Rehberg gets the nod in place of Matt O'Dwyer, who is serving a one-game suspension for violating the league's anti-violence policy.

        Several Browns questioned Rehberg's toughness last year when he missed a game with the flu. Rehberg will be counted on to open holes for running back Corey Dillon, who figures to get a couple of dozen carries. The more Dillon runs the better the game is for Cincinnati.

        The Browns defensive line collected four sacks last week, after getting only 25 all of last year.

        Rehberg is 6-foot-8, 330 pounds and in his fourth year from Central Michigan.

When Bengals pass
        The Bengal to watch every week could be Akili Smith, but his performance in Game 1 could set the tone for the whole season.

        He has a few more potential distractions to deal with this week — the pageantry surrounding the opening of Paul Brown Stadium, his perceived personal rivalry with Cleveland quarterback Tim Couch and the presence of his cousin, Marquis Smith, as a starting safety in the Browns secondary.

        Marquis Smith said that if he were his cousin, he couldn't wait to throw the ball against a Cleveland defense that gave up 301 yards passing to Mark Brunell.

        He's one of seven new starters on the defense, which ranked 31st overall, 31st against the run and 11th against the pass last season.

When Browns run
        Errict Rhett is the featured back in Cleveland, replacing Terry Kirby, who was released last month.

        Kirby was a better pass receiver, but Rhett has two 1,000-yard rushing seasons in six years. He ran for 852 yards last year in Baltimore and was signed as an unrestricted free agent in February. He ran for 64 yards on 14 carries last week behind a revamped line that has three new starters — tackle Roman Oben and Steve Zahursky and guard Everett Lindsay.

        Rhett also caught five passes for 13 yards.

        The Browns were questioned for giving up on the running game too early in their loss to Jacksonville, even though they trailed only 10-7 at halftime. Quarterback Tim Couch had Cleveland's only two other rushing attempts.

When Browns pass
        Look for Bengals outside linebacker Steve Foley, who led the nation with 18¹/₂ sacks as a defensive end at Northeast Louisiana, to blitz Couch.

        The Bengals had only three quarterback sacks and didn't get much pressure from the defensive line. Part of the line's problem was two main players in the rotation, tackle Tom Barndt and end Michael Bankston, didn't play because of injuries.

        Former linebacker Reinard Wilson was switched to defensive end to rush the passer, but that move doesn't appear to be working out yet. If the line doesn't put pressure on Couch, the Bengals will send Foley.

        The other linebackers, Takeo Spikes and Brian Simmons, are both faster than Foley and better in pass coverage.

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