Yesterday was our all time record for hits in a day and I would like to thank everyone for that.
I do not plan on further posts on the Suns unless the news indicates the need.
I also have not forgotten about my other day trip posts which will be coming soon..
The Cleveland Browns held leads of 10-0 and 17-7,but managed to keep the Arizona Cardinals hanging around enough for the Redbirds to send the game to overtime and then lose it there 20-17.
Greg Little was the star of the game finishing with five catches for 131 receiving including a 76 yard touchdown catch and run for the Browns.
Cleveland falls to 4-10 with the loss and travels to Baltimore next week against an angry bunch of Ravens after their manhandling by San Diego...
Brownie Bits
Little showed the ability to run away from defenders and the dropped passes that have plagued him recently were not there on this day....
2) Seneca Wallace was the game manager in this one as he did little spectacularly,but other than the fumble that allowed the Cardinals field position for the tying score,did a good job in keeping the game buttoned down and not making a mistake at critical times.
Do I think Seneca Wallace is an answer? Absolutely not,but he was decent enough in Arizona to avoid criticism...
3) Peyton Hillis ran well in the first half and finished with 99 yards on 26 carries,but in the fourth quarter the Browns appeared to get away from the run and that could have been a key factor in the loss.
Hillis ran the ball just five times in the fourth quarter and two of those were just glorified kneeldowns as the team played for overtime.
Perhaps a longer run game commitment might have enabled the Browns to hang on for the win..
4) Four sacks for the Browns on the game with Jabaal Sheard and Chris Gogong each collecting two sacks.
Sheard continues to make a run at defensive rookie of the year,while Gogong continues an impressive run of games that has shown better value for his contract extension than I expected.
Gogong has been the defenses best player on the whole for the last month...
5) Josh Cribbs was replaced by Buster Skrine as the kickoff returner late in the game.
This may be heresy to say,but between Cribbs injury issues and the speed of Skrine-I might make this change for both of the final two games.
Skrine is healthier and faster at this point and could be an upgrade in the return game,not to mention Skrine's interception in his playing time at corner,where he shared snaps with Sheldon Brown.
6) The biggest question to me on the day was this-How could you let arguably the top receiver in the game so wide open down the field in overtime?
The Browns had double and sometimes triple teamed Larry Fitzgerald and suddenly in overtime,you play him one on one?
Either that was a reckless gamble by the coaching staff or a blown coverage by the safety that should have been involved on the double team,which looked to me to be rookie Eric Hagg.
7) Speaking of Hagg,who is just starting to see the field more often,I liked what I saw from the seventh rounder.
Hagg's hustle on one play coming across the field to knock Early Doucet out of bounds saved the Browns a touchdown.
I am in favor of seeing more of Hagg in the final two games.
8) The Browns lost Alex Smith for the season with a shoulder injury.
Add the loss of Smith to the earlier loss of Ben Watson and the Browns are left with Evan Moore and Jordan Cameron at tight end.Both are considered pass catching threats rather than blockers,so the run game may suffer in Baltimore Saturday....
9) Big question as always-Better to lose and pick higher or win games?
At this point,the best thing for the future is to lose,but you always have to try to win.
I do not root for losses at any time,but it does make a loss easier to take when you can see a silver lining in a defeat....
10) I can be critical of Tom Heckert for not being active in free agency,but I will not touch him for talent evaluation in the draft.
Every pick in last years draft except for the injured Owen Marecic saw significant playing time yesterday and played reasonably well.
Now,some of that is that the Browns are bad enough that time was there to be had,but when you are getting quality time from rookies picked in the 5th (Buster Skrine and Jason Pinkston) and 7th rounds (Eric Hagg),the GM knows talent.
As down as I am on Pat Shurmur as coach,that is how high I am on Tom Heckert at general manager..
Photo Credits
Wallace:AP Photo
Little:Christian Peterson:Getty Images
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