If you're going to lose the game, at least be competitive doing so. Of the three Browns games this year, this was clearly the best game they played. Nobody, and I mean nobody picked them to win the game today, but they came out with intensity and executed a lot plays well en route to their 24-17 loss in Baltimore.
As I think back on this game, there isn't too much to criticize but I'll find something. But let's start with giving more props to Peyton Hillis and the offensive line. Today Hillis had the most yards against the Ravens in Browns franchise history with 144 yards and one touchdown on 22 carries. If that isn't worth the price of Brady Quinn, I'm not sure what is. They said it a whole lot on the TV broadcasts today, but it's so fun to watch Hillis because when he takes the ball from the quarterback, he gets to the line in a hurry and is looking to hit somebody. We saw time and time again today with him running and catching the ball, Hillis is just a big bruising back, and I think he's just what the Browns need to be the type of smash-mouth running team they want to be.
Now that I think about it, even though my primary thoughts are overwhelmingly positive about this game, there were a few frustrating elements. I'll start with my favorite whipping boy, Brian Daboll. When it's 3rd and 2 on your own 28 and you're down 7, how is it a good idea to throw deep down the field on the sideline? You have Ben Watson, a former 1st round pick by the New England Patriots, who caught a pass for a first down in a similar situation earlier in the game. Throw the ball on a quick out to him, pick up the first down and continue the drive. Or, you could run the ball with Hillis, who shredded the Ravens run defense all day long. Come on now Daboll...
Another thing is penalties. Terry Pluto has written this for the Plain Dealer multiple times this year and I think he's got a real point in that it's a concern that after the Browns were one of the least penalized teams in 2009, they just can't seem to stop committing self-inflicted wounds this season. The Browns committed 8 penalties for 60 yards today, matching the Ravens - who have a reputation for being among the top penalized in the league. However, the Browns did stay away from the turnover bug today which is a big part of the reason why they were in the game well into the fourth quarter.
And now to the Defense. I'm a big Rob Ryan fan; I think he's got great defensive schemes and he is a great sound bite much like his dad and his brother Rex. But today the D just was not as good as it needed to be, specifically the pass defense. I think a lot of that might have to do with the poor individual performance of Eric Wright against Anquan Bolden. Bolden had 8 receptions for 142 yards and 3 touchdowns, and it seemed like every time he made a big play #21 was somewhere in the vicinity looking confused, outmatched and outplayed. Yes, Bolden is a very talented receiver who can make many DB's look silly, but I think that Wright has shown in the past that he's got enough talent to cover elite receivers. That being said, Ravens QB Joe Flacco had 262 yards passing, so 120 of them went to Ravens without Bolden on the back of their jersey. And though the Browns held Ray Rice to under 100 yards rushing, I really think they could have done a better job scheming against Flacco, who had been driving the struggle bus in the last two weeks.
So what's the bottom line? Yes it's a big L to drop the season record to 0-3, but I definitely don't feel as bad about this team as I did last week. Being competitive well into the 4th quarter against the Ravens is certainly a better 0-3 than the dead duck loss that i was expecting. In fact, I really don't feel that bad about it. If they play this well next week - and I think that they'll improve or get better - they have a great chance against Carson Palmer, Chad Ochocinco, T.O and the Cincinnati Bengals.
~MAS
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