You know, when the game started I actually had a pretty bad feeling about it. It seemed to me like the Browns were just going to have a let down game after their first drive. But then they came back, overcame a situation where they had 2nd and 21, and ended up going the distance on a 16-play, 92 yard drive that took 9:57 off of the clock to score a touchdown on a play that I didn't even know could happen in the Browns favor. I feel like that was just something teams could only do to the Browns. And then the D has a huge let down, allowing the Jaguars to score a late first half touchdown to put them up 10-7 going into the half.
Offensively, the Browns have looked pretty good - especially McCoy and Hillis. With Cribbs out for this game, you'd think there would be a few more opportunities for Massaquoi, Robiskie and Stuckey, but this just doesn't seem to be a wide-receiver friendly offense, to me. Thank goodness Ben Watson wasn't out for too long, because Robert Royal is just not the viable tight end passing option that we need. But back to that first combination, McCoy so far is having a great day statistically going 10/14 for 135 yards passing and a touchdown, and he also has 9 rushing yards. Hillis has been terrific with 12 rushes for 35 yards and 5 receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown. Hopefully Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll can make the proper adjustments to keep the Browns rolling in the second half.
Defensively, the Browns looked pretty good before the last Jacksonville drive where they allowed the touchdown. They didn't look horrible that drive either, but they weren't coming up with the timely plays that they needed in order to get out of the drive. Statistically, the Browns allowed David Garrard (who's name I have been spelling wrong since Wednesday...) to go 9/14 for 85 yards and a touchdown, and allowed Maurice Jones-Drew 46 yards on eight carries. The Browns also allowed the Jags to go 2/4 on 3rd down, a stat I think is really important because it shows if the defense can actually suspend drives when they have the chance.
I'm not sure what to really think about this game right now because the Browns have just looked so inconsistent. Whether or not the Browns win will depend on if they get their mess together in the locker room and come out with fire and intensity on Defense, as the Jags deferred to the second half. I think this is a really important game for Mangini and his coaching staff, as a 4-6 record looks a lot better than a 3-7 record - at least to me. See you after the game,
~MAS
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