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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
CINCINNATI (AP) -- For Tim Couch and the Cleveland defense, it
was the sweetest sort of revenge.
Couch outplayed Akili Smith in their long-awaited rematch and
Cleveland piled up seven sacks, dominating the Cincinnati Bengals
24-7 Sunday in the first meaningful game at their glitzy new
stadium.
|  | | Bengals quarterback Akili Smith didn't have the same success Sunday that he did in Cleveland last season. |
Couch, who was angered by Smith's chest thumping and Dawg Pound
baiting last October, passed for 259 yards and two touchdowns in
his finest game yet.
As the clock wound down and woofs from Browns fans filled Paul
Brown Stadium for the first time, Couch walked to midfield and
shook Smith's hand, then jogged off the field without a gesture.
None was needed.
"The best part about it was other than throwing a game-winning
touchdown, to just kneel down at the end of the game, toss the ball
to the ref and walk away with a little smile on your face," Couch
said.
The Browns (1-1) had never gotten do to that. Their two
victories as an expansion team last year came in the closing
seconds.
This one wasn't in doubt after Couch threaded a 5-yard touchdown
pass to Marc Edwards for a 24-7 lead with 11:47 left and raised
both arms in triumph, the final comeuppance for his counterpart in
stripes.
"I ain't going to lie: It drove me the whole week long," said
Couch, who completed 19-of-31 and threw to 10 receivers. "It
wasn't personal, it was just a matter of going out and wanting to
beat him bad. That's just the way it is."
The Bengals (0-1) wanted to win this game as badly as any in
franchise history. The team that lost more games than any other in
the '90s talked all summer about a fresh start in the $453 million
stadium named for its founder.
Instead, Paul Brown's first team came away with the first win.
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TOM DONAHOE'S BREAKDOWN |
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This was the opening of Paul Brown Stadium -- and not a good day for the Bengals.
Tim Couch has been maligned as a quarterback in Cleveland this preseason, and this was a breakout game for him as he threw for 259 yards and made some big plays.
This is a disappointing start for Cincinnati, but the Bengals have some good players on offense and should be able to improve as the season goes along.
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"I know it was special for me because the stadium is named
after Paul Brown and I'll take it to my grave -- that I won the
first game in Paul Brown Stadium," Cleveland coach Chris Palmer
said.
It was a bitter day for Smith, who threw two interceptions,
repeatedly overshot receivers and got his chest pounded into the
wet, lush grass by the Browns' front line.
Keith McKenzie had three of Cleveland's seven sacks on Smith,
who completed only 15-of-43 for 250 yards. As much as it pained him
to admit it, Couch was better.
"That's real disappointing," Smith said of Bengals'
performance. "That's a real letdown. There was the rivalry with
Couch, the home opener, 65,000 fans -- everything. I just didn't get
it done."
Rookie Peter Warrick, who had predicted victory over the Browns,
dropped three passes and made only one noteworthy play: a
one-handed catch on a 46-yard reception late in the game. He had
three catches overall for 80 yards.
"I just dropped them. I took my eye off the ball," Warrick
said. "That's something I've worked on my whole life. I could've
gotten something big out of it, too."
Smith came of age in his first NFL start in Cleveland last year,
leading a last-minute touchdown drive to an 18-17 win. The rematch
turned into Couch's coming-out party.
Couch, whom the Browns drafted over Smith last year, set the
tone on the game's first play. He audibled out of a run and threw a
65-yard completion to David Patten, who ran past Artrell Hawkins.
Travis Prentice, a rookie from nearby Miami (Ohio), ran 16 yards
on a pitchout for a 7-0 lead one series later.
Smith's 4-yard pass to rookie Ron Dugans tied it early in the
second quarter. Dugans started to do the Ickey Shuffle at the back
of the end zone before he was hugged by teammates, interrupting the
scripted celebration.
That's the way the whole afternoon went for the Bengals, who
couldn't get anything right.
Couch made the game's grittiest play in the second quarter,
rolling away from the rush and standing his ground while John
Copeland closed on him. Couch was driven into the ground after he
threw a 4-yard pass to Mark Campbell at the back of the end zone,
then jumped up and raised his passing arm in celebration of a 14-7
lead.
The Bengals looked much like the NFL's worst team of the '90s,
just in a different setting. They fumbled three times and Orpheus
Roye blocked Neil Rackers' 42-yard field-goal attempt.
They heard loud boos when Smith threw his second interception
with 8:52 left. Bengals fans then headed home, leaving Cincinnati's
new stadium to the Dawgs.
Game notes
Browns G Jim Pyne sprained his right knee during the
celebration of Couch's first TD pass. WR JaJuan Dawson broke his
collarbone. ... LB Brian Simmons, who led the Bengals in tackles
last season, tore cartilage in his right knee in the second half.
The Bengals said he'll need surgery, and will be sidelined at least
10-12 weeks. ... The Browns rolled up 354 yards, their best total
as an expansion team. ... Browns P Chris Gardocki set an NFL
record, extending his streak of punts without a block to 630. ...
John Jackson took over for Rod Jones at LT in the second half, but
the Bengals' line still struggled. ... The Bengals are 7-29 in
August and September the last 10 years.
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ALSO SEE
NFL Scoreboard
Cleveland Clubhouse
Cincinnati Clubhouse
Week 2 wrap-ups
Week 2 infirmary report
TJ's Take on Week 2
Week 2 stats leaders
Prime Time Players
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