TAMPA, Fla. — There are no former Bengals in Super Bowl XXXV. But there are some players who will be participating who could have worn orangeand black stripes.

        Bengals coach Dick LeBeau was the team's defen sive coordinator when the organization tried to woo two free agents who chose Baltimore and now start on the Ravens defense — tackle Tony Siragusa and safety Rod Woodson.

        Siragusa left Indianapolis after the 1996 season and signed with the Ravens. But a front-office mixup in Cincinnati didn't help the Bengals' chances.

        “They sent me a coach ticket,” said Siragusa, who's 6-foot-3, 342 pounds. “They really want to win there. They wanted to sign me to a multimillion dollar deal, and they try to fit me in a coach (seat).

        “I went to the airport. It was like a $600 ticket, and I called up whoever was bringing me in, and I sort of laughed. I said, "You're really kidding me, right?' And they said: "No, no. We treat ourpeople first class.' Yeah, first class.

        “So I pretty much took the limo that they gave me

        and used it for the whole day and told them to charge it to the Cincinnati Bengals. I said, "When you guys are serious, let me know.' And I went to the ticket counter, cashed the ticket in, got the 600 bucks and went and had a nice lunch. They did call back three weeks later and sent me a first-class ticket. Dick LeBeau took me out. We had a couple of beers. Good guy.”

        When people from around the NFL mention LeBeau's name, they speak respectfully.

        That's the case with Woodson, who played cornerback for the Steelers when LeBeau was defensive coordinator in the mid-1990s.

        Woodson played the 1997 season in San Francisco and then became a free agent. LeBeau was the Bengals' defensive coordinator at the time and wanted to bring Woodson to Cincinnati.

        But it was the artificial turf at the Bengals' former home, Cinergy Field, that prevented Woodson from playing for the Bengals.

        “Cincinnati had turf. That was the first thing,” said Woodson, a member of the NFL's 75th Anniversary Team. “I didn't want to play on turf any more than I had to. Plus, I looked at the talent in Baltimore and the talent they had on paper, and knowing (Ravens defensive coordinator) Marvin (Lewis), knowing the defense even though it was the same Dick LeBeau had in Cincinnati, the talent in Baltimore was so raw. But it was a good fit.”

        Woodson, like Lewis a former Steelers assistant coach when LeBeau was in Pittsburgh, had nothing but praise for LeBeau's influence on their lives.

        “He deserves it,” Woodson said of LeBeau's opportunity, at age 63, to become an NFL head coach. “He deserved it when he was in Pittsburgh. And he's gotten the opportunity to do it.”

        Woodson noticed a difference between the Bengals in their first meeting this season, a 37-0 Ravens victory over Bruce Coslet's team, and the second game played in Cincinnati after LeBeau had been promoted.

        “They respect him. Any time players respect the head coach, they play harder for him,” Woodson said.

        Lewis, Baltimore's defensive coordinator and architect of its record-setting defense, is expected to become Buffalo's head coach next week.

        “Dick has been somebody that I used to have his trading card,” Lewis said in reference to LeBeau's 1959-72 playing career with the Lions. “And the opportunity I spent with Dick in Pittsburgh — how he taught me about dealing with the players, the everyday contact of coaching — it's priceless what he did for me. Our relationship continues to go forward.

        “I really think he did an outstanding job in Cincinnati when he took over. He put his trademark on that team. They were going to be tough and very sound.”

        Ravens offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden, the fourth overall pick of the 1996 draft, also was mentioned as a possible Bengal. Cincinnati took offensive tackle Willie Anderson with the 10th pick that year.

        “I didn't really know Cincinnati was interested in me,” Ogden said. “I did have thoughts of being an Arizona Cardinal, because they picked third and a lot of people said they wanted me.

        “On draft day, you're just happy to be picked and you don't really care where you go. But maybe a couple of years later, you might say, "I wish I was somewhere else.' But I'm happy where I'm at.”

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