So I know I wasn't very optimistic when I wrote the Start Me Up, but this game has been extremely frustrating so far. I swear, Pat Shurmur has no idea how to use his personnel. And why the hell were there 12 men on the field at the end of that 2nd quarter? Okay. We're only down by one touchdown, as it's just 14-7 Raiders, and we have a shot at this game—especially because backup Kyle Boller is in at QB now for the Raiders. And let me say, he is just as bad as I remember him being in Baltimore.
As for the stats, offensively the Browns have just not looked good. McCoy is 7/16 for 79 yards and a touchdown. Hardesty has 7 carries for 21 yards, Hillis has 6 carries for 14 yards...Nothing good there! Browns have got to establish the run game, but the offensive line has looked so bad trying to reach defenders on Oakland's d-line. It's just not working so far. Little and Cribbs had nice receptions on the touchdown drive, but other than that nothing to write home about.
Defensively, the Browns are (predictibly) having a lot of trouble stopping Darren McFadden. He has 10 carries for 58 yards and a touchdown so far. Before getting injured, Jason Campbell was 6/9 for 52 yards, but he was managing the game well, as he'd also had 2 rushes for 16 yards. They've been going after Dimitri Patterson, and he's held up reasonably well, hasn't given up any huge plays yet. Phil Taylor and Athyba Rubin have been playing very well on the line, with Taylor having 2 tackles for loss, 1 QB hit and 1 sack. I'll take that.
Special teams? Terrible. I can't remember the last time we allowed a touchdown return, but I know it rarely to never happened under Mangini. That's disgusting to me. You work so hard to tie the game up, and then *poof* it's just gone in a flash. That has to be better.
The Browns just didn't look like the better team in the first half. And that can change, especially because Kyle Boller is in. But unless it changes quickly, the Browns are headed for their third loss. Ugh.
See you after.
~MAS
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