"All game long, Cedric Benson waited. He waited for small seams to open, for tiny cracks to sprout in the line. He waited for the little gains to turn into something big Sunday at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

All off-season, Benson waited, too.

He waited for resolution to two misdemeanor assault charges, waited to make a deal that would result in a 20-day sentence in jail, a quarter of which he would serve after credit for time served and volunteering to mop floors and help paint crews.

With Game 1 out of the way, just a week after he was released from a Texas jail, Benson's waiting was over. He rushed for 121 yards in the Bengals' 27-17 victory, capping his game-long grind with a 39-yard touchdown blast in which he said field opened up "like the Red Sea" as he put the final stamp on Cincinnati's triumph. "