We begin the review of the tape for the Browns 19-17 loss in a all night downpour at Cleveland Stadium to the St.Louis Rams with a note on the weather.
It rained.
All game,all night.
That always adds an extra issue to evaluating talent that you need to make decisions on.
Cleveland's next pre-season game is this Saturday vs the Lions and NFLNetwork is showing that one live,so I should be able to see it earlier than the first two games.
I still have to review the Seattle-Green Bay game,but haven't had the time to watch it as of now...
Brownie Bits
1) This was a dull game.
Between the rain and the Rams reluctance to use Sam Bradford in a manner that could not be used as anything other than conservative,the game was often tedious to watch.
2) Five turnovers doomed the Browns and that just was the turnovers and doesn't count the handful of times that Cleveland recovered their own miscues.
Jerome Harrison was fumbling often and although it seemed mostly due to the weather conditions,Cleveland is not a place that you want to play,if you need perfect conditions to play in...
3) Jake Delhomme played the entire first half and finished 12 of 16 and a TD to Ben Watson,who made a great catch in the back of the end zone for the score.
The grab was initially called incomplete,but reviews showed Watson kept both feet in bounds for the six points.
4) Seneca Wallace seems to have sewn up the backup role,if he didn't have it already after his TD pass to Josh Cribbs.
Wallace threw a pick as well,but he is the backup from what I have seen.
5) Colt McCoy was three and out in his only possession of the game,while Brett Ratliff was picked off on the games final possession and finished one of four.
I would never have said this going into the exhibition slate,but with Ratliff's background with Eric Mangini and the poor play of McCoy,the battle for the third QB is closer than one might think.
6) Colt McCoy was Mike Holmgren's pick and I still think that he wins that battle,but what better way could you make a statement that no one has any entitlement at all than to drop a third round pick if performance is not up to par.
I don't think that is the way that they will or should go,but it is an interesting premise...
7) The player of the game to me was Peyton Hillis,who had the most carries in the game (12),but was running through Rams and caught three passes on swings out of the backfield.
A interesting look for the Browns might be some formations that use Hillis in the halfback slot with vicious blocking Lawrence Vickers running lead from the fullback slot.
8) The Browns went for the first down twice on fourth down in the first half with Delhomme in the game,succeeding once of the pair of attempts.
A field goal in one of those situations would have won the game.
However,I loved both calls as these games are to try things and show different possibilities for real situations,who cares who wins these games as long things are looked at for the regular season....
9) Eric Wright had five tackles and changed his number from 24 to 21 in his first game of the season.
Wright should still be the starter opposite Sheldon Brown,but don't rule out throwing top pick Joe Haden into the mix.
Wright along with Brandon McDonald have seemed to have a sense of entitlement as far as their jobs in the past and neither Wright as a starter,nor McDonald as a backup should have that right now..
10) Not many on defense stood out,but linebacker Chris Gogong did have six tackles and was the only Brown around the quarterback as the Browns pass rush was awful to say the least and I could say more...
Photo Credit-John Kuntz-Cleveland Plain Dealer
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