Before the game, a new football season offered a clean slate for the Bengals and prompted a new wave of optimism Sunday for the most die-hard fans - the tailgaters.

        “You know, in August and September, there's always hope,” said 59-year-old Villa Hills resident Rich Gaudett as he and his wife, Sue, sat under the shade of a bridge in a parking lot next to Paul Brown Stadium.

        “I really believe this year they have a shot at the playoffs.”

        A few hours later, fans were leaving the stadium in droves as the Bengals fell 34-6 to the San Diego Chargers.

        But there's more to being a football fan than the score.

        “Me, I love the tailgating,” said Mrs. Gaudett, 53. “We love the camaraderie.”

        The Gaudetts and their friends cook everything from a Thanksgiving turkey dinner to gourmet burgers, served on a table draped with a black-and-orange-striped tablecloth.

        Their friends couldn't attend the game Sunday, but they tailgated anyway, simplifying the feast with hot dogs.

        Apparently, more than 11,000 other people couldn't make it, either. The game failed to sell out, marking the second season-opener in the 3-year-old stadium with empty seats. Attendance in the 65,000-seat stadium was 53,705.

        Mr. Gaudett was surprised that the game didn't sell out. When he moved here in 1992 from Connecticut, the Giants fan couldn't believe he could see an NFL game without paying $400 for a ticket.

        “This town is so negative sometimes. They don't realize what they have,” he said.

        Underneath another bridge, Ron and Janice Carter of Middletown tailgated with their nephew and his wife.

        “I think they're a lot better than they have been,” Mr. Carter, 67, said of the Bengals. “I think they've improved with the draft and the free agent.”

        The two couples wore Bengals shirts and feasted on barbecued ribs, cantaloupe, potato salad, pasta salad and raw vegetables.

        Tailgaters draped themselves in orange and black. They planted orange and black flags or umbrellas on their tables. They sat in Bengals director's chairs. Men tossed footballs.

        Mike Brooks, 35, of Finneytown, had three Bengals flags and an American flag fastened to his tan Ford F350 crew cab. Food was served from a table he made to resemble a Bengals helmet.

        He regularly tailgates with 12 to 20 friends and family members and has his own Web site, www.bengalsfanatics.com. The Web site lists the group's tailgating menu for each home game. Sunday's fare was french toast, pancakes, eggs, hash-brown casserole, bacon and sausage.

        Mr. Brooks guesses it will be a 10-6 season with playoffs.

        Mr. Brooks hasn't missed a game in the 12 years he's been a season ticket-holder, but he's been a fan for much longer.

        How long?

        “When that man in the "99' shirt put my crib by the TV, and I've been a Bengals fan ever since,” he said, pointing at his father, Lee Brooks of Finneytown.

        “They're going to win it all, of course,” the elder Mr. Brooks predicted. “I didn't dare say anything else.”

        Mr. Brooks turned 74 on Friday and celebrated Sunday with a chocolate cake shaped like a football field.

        He's been to every Bengals game for the past 12 years.

        “It's quality time with my son,” he said. “We have more fun at tailgating parties than at the football game.”

        Walking to the game, Jerry and Brandi Martin of Bloomington, Ill., wore Bengals jerseys. Mr. Martin's left leg was freshly tattooed with a Bengals emblem.

        He carried their 17-month-old daughter, Sami, dressed as a Bengal cheerleader.

        But wait a minute, if they're from Illinois, shouldn't they be fans of Da Bears?

        “Oh, noooo!” Mr. Martin said. “I grew up in Kentucky.”

        “He's a die-hard fan,” his wife said, “even when they're losing.”

        Complete Bengals coverage

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