Stoked by a 2-0 start and stirred by a stunning performance last Sunday when the Cincinnati Bengals ran the Minnesota Vikings out of Paul Brown Stadium in the first quarter, local football fans are fired up.

With the Bengals going for their third straight win Sunday against the Bears in Chicago, Cincinnati fans already are talking about making the playoffs.

"When the Bengals are hot, there is nothing like it," said Dave Johnson of Norwood. "People dye their hair orange and paint trees orange. People have a bounce in their step again. It's a lot of fun."

It's about time.

The Bengals haven't had a winning season since 1990 and were the losingest team in the National Football League in the 1990s.

"A few years ago, people laughed at me when they saw me wearing a Bengals jersey," Johnson said. "Now, people can be proud to wear Bengals gear."

Sales of Bengals gear is a good measure of fan interest and it's soaring.

The Bengals Pro Shop at Paul Brown Stadium enjoyed its biggest sales day ever Sunday and is on pace to set a sales record this season.

Fans are gobbling up $75 replica jerseys bearing the names and numbers of Bengal stars Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson, Rudi Johnson and 10 other players.

Bengal caps, at $15 to $25, are popular and $90 Bengals cornhole games "are flying out of here," said pro shop manager Steve Wolf.

"Everybody is excited about the start of the season and the possibility of making the playoffs for the first time in 15 years," Wolf said.

Bengals Fever has even caught on nationally.

ESPN and other national media outlets took great interest in the team this week after the Bengals played brilliantly Sunday in jumping to a 14-0 lead over the stunned Vikings midway through the first quarter and cruising to a 37-8 rout.

"That was an eye-catching victory," said Bengals public relations director Jack Brennan, who handled national media requests all week.

"Carson Palmer was a No. 1 draft pick who is now coming into his own. Our team hasn't been to the playoffs in a while and that plays into the national interest. In a lot of ways among the national media, we're a fresh story among the 2-0 teams."

Brennan said he expects 65,328-seat Paul Brown to be sold out for all home games this season

That's great news for ticket brokers, who somehow manage to have tickets for sold-out games and sell them above face value for whatever the market allows. More>>>

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posted by ADMIN @ Saturday, September 24, 2005