I have to say, seeing the Browns in person yesterday may have changed the way I think about the team and the way they've progressed this season. Yes, they finished 4-12, and that is not something I would ever make excuses for—especially after how we were supposed to see something better than the 5-11 record the team achieved under two consecutive seasons under Eric Mangini—but I think there are definitely things that we can take from these last string of games and improve upon.
But first things first—the Browns did lose their season finale against the Steelers 13-9 to drop their divisional record to a terrible 0-6 on the season. Honestly, if you can't beat the teams in your division, you're never going to make it in this league. I think the Browns know that and their effort on the field the last couple weeks shows it, but when it comes down to it, no wins against divisional opponents is unacceptable.
If you want to find positives, however, look no further than the Browns D. Not only did they wreck Rashard Mendenhall's ACL to end his season (and possibly some of the Steelers playoffs dreams), but they only allowed 13 points to that team in black and gold. That brings the total points given up to the Steelers in two games this season to 27. Yes the Steelers scored just twenty-seven points in two games and our offense is so bad that we couldn't win either of them! We can chalk that up to things I find ridiculous.
Another positive comes from D'Qwell Jackson, who was able to achieve his goal of playing all 16 games this season and recorded a team-high 13 tackles in the final contest. Well, let's give him some more credit—not only was he able to play, but he really should be the NFL Comeback Player of the Year as he led the Browns with 158 tackles on the year, and played darn near every single defensive snap. He may be a free agent in this upcoming offseason, but I expect him to be the leader of the Browns defense for years to come.
On the offensive side of the ball, Josh Cribbs was the lone bright spot. I remember last year that Cribbs had a pretty good repor with Seneca Wallace, so it was nice to see that work yet again. Cribbsie had seven catches for 91 yards—season highs in both categories. Even though Cribbs is widely regarded as a special teams player that would be a 3rd receiver at best on most elite teams, you have to love how he steps up and plays in big games.
But honestly, that's pretty much wehre the positives end.
Let's talk about Seneca Wallace, who, according to this article by the PD's Mary Kay Cabot, wants a shot at being the Browns starting QB next year. My response to those laughable comments could be a post in and of itself, but I'll just say here that going 16/41 for 177 yards, no touchdowns and an interception doesn't exactly inspire confidence. Wallace also has an ugly tendency to throw off of his back foot when he's trying to evade pressure—a trait that leads to under-thrown passes and interceptions. Speaking of INTs, the one he threw to Troy Polamalu was plain stupid—I could tell throwing it in Owen Marecic's direction when he's going against arguably the best safety in the league was a bad idea from the upper deck.
Also, as I feared in the Start Me Up, Peyton Hillis really didn't have a good game only gaining 30 yards on 10 carries. Of course, part of the lack of yards is the lack of carries and also the fact that his knee got banged up in the second half, but it was still a quiet day from someone who's looking for a job either here or elsewhere next season.
It's also worth mentioning that rookie Greg Little was targeted five times and caught zero passes. He dropped at least one at the end of the game—the Hail Mary pass—and besides that I'm sure he dropped at least one more, although I can't pinpoint exactly when.
But when it comes down to it, the bottom line is simply that the Browns just aren't good enough offensively to beat the Steelers. When Wallace had his big scramble in the second quarter to get the Browns inside the Steelers 10 yard line, they needed to score a touchdown there, not a field goal. The elite teams with elite offenses get that done, and it's so obvious that the Browns need more impact players on offense in order to do that.
I'll have a more in-depth wrap-up of the season and what I think the Browns should focus on this season in the next few days.
Until then, enjoy the beginning of 2012 everybody.
~MAS
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