CLEVELAND - The Bengals were within a field goal of tying the Browns in the first quarter of Cleveland's 20-7 thumping Sunday afternoon, so they brought in their ace kicker - Neil Rackers - to finish the job. Or so it seemed.

        Rackers, who has been perfect from field-goal range this season, appeared to have a 51-yard field goal attempt. But the Bengals lined up in a field goal set and attempted a pooch punt. Rackers fumbled Brad St. Louis' direct snap, then executed in a panic. His punt landed out-of-bounds on the Cleveland 35-yard line for a 2-yard loss.

        Special teams coach Al Roberts said the designed play, which was used once last season, was botched in part by a bad snap and a startled kicker.

        “The ball snapped a bit to the left of (Rackers) and he expected it right as his chest. He wasn't ready to move laterally to get it, and it surprised him. He didn't catch it,” Roberts said. “He tried to survive the down.”

        The ploy drew Cleveland to the line of scrimmage. Coach Dick LeBeau said the goal was to kick the ball safely inside the 10-yard line.

        “We had them drawn up where we wanted them, but we fumbled the snap. We ended up giving them the ball where we would have if we had missed the field goal,” LeBeau said.

        Nick Harris was plowing downfield when the plan went awry and didn't see what happened. His duties were to stop the ball from going into the end zone.

        “Since there's no return back there, we like to get the ball on the ground and let it roll and roll,” Harris said. “I was just running and doing my job and the ball wasn't getting where it was supposed to be.”

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