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Just like last week, I tried to write this article immediately after Sunday's game, but unlike then, when my anger and frustration led to an immediate outpouring, Sunday's game left me so dumbfounded I didn't know what to say.

The Browns improbable (to say the least) 51-45 victory over the Bengals is exactly makes sports so much fun and addicting for the true fan. As a long suffering Browns fan (emphasis on suffering - Bengals fan, can you relate?), that game was a much needed tonic of fun, excitement and good news, and for one week at least, returned hope to Browns town and its millions of orange and brown inhabitants.

"I just wanted to go downhill at them, rush straight at them and see what they had. The seams were there. There was nothing hard about it." - Browns running back Jamal Lewis

Watching the game at the Winking Lizard with a surprisingly sparse crowd of Buckeye Browns Backers (many members were at the game, but I guess the weather was too nice for everyone else to watch the game in a bar) took me back more than a few years to the good old days when a gathering of Browns fans in a local establishment meant more cheering than cussing.

The game itself held more surprises than a Bill Clinton 40th birthday party in Arkansas. Not only the score itself, but the Browns offense and the Bengals defense were both so different from their previous game that if it wasn't for the uniforms, you'd swear that Roger Goodell made them swap with the '99 Rams (Browns) and the '76 Buccaneers (Bengals) for the sake of league parity for a day.

How to account for a game in which one offense was expected to score no more than 13 or 15 points at best, that ended up with 11 touchdown passes (6 by Carson Palmer, 5 by Derek Anderson), almost 1500 yards of offense (including kick returns), a 200 yard rusher (Jamal Lewis), and more big plays in one game than the Browns had ALL last season?

From the fan's perspective, it was a fabulous game to watch. The Bengals fans were in disbelief throughout most of the game, and the Browns fans (as I witnessed) were almost as much in a state of shock as Bengals fans, but for once it was a good state of shock, if there is such a thing.

After the Browns first game of the season, it seems ridiculous to feel such a heightened sense of enthusiasm and hope after only one more game, but that's the reality. Sure, their offense is not likely to surprise anyone now, and it's unrealistic to expect Anderson to throw 5 touchdown passes a game. But they showed what they are capable of with a good offensive line (no sacks by the Bengals) and a quarterback that can deliver the ball on time (memo to Frye, taking a sack is NOT a good thing) to 3 excellent receivers, and a running back that apparently has more horsepower left in him than what many thought. Even against a defense that doesn't make as many mistakes as the Bengals did on Sunday, and the Browns should at least be capable of putting up 20-26 points a game, and in the NFL that gives you an excellent chance to win.

So, back to where we started this season. Are the Browns a 4-12 team, or an 8-8 or even a 9-7 team? Who knows, all I care about for this week at least is that I can once again feel like a Browns fan and still keep that smile on my face. Stay tuned for the rest.

Tags: cincinnati bengals, cleveland browns