By Mark Curnutte
Enquirer staff writer

TAMPA, Fla. - Tampa Bay turned two early Bengals turnovers into 10 points and limited them to two field goals, winning the preseason opener for both teams, 20-6, Monday night.

PHOTO GALLERY

Photos of Monday's game

Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer was 3-for-8 passing for 74 yards and a first-possession interception that bounced off T.J. Houshmandzadeh's hands into the arms of Buccaneers cornerback Ronde Barber.

"We did do some good things in the passing game," Palmer said. "It can always be better, though."

Tampa Bay running back Earnest Graham scored both of the game's touchdowns on runs of 2 yards in the second quarter and 3 yards in the fourth quarter.

Besides the two turnovers, the Bengals gave up five sacks without getting to Tampa Bay's quarterbacks once.

Houshmandzadeh also was ruled out of bounds on what could have been a 14-yard touchdown pass from Jon Kitna late in the second quarter,

"We want to be better in that,' Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said in reference to mistakes. "We had a couple of line misses and dropped a couple of balls. We had two turnovers early in the gsame, which you can't do."

INSIDE CAMP

Today's schedule The Georgetown College training camp is closed today. Players will report tonight and attend meetings Wednesday morning. The practice originally scheduled for Wednesday morning has been canceled. Directions From downtown: Take I-75 South about 70 miles to Exit 126 (Georgetown, Ky.). Turn right off ramp onto U.S. 460 West. Stay on 460 for about 2 miles. Turn right at light onto Lemons Mill Road (1962 West). Turn right into driveway flanked with Georgetown College/Bengals signs. Coming up The Georgetown College complex is closed today but will re-open at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday. The Bengals will practice from 6:15-8:30 p.m. Wednesday and twice Thursday, from 10-11:30 a.m. and from 4-5:30 p.m. Camp opens to fans at 8:30 a.m. Thursday. Injury report • Left guard Eric Steinbach (elbow), wide receiver Peter Warrick (knee), tight end Reggie Kelly (thumb) and fullback Jeremi Johnson (groin) did not start Monday night because of injuries. Palmer watch Quarterback Carson Palmer was 1-for-4 passing on his first drive with an interception, which bounced off wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh's hands. On the second drive, Palmer was 2-of-4 for 64 yards, including a 41-yard completion to Kelley Washington. Monday's highlights Rudi Johnson ran seven times for 24 yards on the first two drives. Kicker Shayne Graham was good on a 36-yard field goal. Rookie running back Chris Perry fumbled and lost his first NFL carry in the second quarter. Preseason schedule Sat. - NEW ENGLAND, 7:30 p.m. Aug. 28 - at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 3 - INDIANAPOLIS, 7:30 p.m.

The Bengals were held scoreless in the second half.

Palmer, making his first appearance since Aug. 29, 2003, in the preseason, threw a little high on a couple of passes that still should have been caught.

"But it felt good to be out there on the field," he said. "It's been so long since I played."

Said Lewis, "I thought (Palmer) managed the offense well."

Tampa Bay turned the Palmer interception into three points on its opening drive, scoring on a 20-yard field goal by Martin Gramatica.

The game was pushed back two days because of the threat posed by Hurricane Charley in the Tampa Bay area. Bengals arrived in Tampa on Sunday afternoon after spending the previous three nights in a hotel in Orlando.

The Bengals unveiled their new uniforms, wearing the black jerseys with the orange sleeves and a white stripe down each side under the arm.

Palmer showed his ability to make a big play on the second drive. He rolled right out of the pocket and connected with Kelley Washington for a 42-yard gain on the first play.

On a third-and-17 from the Tampa Bay 44, Palmer threw a strike to Chad Johnson on a crossing pattern. The drive stalled on the 18, and Graham was good on a 36-yard field goal to tie the game at 3.

The Buccaneers took a 6-3 lead on the next possession when Gramatica was good from 46 yards. The Bucs hurt themselves with two 15-yard penalties after having a first and 10 from the Bengals 11. A clipping penalty, followed by a leg-whip block, pushed the Buccaneers back to first and 39 from the 40.

Rookie running back Chris Perry made his debut on the third series. His reception on the first play was nullified by a penalty for an illegal formation.

On the next play, Perry took a handoff and ran up the middle, and through he had the ball cradled, defense end Dewayne White stripped the ball. Tackle DeVone Claybrooks recovered for Tampa Bay at the 19-yard line.

"If they said it was a fumble, I guess it was a fumble,' Perry said. "Somebody just reached in and knocked the ball loose."

Lewis unsuccessfully challenged the call, claiming that Perry's knee was down by contact.

After Perry's fumble, former Cleveland Browns running back Jamel White ran 16 yards on the first two plays, and on the drive's fourth play, Earnest Graham ran into the end zone from the 2. Gramatica's extra point gave the Bucs a 13-3 lead.

Palmer's night ended midway through the second quarter, and backup Jon Kitna took control of the offense on the Bengals' fourth drive.

Kitna led a long drive, and on third down from the Tampa Bay 14-yard line, Kitna had Houshmandzadeh wide open in the left corner of the end zone. But Houshmandzadeh could not get his second foot down.

"I thought I had it," Houshmandzadeh said. "It was real close, but I thought I had it."

The Bengals settled for a 32-yard field goal from Graham for a 13-6 score.

The Bengals appeared to suffer one serious injury Monday night. Punter Kyle Richardson said in the locker room that he tore a biceps muscle and that it would likely require surgery.

The Bengals had no official comment on Richardson's or any other injuries.

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E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

Cincinnati	3	3	0	0-6
Tampa Bay	3	10	0	7-20

First Quarter
TB-FG Gramatica 20, 4:33.
Cin-FG S.Graham 36, 1:20.

Second Quarter
TB-FG Gramatica 46, 8:51.
TB-E.Graham 2 run (Gramatica kick), 6:22.
Cin-FG S.Graham 32, 2:15.

Fourth Quarter
TB-E.Graham 3 run (Gramatica kick), 4:20.

A-56,184.

	Cin	TB
First downs	18	19
Total Net Yards	230	345
Rushes-yards	22-84	28-90
Passing	146	255
Punt Returns	2-9	2-25
Kickoff Returns	5-110	3-74
Interceptions Ret.	0-0	1-0
Comp-Att-Int	16-34-1	22-29-0
Sacked-Yards Lost	5-27	0-0
Punts	4-41.3	3-41.0
Fumbles-Lost	3-1	1-0
Penalties-Yards	9-70	14-129
Time of Possession	26:55	33:05

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING-Cincinnati, R.Johnson 7-24, Perry 5-22, Kitna 1-11, Washington 1-11, Hicks 5-10, Bramlet 1-7, Goodman 2-(minus 1). Tampa Bay, White 5-27, Bennett 4-19, E.Graham 7-15, Pittman 3-10, M.Jones 1-9, B.Johnson 1-5, Griese 2-3, Alstott 4-2, Simms 1-0.

PASSING-Cincinnati, Palmer 3-8-1-74, Kitna 7-15-0-58, Bramlet 6-11-0-41. Tampa Bay, B.Johnson 3-3-0-49, Simms 12-15-0-110, Griese 7-11-0-96.

RECEIVING-Cincinnati, Walter 4-31, Broussard 3-13, Washington 2-58, C.Johnson 2-32, Young 1-17, Hayes 1-9, Goodman 1-6, Ziesel 1-5, Lynch 1-2. Tampa Bay, Murphy 3-47, Clayton 3-39, E.Graham 3-34, Schroeder 2-41, M.Knight 2-32, Cook 2-19, Heller 2-12, M.Jones 1-12, Pittman 1-8, Comella 1-4, Shepherd 1-4, White 1-3.

MISSED FIELD GOAL-Tampa Bay, Gramatica 43 (WL).

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