Steve Foley's laughter was affected, theatrical, too loud to be legitimate. The Bengals linebacker sounded like a man auditioning for a job as a talk show toady, like an amplified Ed McMahon, as his cackles echoed through the concrete corridors of Paul Brown Stadium.

        His joy, however, was genuine. The Bengals had repaid the Baltimore Ravens.

        “Last year, they tried to spit in our face,” Foley said. “They tried to run the score up after the game was over. They were showing us no respect. For us to play this kind of game today, it says a lot.”

        The Bengals beat the Super Bowl champions at their own game Sunday afternoon, applying pressure, causing turnovers, and doing nothing on offense to detract from their dominating defense. They avenged last year's 37-0 meltdown in Maryland — perhaps the lowest point in franchise history — with a 21-10 triumph that revived the long-dormant chant of “Who-Dey?”

        If the Bengals did not gain the last laugh Sunday, they nonetheless earned a lasting one.

        “It's big-time,” said wide receiver Darnay Scott. “I'm not a crying-type person, a person who mopes and moans, but I'm on my high horse right now. I've been here eight years and this is my first time being 2-0. It feels good.”

        Optimistic outlook

        The significance of Sunday's game can not be measured merely by the standings. Equally important are its impact on the players' confidence in themselves, their faith in their coaches and the public's perception of a franchise that has been tripping over its own feet for a decade. Football is a game played largely on emotion, and the operative emotion at Sunday's tilt was euphoria.

        One year to the day since Bruce Coslet's Custer-like last stand in Baltimore, the Bengals are tied for first place and lauding the leadership of Dick LeBeau.

        “When I first got here, it was terrible,” said tackle Willie Anderson. “In '96, you could name guys who basically quit in a ballgame or weren't really caring in practice. A lot of it had to do with the coaching ...

        “(Now) The mentality is different. We're talking about what we're going to do instead of what someone else is going to do to us.”
       

Making key plays
              

        In point of fact, the Bengals did not do all that much against Baltimore's suffocating defense. They amassed only 203 yards, achieved only 13 first downs and produced no touchdown drive longer than 33 yards.

        Yet while Ravens quarterback Elvis Grbac was throwing three interceptions and his associates were losing three fumbles, the Bengals carried the ball with care. Their only turnover was a fumbled punt by Peter Warrick, which preceded Baltimore's only touchdown.

        Earlier, backed up inside their 10-yard line for eight straight plays because of a penalty, the Bengals defense repelled the Ravens until linebacker Brian Simmons seized a ricochet interception. It was a goal-line stand worthy of Stalingrad.

        Steve Foley sensed that the Ravens looked on the Bengals as if, “you don't belong here.” His laughter said they may have miscalculated.

        “We hope the fans stay behind us,” Foley said, “even if something freaky happens — like we lose a game.”

        Contact Tim Sullivan at 768-8456; fax: 768-8550; e-mail: tsullivan@enquirer.com.

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