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
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Browns Halftime Blurb, 10/3 Vs. Bengals
Well...I'm not particularly sure what to make out of this one. The Browns have looked pretty great at times, and then they've also looked dismal - it's been sort of a tale of two teams. Although, even with the identity crisis, the Browns are up 13-10 going into the half after Phil Dawson's 31 yard field goal as time expired.
The offense has looked decent, but I think they moved the ball a little bit better against the Ravens last week. That's especially true for the running game, as Peyton Hillis only has 37 yards on 11 carries. The running game really aught to be able to get into a rhythm. I mean, Cincinnati's run defense can't be that much better than the Ravens...can it? In the passing game, Seneca Wallace has looked pretty solid, as he has in the last two weeks. He's completed 14 of 21 passes for 154 yards, with a beautiful touchdown throw to Evan Moore and an interception (To be fair, the INT went off of I believe Chansy Stuckey's hands). Speaking of Stuckey, he's done a pretty nice job in the slot receiver position catching 4 for 48 yards. Hopefully Daboll can make the halftime adjustments necessary to get the running game going the way it was last week.
On the defensive side, the Browns secondary has been really disappointing. I don't know why, but it seems like all the corners want to leave their feet when they're covering T.O. and so far that is blatantly not working. Carson Palmer has 212 yards passing in the first half - and that means that Rob Ryan has got to do something different for the second half. They've been doing a lot of corner blitzes, which is fine when you get sacks, but so far we've only got one and that wasn't even on a blitz. Carson Palmer has done a nice job of getting the ball out of his hands quickly when he senses that corner blitz. The run defense has been fine, but they're not even really trying to run. If we do a little bit better job on the pass, this defense will be in business.
I'm not really holding my breath for this one, but the Browns are up at halftime and (as I think I've written every week...) do have a nice chance at getting the W for this game. See you after.
~MAS
The offense has looked decent, but I think they moved the ball a little bit better against the Ravens last week. That's especially true for the running game, as Peyton Hillis only has 37 yards on 11 carries. The running game really aught to be able to get into a rhythm. I mean, Cincinnati's run defense can't be that much better than the Ravens...can it? In the passing game, Seneca Wallace has looked pretty solid, as he has in the last two weeks. He's completed 14 of 21 passes for 154 yards, with a beautiful touchdown throw to Evan Moore and an interception (To be fair, the INT went off of I believe Chansy Stuckey's hands). Speaking of Stuckey, he's done a pretty nice job in the slot receiver position catching 4 for 48 yards. Hopefully Daboll can make the halftime adjustments necessary to get the running game going the way it was last week.
On the defensive side, the Browns secondary has been really disappointing. I don't know why, but it seems like all the corners want to leave their feet when they're covering T.O. and so far that is blatantly not working. Carson Palmer has 212 yards passing in the first half - and that means that Rob Ryan has got to do something different for the second half. They've been doing a lot of corner blitzes, which is fine when you get sacks, but so far we've only got one and that wasn't even on a blitz. Carson Palmer has done a nice job of getting the ball out of his hands quickly when he senses that corner blitz. The run defense has been fine, but they're not even really trying to run. If we do a little bit better job on the pass, this defense will be in business.
I'm not really holding my breath for this one, but the Browns are up at halftime and (as I think I've written every week...) do have a nice chance at getting the W for this game. See you after.
~MAS
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Shaking My Head...
I read today yesterday from an ESPN Cleveland Facebook post that LeBron thinks that race has played a factor in all of the backlash he's received following his announcement to "take [his] talents to South Beach," and although it wasn't something I expected to see, I really wasn't surprised.
LeBron's official quote from the CNN interview with Soledad O'Brien had him respond to the question "Do you think there's a role that race plays in this?" with "I think so at times. It's always, you know, a race factor." James' trusted friend and adviser Maverick Carter added, "It definitely played a role in some of the stuff coming out of the media, things that were written for sure."
I don't know about you, but I was pissed as hell when LeBron left. I'll admit that I had invested way too much in a singular athlete, but LeBron really showed his true colors when "The Decision" aired, with not only his smug attitude, but the fact that he never mentioned his teammates that he completely let down when he QUIT on them in the playoffs. Call me bitter, call me salty, call me whatever you like, but what I saw out of LeBron was someone who had his mind in an completely different place in those last few playoff games. I sat in the stands and watched LeBron play horrendously in his last game at The Q as a Cavalier. I was disgusted with the complacency he showed - even though back then he had the "elbow" as an excuse.
But I think the fact that he wants to bring race into this is truly ludicrous. I thought it was ridiculous when Rev. Jessie Jackson said that Dan Gilbert's letter showed the Gilbert thought of LeBron as a "runaway slave" and I think it's ridiculous to bring race into this now. I truly believe that the backlash against LeBron would be the same no matter what race, creed or color he was. I'll put it like this, I'm black and I bad mouth him every chance I get. I even have a hard time watching that smug smile on ESPN - the network that broadcast the self-serving hour of narcissism - whenever they talk about the three amigos.
The bottom line is this - No LeBron, this "backlash" is absolutely not about racism. You've received backlash because your "special" was narcissistic, rude, and childish. Get over yourself; this has nothing to do with race and everything to do with you being a selfish jackass.
~MAS
LeBron's official quote from the CNN interview with Soledad O'Brien had him respond to the question "Do you think there's a role that race plays in this?" with "I think so at times. It's always, you know, a race factor." James' trusted friend and adviser Maverick Carter added, "It definitely played a role in some of the stuff coming out of the media, things that were written for sure."
I don't know about you, but I was pissed as hell when LeBron left. I'll admit that I had invested way too much in a singular athlete, but LeBron really showed his true colors when "The Decision" aired, with not only his smug attitude, but the fact that he never mentioned his teammates that he completely let down when he QUIT on them in the playoffs. Call me bitter, call me salty, call me whatever you like, but what I saw out of LeBron was someone who had his mind in an completely different place in those last few playoff games. I sat in the stands and watched LeBron play horrendously in his last game at The Q as a Cavalier. I was disgusted with the complacency he showed - even though back then he had the "elbow" as an excuse.
But I think the fact that he wants to bring race into this is truly ludicrous. I thought it was ridiculous when Rev. Jessie Jackson said that Dan Gilbert's letter showed the Gilbert thought of LeBron as a "runaway slave" and I think it's ridiculous to bring race into this now. I truly believe that the backlash against LeBron would be the same no matter what race, creed or color he was. I'll put it like this, I'm black and I bad mouth him every chance I get. I even have a hard time watching that smug smile on ESPN - the network that broadcast the self-serving hour of narcissism - whenever they talk about the three amigos.
The bottom line is this - No LeBron, this "backlash" is absolutely not about racism. You've received backlash because your "special" was narcissistic, rude, and childish. Get over yourself; this has nothing to do with race and everything to do with you being a selfish jackass.
~MAS
Sunday, September 26, 2010
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
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
Browns Halftime Blurb, 9/26 Vs. Ravens
To be honest with you, I was expecting a lot worse. Sure, the Browns are down by a score of 14-10 going in to the half, but you know what? They've been moving the ball down the field pretty darn well against the Ravens so far today.
I've been very impressed by the way Peyton Hillis has ran the ball today. They've been playing smash-mouth football against the Ravens and scored the first touchdown against that defense this season. As a former offensive lineman, I've got to say that it starts up front, but the individual effort that Hillis has given on each and every play has been very exciting to watch. He's got 73 yards rushing on 12 carries, the longest of which was 25 yards where he literally drove the defender trying to tackle him another 5 yards before he was taken down. It's also worth noting that Hillis has 5 catches for 27 yards. Seneca Wallace has also had a nice game so far, showing really nice accuracy by going 12/14 for 114 yards. Josh Cribbs has been decently involved with the pass offense as well, and impressed me by gaining a couple extra yards stretching out after the catch.
On the flip side, the defense has unfortunately looked a little bit dazed and confused. The first series was a three and out, but after that it seemed like the Browns just lost it. Ravens QB Joe Flacco has been pretty impressive throwing, also going 12/14 but with 132 yards and 2 touchdowns. Ray Rice has 7 carries for 51 yards, but one of them was for 25 so I'd say that the run D isn't looking too bad. My main concern is Eric Wright, who really looks like he's got his head up his rear end trying to cover Anquan Bolden. Hopefully he'll get it squared away for the 2nd half.
Like I said, I wasn't expecting much out of the Browns for this game, but it's really nice to see them competing. Hopefully the 2nd half offensive woes that we've had the first two games won't be there today. I'll wrap it up after the game.
~MAS
I've been very impressed by the way Peyton Hillis has ran the ball today. They've been playing smash-mouth football against the Ravens and scored the first touchdown against that defense this season. As a former offensive lineman, I've got to say that it starts up front, but the individual effort that Hillis has given on each and every play has been very exciting to watch. He's got 73 yards rushing on 12 carries, the longest of which was 25 yards where he literally drove the defender trying to tackle him another 5 yards before he was taken down. It's also worth noting that Hillis has 5 catches for 27 yards. Seneca Wallace has also had a nice game so far, showing really nice accuracy by going 12/14 for 114 yards. Josh Cribbs has been decently involved with the pass offense as well, and impressed me by gaining a couple extra yards stretching out after the catch.
On the flip side, the defense has unfortunately looked a little bit dazed and confused. The first series was a three and out, but after that it seemed like the Browns just lost it. Ravens QB Joe Flacco has been pretty impressive throwing, also going 12/14 but with 132 yards and 2 touchdowns. Ray Rice has 7 carries for 51 yards, but one of them was for 25 so I'd say that the run D isn't looking too bad. My main concern is Eric Wright, who really looks like he's got his head up his rear end trying to cover Anquan Bolden. Hopefully he'll get it squared away for the 2nd half.
Like I said, I wasn't expecting much out of the Browns for this game, but it's really nice to see them competing. Hopefully the 2nd half offensive woes that we've had the first two games won't be there today. I'll wrap it up after the game.
~MAS
Sunday, September 19, 2010
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
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
Browns Halftime Blurb, 9/19 Vs. Chiefs
So far, not bad. The Browns have shown pretty good ability to move the ball down the field on offense, and have also done some pretty good things on defense and they go into the half with a 14-10 lead.
Wallace has stepped in at QB and done a pretty nice job going 11/21 with 187 yards and a touchdown to Josh Cribbs. I remember hearing during training camp that Wallace and Cribbs had developed some pretty good chemistry, and that showed during the second quarter. Of course, Wallace also had that ugly interception that went for a touchdown for the Chiefs, but other than that I think he's looked pretty poised in the pocket and has made some nice confident throws. In terms of the running game, hopefully either Hillis or Harrison will really get it going against Mr. Snuggles' (that's my nickname for Romeo Crenel) defense in the second half. Both have less than 30 yards so far individually, and the Browns have only rushed for 57 yards as a team. This is a team that has set the pace with the run, so hopefully that will be the case in the 2nd half.
In terms of the defense, Rob Ryan has to be pleased with the job his squad has done so far, only letting up 3 points that came off a costly turnover. They've only surrendered 60 passing yards to Cassel and have forced two interceptions - and one was by defensive lineman Athyba Rubin! In terms of the running game, the Browns have done a pretty nice job so far only letting up 69 yards, but they'll have to stay hyped up because Jamal Charles and Thomas Jones are a formidable twosome.
If the Browns stay aggressive on defense and protect the ball on offense in the second half, they should come away with a W. See you after the game,
~MAS
Wallace has stepped in at QB and done a pretty nice job going 11/21 with 187 yards and a touchdown to Josh Cribbs. I remember hearing during training camp that Wallace and Cribbs had developed some pretty good chemistry, and that showed during the second quarter. Of course, Wallace also had that ugly interception that went for a touchdown for the Chiefs, but other than that I think he's looked pretty poised in the pocket and has made some nice confident throws. In terms of the running game, hopefully either Hillis or Harrison will really get it going against Mr. Snuggles' (that's my nickname for Romeo Crenel) defense in the second half. Both have less than 30 yards so far individually, and the Browns have only rushed for 57 yards as a team. This is a team that has set the pace with the run, so hopefully that will be the case in the 2nd half.
In terms of the defense, Rob Ryan has to be pleased with the job his squad has done so far, only letting up 3 points that came off a costly turnover. They've only surrendered 60 passing yards to Cassel and have forced two interceptions - and one was by defensive lineman Athyba Rubin! In terms of the running game, the Browns have done a pretty nice job so far only letting up 69 yards, but they'll have to stay hyped up because Jamal Charles and Thomas Jones are a formidable twosome.
If the Browns stay aggressive on defense and protect the ball on offense in the second half, they should come away with a W. See you after the game,
~MAS
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