By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Expectations for a Bengals opening-day victory might have been greater in 2002 or 1997.But excitement for the future among fans and players - and even in Cincinnati's corporate community - has reached new heights at the dawn of the Marvin Lewis era.

With Sunday's opener against Denver closing fast, Lewis did his best Wednesday to calm his team.

"I've talked to them about controlling their energy and the enthusiasm," Lewis said. "The energy and passion (are) going to be there, but we've got to be able to control it and channel it in the right direction."

Players were enthused when they got to work Wednesday after their day off, Lewis said.

The Bengals, the NFL's only home underdog this weekend (by 6 points), are close to selling out the opener. Lewis made another plea for fan support.

"Hopefully, the people in Cincinnati will step up and will finish that off for our players," Lewis said.

The Bengals have until 1 p.m. Friday to sell out Paul Brown Stadium and lift the local television blackout.

Lewis wants emotional fans. Not emotional players. He wants fans to be proud of the team. Not players who are playing with pride.

"Pride goes about that far," said Lewis, holding his thumb and index finger about an inch apart. "It's like emotion."

Controlling emotions is the biggest challenge in the first game, quarterback Jon Kitna said.

"Sometimes in openers you'll get down 14-0, and you were so excited and had such great expectations, when you get down 10-0, you feel like the game is over," Kitna said. "That's what we have to make sure doesn't happen."

The 2003 Bengals are a more confident team under Lewis, Kitna said. Twenty-four players on the 53-man roster this season were not with the team one year ago.

And, most important, Lewis is new and has brought a new attitude.

"It's not a wait-and-see-how-things-go type thing," Kitna said. "It's an expectancy that good things are going to happen because we put the work in. And we know that nobody's worked harder than we have throughout the offseason as a football team.

"That wasn't the case the last two years. I don't think everybody believed that. In that locker room right now, we just feel like we have what it takes to go out and win each week."

Lewis released several longtime Bengals players Sunday and Monday.

There has been an adjustment in the locker room, but Lewis said the turnover has helped the team find its personality.

"We knew we were going to change, and we knew we were going to be different in a lot of different areas," Lewis said. "I think the guys feel good about themselves because these are the guys that have been working together."

The personality?

"We're going to be tough and tenacious," Lewis said. "I think we're athletic. Those are things we've got to be. We're going to be aggressive and I think we have aggressive people."

E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

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