win but they still have to go out a perform to the best of their abilities.

The Browns have something to prove and they arent going to lay down in the season opener at home in front of the Dawgpoung... Thats just not going to happen.

Dilfer has a 97.5 lifetime rating against the Bengals and though it has been against a completely different team we are now fielding that has to be somewhat comforting to him to know he has done it in the past against Cincy..

Im still looking for a 24-20 something game with us victorious...

[Jonboat]

I have to say, I can't hardly take anyone who isn't a little bit homerish right now...What is not to like about our team except it's history?

We've got an up and coming QB, 2 good RB's, great recievers, a great O-line, a good D-line, an opprotunistic secondary, a great kicker, good special teams, solid coaching, and a good amount of returning players who have jelled well ...And we are healthier than ever.

We are better than the Browns, just about everybody thinks so, why shouldn't we win...because of hocus pocus..."We've always had a slow start"..."The Browns always play us tough"..give me a break...

Live a little..dream big...be gutsy...there are no guarantees, but if you think we are better than the Browns, say so damn it, and quit being a woos

And everyone said, "Amen"

WE ARE BETTER THAN THE CLOWNS!!!! AMEN BROTHER !! LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED BRING ON THE CLOWNS :player: GO BENGALS!!! Jonboat

[turningpoint]

Hell I'll never be fully confident of us winning even if it was the eave of the superbowl...this is how it is for all people IMO.

[Columbusbengal]

I expect them to win, but after all the years of losing, how could you not have that unsettled feeling in the pit of your stomach?

The thing that REALLY scares me is that the Bengals players themselves might have the same unsettled feeling. That is what will kill them. They have to stay totally focused on what they are supposed to do on each play and shut out all feelings of winning or losing.

I always remember the first game of the season (against Seattle) the year the Bengals went to the Super Bowl the first time. The Bengals were coming off a typical losing season and Ken Anderson choked in the first half (at home) and was replaced by Turk Schonert. Schonert had nothing to lose and led the team back to a slim victory. After that, all the fans thought Turk would remain the QB, but Coach Gregg put Kenny back in for the next game and the Bengals didn't really look back the rest of the year. Somehow getting through the first win suddenly released all the pressure on the team and they just played up to their abilities. I hope the Bengals get lucky and win this game. If they do, I suspect they will play up to their potential (or even over their heads) the rest of the season.

[Kirkendall]

If we lose Sunday, which we won't, this city will cease to exist Monday.

[membengal]

If we lose Sunday, which we won't, this city will cease to exist Monday.

Well, no question 99.9% of Bengals fans are on egg-shells in terms of confidence at this point.

Dunno about the team, but 1-0 would do wonders for the fan base for a change.

[Stripes]

If we lose Sunday, which we won't, this city will cease to exist Monday.

Well, no question 99.9% of Bengals fans are on egg-shells in terms of confidence at this point.

Dunno about the team, but 1-0 would do wonders for the fan base for a change.

That it would indeed, but I also think a large majority of Bengalsdom expects to beat Cleveland.

If we can nail the home opener against the Vikes, that's when the expectations will start to inflate!

:player:

[John Stofa]

Expect to lose? No way. Yes, we got drilled in our 2003 opener, but we were not a very good team then and the Broncos were. That game wasn't a big shock. Last year we played a pretty good game against the jets and it could have gone either way. That was a Jets team that went on to make the playoffs and would have been in the AFC championship game if they had a kicker. Also, the season opener last year was the first start for Carson Palmer. That loss was no disgrace.

This year is different. We're a better team now. A legitimate playoff contender. I've seen us ranked anywhere from 7th to 15the in the preseason power rankings. Cleveland on the other hand is not very good right now. They're playing their first game for a new head coach and they've been hit fairly hard by injuries already. I've seen them ranked as low as dead last in the preseason power rankings. Obviously those rankings mean nothing, but make no mistake about it; this is a game the Bengals should win if they take care of business. I get that "feeling" in my stomach before all Bengals games, because I care so freaking much. But it's more anxiety than anything else. I expect us to win Sunday, and I think we will.

WHO DEY!

[bengalindian]

the crowd will be chanting, and the stands will reverberate with the chant of "Who Dey!".  The name Rudi will be chanted with thunderous might (hey, his name is much easier to chant than Chris Perry).

I dunno about that one.

"RU-DI, RU-DI, RU-DI"

"PER-RY, PER-RY, PER-RY"

Sounds good to me.

How bout this one?

"WHO-DEY"

"WHO-DEY"

[Stripes]

the crowd will be chanting, and the stands will reverberate with the chant of "Who Dey!".  The name Rudi will be chanted with thunderous might (hey, his name is much easier to chant than Chris Perry).

I dunno about that one.

"RU-DI, RU-DI, RU-DI"

"PER-RY, PER-RY, PER-RY"

Sounds good to me.

How bout this one?

"WHO-DEY"

"WHO-DEY"

Sounds great if you can manage to drown out all the BOOOOOOOs that will be flooding the Dawg Pound!

[Dadraftnick]

Hey lets face the facts ..any team can win in the NFL.. upsets every week..

I expect a win but they still have to go out a perform to the best of their abilities.

The Browns have something to prove and they arent going to lay down in the season opener at home in front of the Dawgpoung... Thats just not going to happen.

Dilfer has a 97.5 lifetime rating against the Bengals and though it has been against a completely different team we are now fielding that has to be somewhat comforting to him to know he has done it in the past against Cincy..

Im still looking for a 24-20 something game with us victorious...

Dilfer HAD a 97.5 rating against the Bengals.That was a much younger Dilfer with the line of the Ravens NOT the Browns !!! The brownies are going to make brownies in their panties when the Bengals walk on the field!!

I will say this,the Browns have looked in pre-season and the Bengals have looked OK not great.I remember when the Bengals had a top 10 Defence,I told my brother ,after seeing them in pre-season that year,that the Defence was going to be good that year.I am not so sure of the Bresnahan defence.And I still cant get over the fact that the Bengals have refused to draft a pass rushing sack artist defense end,which has been one of their biggest needs in the last 12 years that bening there is NO WAY IN HELL THAT THE BROWNIES WIN THIS GAME!!!!!!!!

Bengals 99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999 Browns 0

[redsfan2]

Rev ........ I left in the " solid coaching " because I'm not as sure about that. I have 2 thoughts on that.

#1 If the offense doesn't live up to expectations ..... Brat is going to have a lot more bar time available to him after this season. Him and Frazier can go on a real toot and they won't have to drive anywhere either.

#2 If the defense is not vastly improved ... I think there'll be a couple of position coaches jettisoned. I think Bresnahan has a year with this group. If it falls short in one area ... linebackers ... line ... etc. Then I'd look for that coach to get deep sixed and a new guy of Bresanhans choice and Marvins OK to be brought in. If that doesn't work ... then he'll be able to look up Frazier and Brat.

I agree about Brat...I'm not much of a Brat fan at all. If Brat is gone after this season (can we fire him even if we do win the Super Bowl-probably not), then I will personally stand outside of PBS on a food strike, or eating nothing but salads, which is the smae thing, until they hire Zampese as O-coordinator.

I love the Zamp..I agree with you on the position coaches, as long as it isn't Coyle...I think he develops talent well...Madieu, Keiwan

I'm kind of back and forth on Brat. It seems to me that he has a really great game plan one week ..... and the next he forgets that we've got running backs.

In his defense, he hasn't had a double barrelled weapon like Rudi and Chris Perry ( seems to be ) since he's been here. It should allow him to do things this year that he just wasn't able to do in the past because he didn't have the players to make it happen.

We should be able to get a read on him in this game tho. Browns defense should be stiff enough to make Brat either measure up or melt down. Browns are hobbled, but still dangerous and most likely anxious to make their new coach and themselves look good at our expense.