Browns Halftime Blurb - 9/25 Browns vs Dolphins

Well, so far this game hasn't gone particularly well, but it hasn't been particularly awful either as the Browns are down just 10-7 to the Dolphins. 

Offensively, this team needs to start coming out to play in the first quarter. It's ridiculous to me that we take at least a quarter to "warm up" and then we can finally complete some passes and score some points. Quarterback play from McCoy has been erratic, at best. He hasn't been his usual, accurate self, going 5/14 with 73 yards, a touchdown and an interception in the first half. I think Peyton Hillis' absence has consequences for the entire offense, but we've got to be better. Running the ball, Hardesty hasn't been bad so far, with six carries for 25 yards, good for a 4.2 average. We just have to be more consistent with that aspect of the game, as there have been some good runs, but also a few times when we've been stopped behind the line for three & four yard losses. Yikes.

In the passing game, Josh Cribbs obviously had the best catch with that touchdown reception. But an interesting thing is that Massaquoi has been targeted four times, but caught none of them. That's partially to blame on McCoy, but there were at least two of those passes that could've been caught, I think.

Defensively, I think these guys have been their consistent selves so far. Despite the fact that Chad Henne has looked awesome today so far, going 15/19 for 191 yards and a touchdown in the first half, we've held them to just 10 points. I'll take that. In the running game, rookie Daniel Thomas has been a force so far, with 12 carries for 50 yards, good for a 4.2 average. But the defensive line has been quit good, espeially Jayme Mitchell, who has 1.5 sacks, 1 tackle for loss, 1 pass defended and 2 QB hits. That's a great stat line for a game, let alone the first half.

So the key to victory? Get the offense going. We've got to control the clock a little more with the running game, and I'd really like to see McCoy getting back to looking like his accurate self with some nice short, quick passes. This is a winnable game, it's just going to be a matter of if we can get this game under our control or not. 

I'll see you after the game, hopefully to celebrate.

~MAS

So It Ends...

And with the Browns 41-9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, it wasn't a moment too soon. That was the ugliest game the Browns played the entire season and it really couldn't have come for a worse time if you're Eric Mangini, Brian Daboll and Rob Ryan. The former was, of course, fighting for his job today, the latter has is going to be interviewed to be the Panthers head coach. Daboll...well, he was probably going to be fired anyway. But I'm sure each of those coaches would love to have this game erased from their resumés.

To say the game was an offensive mess would be an understatement. We already knew that it was going to be difficult for the Browns to run against the #1 running defense, and #2 defense overall in the NFL, but I thought we'd be able to muster a little bit more than 43 total yards on the ground. Colt McCoy was actually today's leading rusher, with 4 scrambles for 19 yards. Mike Bell had 5 carries for 14 yards, and Peyton Hillis had 6 carries for 13. Just an all around bad day.

In the passing game, McCoy was 20/41 for 209 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. Yikes. Tight end Ben Watson was the leading receiver today with 7 receptions for 67 yards. Despite the fact that he played volley ball on his first targeted pass which caused an interception, Watson has really been one of the bright spots of the Cleveland Browns this season, and is clearly a great target for Colt McCoy as he threw to Watson 12 times today. I suppose it's elementary.

It's unfortunate that I have to ask this question again, but why oh why in the wide world of sports is Robert Royal being targeted for passes? He cannot catch! As Terry Pluto wrote in his "Halftime Scribbles" on Cleveland.com, Robert Royal had eleven catches and six drops last year, and this year he had five catches and four drops coming into the game. He is regarded as a blocking tight end, and I'm sure he's great at that. But why is he the one catching the pass on the bootleg down in the endzone? When you have a tight end who is your leading receiver, there's no excuse for putting in the butterfingers who has a reputation for dropping passes, and then drops a touchdown in the endzone. And yes, I'm looking at you, Brian Daboll.

I've been a big fan of Rob Ryan since he came to the Browns from Oakland last season - but this was clearly not his best effort. I think he and his brother Rex, head coach of the New York Jets, are great for football with their frank and outspoken nature, and I sincerely hope that Rob can become a successful head coach someday soon - but for now I would love it if he stayed and helped our Browns defense improve, no matter who our head coach is next year. They didn't show it today but the defense has improved leaps and bounds over where it was when Romeo Crenel was fired after the 2008 season, which means we've got to give credit to Mangini for that too.

I was going to take a look at the offensive numbers for the Steelers today, but the only one you need to know is 41 - the number of points they scored. That tells you enough about what went on.

So now that the season is over, I'm sure we will see in the next few days whether or not Eric Mangini will stay, whether or not Mike Holmgren will take off a suit and coach the team, or if he'll hire someone else. And I'm sure I'll have something to say about it if you want to check back.

Thanks for reading this season, Browns fans, it's been a lot of fun for me.
~MAS

A Little Late-Week Filler...

Alrightey, there's a lot I'd like to get off my chest and not a lot of time for me to do it, so let's just dive in to this week's version of the Filler...

Is Cliff Lee like LeBron James?
No.

I could stop right there and go onto my second topic now, but I've got too many feelings about it to let it go. This blog post from ESPN reporter Henry Abbott asserts that LeBron James and Cliff Lee are alike because they both went to teams where they could play with the best and presumably win lots of titles. Now, I've told many people why I dislike LeBron James, which is the same reason most other Clevelanders and other displaced Cavs fans dislike him - it's not that he left it's how he left. LeBron had every right to go anywhere he wanted to go and play with anyone with whom he wanted to play. I couldn't care less that he decided to team up with D-Wade and Bosh and that he's the ultimate front-runner. I mean, need I remind you that he was a Yankees and Cowboys fan growing up in Akron? He's just trying to fulfill his lifelong dream of being the front-running team that kids look up to.

But to get back to Lee, yes he signed with the outside-the-box suitor who already had three aces, but he did it in a classy way. I saw the first report that Lee was going to sign with the Phillies and it came from a source inside the Texas Rangers organization - the organization Lee was leaving. This means that either he or his agent picked up the phone, called the Rangers, told them "Thanks for the memories, but no thanks for the new contract," and then went on with his life.

To me, that's the complete opposite of a self-serving, one hour special where a player announces he's "taking his talents" to another team, and has a close adviser inform his former organization of this during the special. What Lee did and how he did it was done the way every professional athlete should handle themselves in a high profile, free-agent situation.

Maybe Lee is being so heralded because he didn't just sell himself to the highest bidder, the (Evil Empire) New York Yankees. Maybe people would like to see the Phillies dominate the league since they're not the Yanks or the Sox (who I think get way too much national television play). Maybe it's just refreshing to see a classy professional athlete in the aftermath of James' "Decision." Besides, it's not like Lee is going to be on the court with four other players every night. A lot of the time whether Lee will win or lose a game will depend on the Phillies offense and bullpen.

So no, Mr. Abbott, we don't think James is a "fraud" because of where he took his talents, it was how he decided to let us all know about it. James and Lee have nothing in common other than the fact that they began their careers in Cleveland, and neither got this city a title.

McCoy is Back
In an extremely out of character move, today Eric Mangini named rookie Browns quarterback Colt McCoy the starter for not only this week's game but for the rest of the season. I guess it's not really a surprise move, as the Browns offense has looked better under McCoy than anyone else whose been under center this year, but Mangini is notorious for playing the "who's going to be the quarterback this week" game.

I am a huge fan of McCoy though, as my eight loyal readers could undoubtedly tell you, and I'm really glad he's going to be back. I think he could potentially save not only Mangini but Brian Daboll's job. I know I'm a harsh critic of Daboll, but McCoy makes that guy look really good compared to the quarterback we saw last week. When McCoy was in the saddle earlier in the year, the coaches repeatedly said that the playbook was not limited. I really don't think they can say that about the last two weeks with Delhomme, as every passing play sort of looks like Daboll is afraid Delhomme will throw an interception. I'm not saying that those fears are unfounded, it's just clear to me that when the rookie is in there his accuracy and sheer ability to make plays opens things up.

Right now, our quarterback situation is sort of like having the teenager drive around grandpa because he's too old to safely drive anymore - and I think that's exactly what we need to do. McCoy has got the keys back to the car, and he can navigate this offense very well with Delhomme in the passenger seat (or in this case, on the sideline) giving the young kid guidance along the way. And if anything happens, Seneca Wallace can come in on the AAA truck and tow the car away - we really don't want Delhomme driving at any cost.

I know I wrote a couple of weeks ago that Delhomme brought the wide receivers dimension into the playbook, but a lot of what we saw from him in the last two weeks were all or nothing - meaning he throws pretty deep, or dumps it off to Peyton Hillis for about a 1 yard gain. What McCoy did well in his starts was get those mid-level throws, the ones that go for maybe 7-10 yards to the tight ends and running backs. Would I like to see more involvement of our wide receivers? Absolutely. But they've got to prove that they can get open before any of that happens.

I'll be back Sunday morning with the Browns Start Me Up as they travel down to southern Ohio to take on the 2-11 Cincinnati Bungles Bengals (I've got a lot of nerve, seeing as how we lost to Buffalo last week...). I'll see you then!

~MAS

How do you Lose to a 2-10 Team?

Well, if you're the Cleveland Browns, it's really quite simple. You combine an offensive coordinator who, for whatever reason, refuses to run the ball on first down against the rushing defense rated dead last in the league with a quarterback who used to be a moderately good gunslinger, but now looks like he should be coaching in the league rather than playing, and *bam* you've got a game you easily could have should have won that results in a huge loss.

This is not the first time the Browns have lost a game where they were supposed to win this season, but it has got to be the worst. I'd go as far to say that this is the worst loss of Eric Mangini's career as coach of the Cleveland Browns. That's not to say that he should be fired, but I do know someone who should based on his play calling today...

You know what, I'm going to shift gears and start with something more positive - the Defense. Positive being a relative term, of course, Rob Ryan's crew only gave up 13 points today, and that should be a number that is good enough to win a ballgame. When you're talking about points, all things considered 13 is a pretty good number. The passing defense contained Ryan Fitzpatrick to just 142 passing yards and a touchdown, also pretty good. But what concerns me about the defensive performance is that they gave up a whopping 192 rushing yards. That was led by Fred Jackson, who had 112 yards on 29 carries, then Fitzpatrick who had 49 yards on 4 carries, and rookie CJ Spiller also gashed the Browns for 33 yards on 8 carries. Yikes. Still, the end result was only giving up 13 points, and that really should have been good enough to win the game.

But, of course, it wasn't. This game was so bad, offensively, I'm not even sure where to start. I'll congratulate Peyton Hillis once again for gaining 1000 rushing yards this season, and being the first white running back to do it since 1985, but that's it for the positives. Jake Delhomme's numbers? 12/20 for 86 yards and an interception. Those are Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson kind of numbers, if you ask me. I thought those days were over. You can argue that the interception was not really Delhomme's fault because he got hit as he threw the ball, but guess what? He still fumbled the ball and failed to execute plays time and time again on third down.

When I was watching the game, though, it was almost like Brian Daboll was setting up the offense to fail. When you have the defense lined up against you that's dead last in the run, and you have a big bruising back, you really ought to be running the football the whole game if you know your quarterback is inconsistent. Now, I'm not an offensive coordinator, but I do know that when Colt McCoy was in at quarterback we ran a lot of bootlegs because it appeared to be one of not only his but the offenses strengths. My question is, why did we not run one of them today?

I'll tell you, there were plays today where we lined up and I could just tell that we weren't going to get anything, especially on third down. One of them came with about seven minutes left to go in the fourth quarter when the Browns lined up with third and three and ended up throwing to Robert Royal. Now, someone, anyone, please tell me why oh why in the wide wide world of sports would you throw to Robert Royal on third down and three with the game on the line? Brian Daboll, what are you thinking?!

The Browns had a grand total of five possessions in the second half and did absolutely nothing with them. The two that came in the third quarter were of 5 then 8 plays, and both resulted in punts. In the fourth quarter, it was 3 plays and a fumble, 3 plays and a punt, and 3 plays and an intercepted pass. You're clearly not going to win with that kind of lack in execution of, really, anything.

Obviously this is a frustrating game for the players, the coaches, the organization, the city and the fans. It's back to the drawing board as the Browns will take on the Bengals next week. And as we now know, defeating a 2-win team is not going to be any small task.

See you next week,
~MAS

Close Game, Great Win: Browns 13 - Dolphins 10

I have to say that once the Browns gave up the touchdown to the Dolphins early in the fourth quarter, I thought here we go again, the Browns are going to lose yet another game in the fourth quarter. And then it didn't happen! In fact, I'd say this game had the type of ending that we're really used to seeing against Cleveland rather than for Cleveland - an interception that turns into a virtually impossible-for-you-to-lose situation. Either way, the Browns found a way to get the win today in Miami, 13-10.

Jake Delhomme didn't set the world on fire by any means today, and tried so hard to throw a fourth quarter pick six, but he didn't turn the ball over and overall had a good day. That's not to say that I'm giving him a shining endorsement, but he did do everything he needed to do to lead the offense to a win. His final numbers today were 24/34 for 217 yards and a touchdown, good for a QB rating of 97.3. The good thing about those numbers from Delhomme is that you can't say that he only "managed" the game, especially because the rushing game was pretty much a non-factor. Peyton Hillis was the only one to rush the ball today (besides Delhomme's kneel downs at the end of the game) and he had 57 yards on 18 carries, for a 3.2 average. Not great numbers, and like I said in the Halftime Blurb, I think the offensive line's lack of blocking had a lot to do to that.

In terms of the passing game, Ben Watson had a fantastic game, with a career high 10 receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown. Wide Receiver Brian Robiskie didn't have the type of great game I was hoping he'd have, but it was nice to see Brian Daboll key in on the fact that the Dolphins were not covering Watson well at all and take advantage of it. It was also nice to see Mohammed Massaquoi get that 37 yard pass from Delhomme, as we haven't seen a lot of long passes this year.

Defensively the Browns came up big today and I think Rob Ryan is again putting himself on the list of coaching candidates for many teams coming up this off-season. Ryan's gang picked off Michigan graduate Chad Henne 3 times, and only allowed him 174 passing yards and a touchdown, going 16/32. That adds up to a rating of 37.8 - Anderson and Quinn kind of numbers. The two headed rushing attack was also contained as both Brown and Williams were held to 50 and 48 yards, respectively and the team had a total of 114 yards on 32 rushes, an average of 3.6 a carry.

Commentators Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf mentioned this plenty of times during the broadcast, but Joe Haden had an excellent game today with 5 tackles, 4 of them solo, 4 passes defended and one interception - his fourth in four games. I also said this in the Blurb, but he's clearly established himself as a starter on this defense. I think he's also making a good push for defensive rookie of the year, but I won't push it. I'd also like to give a shout out to Shaun Rogers who had a great game today, really dominating the offensive line of the Dolphins. He was around Chad Henne or whoever else had the ball all day and ended up with 3 tackles, all solo, a sack, a QB knockdown, and a tackle for loss. The emergence of nose tackle Ahtyba Rubin has been a great help to the Browns and Rogers, as he is now mostly used on passing downs where he can come in and just obliterate an offensive line.

I think this is a great win for the Browns not only because they played smart football, keeping away from their turnovers and creating them for the other team, but they found a way to win a close game. True, they did it against Carolina last week, but that was more about the kicker missing a field goal rather than the defense creating a stop like they did today. It's a very encouraging sign, and all the more encouraging for Eric Mangini and his staff.

Next week the Browns travel to Buffalo who might be a much better team than their 2-10 record would indicate as they took the Steelers to OT last week and gave Big Ben fits. I'd expect another Snow Bowl as these two teams seem to love to have, and I think it'll be a good game. Until then, enjoy the win Browns fans and check back mid-week for some filler to get you to the weekend. Go Browns!

~MAS

A Little Mid-Week Filler...

So when I said on Sunday afternoon that the post-game Browns blog would be late, I didn't actually think it would be this late, but here I am and here it is. Although I"m going to go into a few other hot topics around the NFL, I'll start with the Browns.

Finding Ways to Win Late
I think it's safe to say that's just something the Browns don't exactly know how to do at this point. I'm not trying to take anything away from what they did do on Sunday, because taking the Jets to the final 30 seconds of overtime is an accomplishment in and of itself. Colt McCoy leading the Browns to a 59 yard 10 play drive just to force the overtime is also an accomplishment in and of itself. What I mean is simply that the Browns haven't yet turned the corner from being a competitive team to a good team. I think it's clear that we're the best 3-6 team in the league right now, but I think the Browns have got to continue to try and improve each week. A loss is a loss, right? This league doesn't see "moral victories" as anything more that losses, and losses equate to coaches losing their jobs. I don't think that's the route Mike Holmgren is going to take with Eric Mangini at this point, but it's important that the Browns go out and win these next few games coming up.

One thing about the end of the game that sort of bothered me was the play calling on offense when the Browns got the ball back at the 3 yard line after Joe Haden's interception. Now, I've heard some critical talk about Haden catching the ball instead of just knocking it down to force the Jets to punt, but let's really think about the situation. All Haden is thinking about is getting the ball back for his offense and at that moment, I'd imagine it's really hard to think about anything but securing the ball and making sure the Jets receiver (who happened to be Braylon Edwards) doesn't catch it. I can't have a problem with him making an INT at that point, because that's pure instinct.

What I do have a problem with is the fact that Daboll didn't seem to know what he wanted to do after the Browns got the ball. If you want to pass - which it appeared like they did when McCoy came out firing to Ben Watson down the field - great! If you want to run the clock out or get some space - as they did on the 2nd down inside running play to Peyton Hillis - you really ought to do that on first down. When you do it on second down, and you don't get into 3rd and manageable territory (which I define as 3rd and 4 yards or less) you're really putting yourself into a huge hole, especially given the way the Jets can blitz the crap out of a good offensive line. Obviously, that's exactly what the Jets did and McCoy was wise enough to get out of the endzone before taking a sack.

I really liked most of what the Browns did in this game, and I really think they should have won it. I'm sure we all do. Something my high school football coach, Cliff Walton, told the team once is, "A football game is not won or lost on any one play," and I believe that's true. I say that because I don't think it's fair at all to blame Chansi Stuckey for the loss because he fumbled in overtime. Granted, that was a big play and I think that drive probably would have led to at least a game winning field goal, but think of all the less-than-one-minute possessions the Browns had in the second half where they went 3-and-out. There are so many opportunities to make plays in a football game, that looking at one and saying "That's it!" just doesn't work to me.

That being said, the Browns really need to have a good win this week against the Jaguars. It would be wonderful to see Peyton Hillis run all over them the way Jerome Harrison did in the final game of last season. It would also be great to see Colt McCoy to have a breakout game against a so-so defense. I also think Rob Ryan can put together a good defense to confuse the inconsistent quarterback of the Jags, David Gerrard, although it might be a little more difficult to contain the ever elusive Maurice Jones-Drew. We'll see what happens on Sunday, but I'm thinking it's going to be a big Browns win.

Getting Embarrassed
Several teams got their mess kicked this week  in the NFL and ought to be ashamed of themselves. The  Kansas City Chiefs, the New York football Giants, and the Washington Redskins all came out and couldn't even put together a competitive game against the Denver Broncos, Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles. I'll sort of let the Redskins off the hook a little bit because the Eagles are a pretty good team, but there's still no way that anyone should lose 59-28, I'm sorry.

The Chiefs and Giants should be ashamed because they let teams who were on a complete down slide kick them around like it was nothing. Sure, Jason Garrett (a  University School graduate, for the record) is Cowboys owner Jerry Jones' golden boy coach, but that team is still the most overrated bunch of lugs in the league and the Giants should have been able to handle them at home. The Chiefs let the Broncos, who have also looked awful in their last few games, get out to a 28-0 lead in the first two quarters before they could scrap together a touchdown and a field goal to make it 35-10 going into the half. And then Head Coach of the Chiefs, Todd Haley, refused to shake Head Coach of the Broncos, Josh McDaniels', hand because Haley, as I understand it, didn't like the attitude of the Broncos sideline. Really Todd Haley? If you're that bitter about losing to a division rival like that, maybe you should have had a better game plan. Or how about you just worry about coaching your own team who just got embarrassed by a pretty bad team in your division. Don't do the "I'm not going to shake your hand" high school crap.

But to go back to the Eagles-Redskins game, I think this means Michael Vick is back. All you animal lovers who want to continue to condemn this guy, I'm sorry, but the guy did the time for his crime, and now he's back and better than ever. He completed his first 10 passes and led the Eagles out to a 35-0 lead after the first play of the 2nd quarter. Talk about being embarassed... Vick finished the game 20/28 for 333 yards and 4 touchdowns, passing, and he also ran 8 times for 80 yards and 2 touchdowns. Incidentally, former Brown Jerome Harrison led the Eagles in rushing with 11 carries for 106 yards and a touchdown. (What has Mike Bell done since coming to the Browns, you ask? Well, nothing. But that's exactly what Harrison was going to do, so get over it.) Going back to Vick, he became the first player in NFL history to throw for 300 yards, rush for 50 yards, throw for 4 touchdowns and run for 2 touchdowns in a game.

On the other sideline, Donovan McNabb, fresh off his new five-year $78 million contract extension, with $40 million guaranteed, did not have a good night going 17/31 for 295 yards and 2 touchdowns, but 3 interceptions - all of which came on 3rd down. I'm not entirely sure why in the world the Redskins would sign a guy who is 34 years old and clearly on the downside of his career to a $40 million guaranteed money contract, but maybe they know something about McNabb I don't. Or maybe this is just another one off the famous bad moves that the Redskins are so prone to making over the last decade.

Wow, that was a long post. I'm shocked you actually took the time to read this far. In any case, I'll be back on Sunday for the Browns game. Until then, I'll be in wizard-mode as I'm going to see Harry Potter Thursday night (!!!). See you Sunday,

~MAS

What a Win!

This was one of the best games of Cleveland Browns football I've ever had the privilege to watch. It was a game full of story lines - Mangini vs. Belichick, McCoy's first start at home - and the Browns came out as if they were the 6-1 team and spanked the Patriots to the tune of a 34-14 victory.

There are so many good things to write about this game, but I'm going to focus on Peyton Hillis first. I don't have to tell you how great #40 has been for the Browns, but he had a career day today with over 200 total yards. He rushed for 184 yards on 29 carries and two touchdowns, the longest of those carries a 35 yard touchdown run to seal the game. Hillis also caught 3 passes for 36 yards. When you're talking about the midseason MVP of the Browns, it's got to be this guy. So far he has 644 yards and 8 total touchdowns, 7 of them rushing.

I could gush about Hillis for days, but I'd also like to give some props to rookie Colt McCoy who again managed the offense quite well en route to victory today. His final numbers on the day? 14/19 for 174 yards. Does that set the world on fire? No. But it was exactly the type of performance the Browns needed today.

I feel like everyone is saying this, but I think it's worth repeating - McCoy shows such an incredible amount of poise and determination when he is on the field. Most people just stop with the "poise in the pocket" but I think that the kid simply has a winning personality. You look at the play where he ran 16 yards for a touchdown in this game and, to me, it just shows how much he wants to win. When I look at McCoy playing, he just doesn't seem to panic. He lets the play develop, and if it breaks down, then he'll scramble. Because of his mobility, he extends plays well and can then throw a very accurate pass - as he did today in the red zone throwing a dart to Josh Cribbs for a first down. I don't think the Browns have had a quarterback with this kind of potential since they ruined Tim Couch's career, and they also haven't had such a good game manager since the days of Kelly Holcomb (who's #10 jersey I'm proudly wearing today).

But that's enough about the offense, Rob Ryan's defensive crew yet again came out to play today. They may not have had the same type of special performance that they did against the Saints a couple of weeks ago, but anytime you can hold the Patriots to 14 points you're doing your job well. Tom Brady had a pretty good day on paper, going 19/36 for 224 yards and 2 touchdowns, but a lot of those incompletions had him reeling in frustration. The Browns also forced an interception off of Cleveland native Brian Hoyer in the last 3 minutes of the game to get the ball for the end of the game. But the Browns offensive dominance really helped the defense as evidenced by the measly 68 yards on the ground. I sort of hate to say this, because selfishly I don't want the Browns to lose him, but I think Rob Ryan may be coaching himself onto the short lists of teams that will be searching for a head coach after the season. We'll see about that.

But what's the bottom line today? The Browns dominated an excellent team for an excellent win. I say props to everybody in the Browns organization, especially coach Mangini and coordinators Daboll and Ryan. Next week we've got the Ryan bowl as the Browns take on the J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets, who (barely) defeated the Motor City Kitties (a.k.a. Detroit Lions) in OT today. But for now, we've got a lot to celebrate about Browns fans!

~MAS

Were You Really Expecting A Win Today?

I'm going to be honest with you right now and just say that I was expecting a whole lot worse from the Browns today. Sure they lost 28-10 to the rival Pittsburgh Steelers today, but with a rookie quarterback making his first start in the NFL against one of the premier defenses in the league, 28-10 really isn't so bad.

There isn't much to say about the offense in the second half today. I think Daboll did a really nice job with the game plan for the week, and I have to say that Colt McCoy was fairly impressive executing it. He ended the day 23/33 for 281 yards, with a touchdown and two interceptions - both off of tipped passes. I thought his accuracy was as good as it was advertised as he threw some really nice tight spirals, and for the most part threw the ball where only his receivers could catch it. The amazing thing about McCoy today is that he completed 70% of his passes against the Steelers, which is an accomplishment Brady Quinn, Derek Anderson and especially Charlie Frye could only dream of during their stints as quarterback of the Browns.

The running game did not improve during the second half, as Peyton Hillis only got three more carries in the second half and finished with only 41 yards rushing. McCoy actually made a few good plays with his legs as well, running four times for 22 yards. I mean, I don't think the offense was really that ugly today, but plain and simple, they just didn't get enough done. In their defense, they played the Steelers.

On the other side of the ball, the defense just couldn't stop Ben Rothlisberger's passing attack during the second half of the game. He ended the day with 257 yards, 3 touchdowns and an interception, but he really got going in the third quarter and poured it on during the fourth. The Browns also seemed to have a hard time stopping the rushing attack of Mendenhall and Redman, as they were allowed 84 yards and 31 yards, respectively. But I think the secondary needs to be called out this week on lackluster performances. They allowed passing plays of over 20 yards to four receivers - Wallace, Ward, Miller and Sanders. It's too hard to win like that when you don't have a quarterback.

Losing Josh Cribbs was clearly a huge blow to the Browns. As I wrote in the Halftime Blurb, I don't know too much about the NFL rulebook, but I feel like there should have been some kind of penalty for the violent hits against Cribbs and Massaquoi. When you think about it, the injury to Cribbs really gave the Steelers a touchdown because Chansi Stuckey miffed a punt (on the third time it was tried because of penalties...) setting up the Steelers deep in Browns territory. Based on that hit, I'd say it's likely that Cribbs won't play next week, unfortunately. It's not a huge loss for the Browns, but I think it's the best option if he's concussed because we need him for as long as possible - not just this season which is really another teaching year.

So what's the bottom line today? Colt McCoy went out against the Steelers and didn't die - in fact I'd go as far to say that he did fairly well for an NFL debut. That being said, he's still the third string QB in my mind, and I'm sure he is in the minds of Holmgren, Heckert and Mangini as well. I expect to see Seneca Wallace or Jake Delhomme as soon as they're healthy since McCoy definitely still has a lot to learn. Until next time,

~MAS

We Got One!

It doesn't matter how you get it, you just want to get it, and today the Browns got their first win of the season. It was really starting to look bleak there during the second half, but the team stayed strong and controlled the clock in the fourth quarter to come away with a 23-20 victory against the Bengals.

I was really impressed by the tough running from Peyton Hillis today, especially in the second half. I have been an especially harsh critic of Brian Daboll, especially for what I found to be his lack of halftime adjustments, but I thought the Browns did a really nice job controlling the ball in the second half. Another thing that the Browns did well today was stay away from the turnovers. Even though Seneca Wallace threw an interception, it didn't turn out to be very costly - a credit to the defense. But again, I can't say enough about Hillis and how nice it is to see a big bruising back for the Browns' running game. I saw a graphic during the game today that I believe said that Peyton Hillis was the first Browns running back since 1975 to have a rushing touchdown in the first four games of the season. That's also great to see since the Browns haven't really had a consistent running attack since they came back in '99.

On the defensive side, it's definitely your day when you give up 371 yards passing and you still win. Carson Palmer really looked like he was back in form, and T.O. didn't look like he'd been in the league since 1996 (which I'm a little pissed about, because he's on my fantasy team and would've had a whopping 41 points if I'd started him...). But Rob Ryan's squad was able to pull out the victory with a little strategy called "Bend but not Break." It's not that I recommend that kind of thing, but if you're going to win in this league, a lot of times that is what's going to happen. Even though they gave up a disgusting amount of passing yards, they held the Bengals to only 67 yards rushing.

T.J. Ward committed a hit on Jordan Shipley that will probably get him fined, but all the same I think it gives off a nice impression to the rest of the league. I mean, yes I know Shipley got a concussion, and I know concussions are dangerous, and I'm not advocating for getting concussions, but I think that it's important to have a strong safety who's an enforcer - especially in the AFC North. I'm just saying that if you didn't know, now you know that Ward is a serious heavy hitter.

All in all, what's important is that the Browns got a huge win this week. Absolutely huge. We've got the Falcons next week - a game we can win if we play to our potential. I think having Jake Delhomme back next week will definitely help the passing offense, which has not been nearly as offensive as the past few years, but Mohammed Massaqoui could definitely use the boost of having his starting QB back in the huddle. But celebrate this win, Browns fans, it's always good to have one in the division. See you next week,

~MAS

You Play to Win the Game, But...

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

0-2 and We're in Trouble

Really? We're in this position again? We had one of the easiest schedules to start the season and we get two loses against Tampa Bay and Kansas City. I'm sorry, but that's straight up pathetic.

How do you have a lead going into halftime two weeks in a row and then blow it in the second half? From what I've seen these last two weeks after halftime, the answer is halftime adjustments - especially on the offensive end. I don't know what Eric Mangini goes over during halftime, but they can't be as apathetic and complacent on the offensive end anymore. This game was not lost because the usually sure footed Phil Dawson missed a 43 yard field goal at the end of the first half. I wrote in the halftime blurb that Hillis and Harrison each had less than 30 yards. They finished with 35 and 33, respectively. As a team, the Browns had 57 rushing yards in the first half. They finished with 73. You can't win like that in the NFL.

Seneca Wallace had a decent first half - besides the touchdown he threw to the other team which was the difference in the game. And then in the second half he only connected on 5/10 passes for a grand total of 42 yards. Again, you cannot win like that in the NFL. Those are Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson kind of numbers, and that's something I thought we'd be able to avoid when they were traded and released.

Those are numbers that you trace back to the Offensive Coordinator, Brian Daboll because right now the entire Browns running game is pathetic. Kansas City is a team that ranked 30 in the NFL in defense last year (the Browns were 31st...), and it's a team the Browns - especially Jerome Harrison - stomped all over last year during their season-ending four game winning streak. I know they now have Romeo Crenel, who I think is one of the best defensive coordinators to ever coach the game, but there is no excuse to not mustering up at least 100 yards of rushing. I think it's clear that Harrison and Hillis are not clear on their roles and it's affecting both of them in a negative way. Harrison has never had issues with fumbling in his career, and now it seems like he can't stop. I think a little definition would go a long way to helping those guys for the rest of the season.

The defense, on the other hand, has actually played quite well through the first two weeks. Last week they really only had about one broken play where Joe Haden was burned for a touchdown. This week, the defense didn't even let up a touchdown! Had the offense not been so...well...offensive, a touchdown wouldn't have been scored and there would have been one less field goal. And, oh hey, the Browns would've won! It's also worth noting that Matt Cassel was held to 176 yards on 16/28 and threw two interceptions. So I say give some credit to Rob Ryan for keeping his guys prepared, and giving them great defensive schemes tho keep the touchdowns off the board.

The bottom line is simply this - the Browns have two losses when many of us (well, at least me) thought they would have two wins and we've got a really touch stretch ahead with games against Baltimore and Cincinnati in the next two weeks, and then the Falcons, Steelers, Saints (Bye Week), Patriots and Jets. Yeah, I think we could easily go 0-7 in that stretch to push us to 0-9, which was why starting out well in these first two weeks was very important. If we don't win at least a couple of those games, look for the Jon Gruden coaching rumors to start...

Right now it looks like it's going to be a long season, but hang in there Browns fans. Any given Sunday the Browns could turn into the team we hoped they would be in the first two games.

~MAS