NFL: Rice guarantees win over Panthers

Johnson and Lynch tend to follow the politically correct approach of complimenting the other team and speaking highly about their strengths. They were true to form Wednesday when being asked about the Carolina Panthers -- Sunday's opponent for the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-4) -- during the open locker room session.

"They're a good football team that has found ways to win games," said Lynch about the 6-2 Panthers.

"They've been giving up yards but they haven't been giving up points, so that's the great thing about their defense," Johnson said.

As for Rice, who prefers the straightforward approach and who always manages to mix some obscure references into his comments, he set the respect bar for Carolina down at sea level.

"I guarantee a victory. I'm just not sure of the score," Rice said emphatically, imploring the reporters standing around him to print it. "I don't care if they put it in their attic. They can put it on their refrigerator. Who cares?"

And so with that -- once again -- the war of words between these two division rivals has begun.

During training camp back in July, Panthers defensive tackle Brenston Buckner fired the first salvo when he claimed that defensive tackle Kris Jenkins was better than the Bucs' Warren Sapp.

Sapp responded by pointing out Buckner's lack of Pro Bowl credentials by saying, "I don't thing Brenston Buckner has any pineapple in his diet," a reference to the Pro Bowl being played in Hawaii.

After the Sept. 14 game in Tampa, which was won by Carolina in overtime, 12-9, Buckner backed off his statements. He claimed he was responding to the question of who he thought was the best defensive tackle in the game, and not specifically who was better.

It's been a little over six weeks since the meeting in Tampa, and the noise appeared to have died down before Wednesday. The only other exchange of words was between Panthers punter Todd Sauerbrun and Bucs kicker Martin Gramatica, and Gramatica steered clear of the issue Wednesday, saying, "I don't even want to talk about him. He doesn't exist to me."

The problem is, Sauerbrun and the Panthers do exist, and will be looking for a season sweep Sunday in Charlotte -- guarantee or not.