He was Cincinnati's general manager until his death in 1991. His son, Bengals president Mike Brown, had asked the NFL for Cleveland to be Cincinnati's first opponent in the stadium. I told the league I thought it would be appropriate,'' Brown said. The Bengals previously announced the stadium's first game will be a preseason contest Aug. 19 against the Chicago Bears. There will be some things that need to get done, but we can play there,'' Brown said.
Teams can request opponents but there are no guarantees.
Last season, Cleveland asked for archrival Pittsburgh to be its season-opening opponent, and the NFL complied. Both Ohio teams feature unusual schedules. That means both clubs will play 16 straight games without a break. Neither Ohio team has any nationally televised Sunday night or Monday night games. Cincinnati hosts Miami, Denver and Arizona and travels to Dallas, New England and Philadelphia.