Matchup: Rudi, Rudi, Rudi

Johnson

"If they can stop the run with seven in the box, then Jones can help out in the secondary. But if they need to put him down in the box, that is going to make it hard against the pass."

Even before left outside linebacker Antwan Peek and right end Robaire Smith were ruled limited, The Chief observed, "When I think of Cleveland, I don't think about pass rushers. I think about a team that's philosophy starts with stopping the run."

Asked if that was trash talking, Palmer shrugged. "No, I'm just being honest," he said. "I'm not trying to stir him up. If he ends up reading this quote, he'll say, 'He's right.' It's not talking trash. I'm just speaking the truth."

But Palmer is still a big supporter of Tab Perry, who does have some numbers against the Browns. Last year he caught a 26-yarder against Cleveland and had three catches for 37 yards in the 34-17 win early in the season. Perry's size may be a factor crossing under the Crennel Cover 2.

Exhibit A: The man replacing Joey Porter, linebacker James Harrison, blew up quarterback Charlie Frye on the first series.

The Chief: "Six turnovers is six turnovers. I mean, that's amazing. I saw an interview with Marvin Lewis and he said when they broke down the last six games against the Ravens it came down to turnovers. It shows the coaches had them ready and that the players responded very intensely to what they were told to do."

Which means the Bengals will probably make Anderson beat them by stacking the line on old friend Jamal Lewis. Since starting his career with seven straight 100-yard games against the Bengals, he's had one since 2005 and been held to an average of 74 yards in the last four games. Lewis came into camp at a slim 239 pounds, but when the Browns fell behind so quickly last Sunday he could manage just 35 yards on 11 carries.

Plus, the Bengals are trying to time up speed with the new personnel. They also allowed 140 yards in kick returns.