It might have taken eight (yes,eight) turnovers and it might have taken 96 year old Charlie Batch taking the snaps under center for the Pittsburgh Steelers,but mix in the recipe of Pat Shurmur managing not to do anything too stupid and your net result was a 20-14 upset win for the Cleveland Browns!Trent Richardson's 15 yard touchdown run in third quarter play gave the Browns the final margin as the score was the only points in the second half for either team.
The now 3-8 Browns travel to Oakland next Sunday for a showdown against the 3-8 Raiders.
Small group at my house for this one,Interested? Want to bring food?
Drop me a line! Anytime that the Browns beat Pittsburgh-its party time!
Or as close as a boring fat man that doesn't drink gets to that point....
Brownie Bits
1) I have some negatives later,but lets have a positive!
I don't care if the QB for the opponent is Ben Rothlisberger,Charlie Batch or Charlie Brown-Eight turnovers is a lot!
I know Steeler fans have the thought that if Rothlisberger played this would not have happened and they are probably right,as we will most likely see in Pittsburgh in a month,but it was not Charlie Batch that was dropping the ball on the turf like he was carrying a landmine.
2) Four Steeler running backs and four fumbles,one from each back.
On a day that the Steelers had to not turn the ball over in order to maximize Charlie Batch,the Browns pounded the Steeler backs and forced them to give it up .
It has been a long time since Cleveland out-physicaled (New Word!) Pittsburgh,but they did on this day....
3) The Browns run defense is ranked in the lower third in the league,but this team has become difficult to run on and I attribute that to the return of Phil Taylor.
I was not thrilled with the selection of John Hughes in the third round and I still think that the Browns could have gotten him later in the draft,but when Cleveland can rotate Taylor,Ahtyba Rubin,Hughes and Billy Winn at defensive tackle,this team ranks with the best against the run with their interior line in the game.
4) Billy Winn's interception off a tip was the first of his career.
Winn looks to me to be capable of moving to end next season and considering where he was picked (sixth round) in the draft,Winn ranks among the top steals of the 2012 draft.
5) Trent Richardson's day was not spectacular (29 carries 85 yards 2.9 yards per carry) other than his fifteen yard bolt through the Steeler line for the game winning TD,but what he did do is this-run well enough and hard enough to make the Steelers respect him,keep the clock moving and put the Browns in position for makeable first downs.
That is what is takes to win in the AFC North....
6) Sheldon Brown handed the Steelers a touchdown with his pass interference call on Plaxico Burress late in the first half that set the ball at the one,but his third quarter pick of Charlie Batch set up the game winning TD by Trent Richardson,so I'll take the wash.
Actually,I thought Brown did pretty well against Burress other than the interference call....
7) One more positive,I liked the throw to Jordan Cameron for the Browns first touchdown.
Cameron has the type of athletic ability to make him a tough cover in red zone areas and he should be a threat in those situations.
I hated the fade pass to Cameron last week in Dallas,but the out route makes better use of Cameron's just developing skills
8) Brandon Weeden started slow with his tipped pick six to Lawrence Timmons,but otherwise did what you would hope-kept the team in the game by not making the big mistake.
Weeden left the game with a head injury as Colt McCoy took the snaps for the last two possessions (all run plays),so it will be interesting to follow to see the status of Weeden for the Raiders.
9) All too often,the Browns win meaningless late season games and as a result miss out on impact players in the draft.
I normally scream about this and when I saw the schedule,I saw the typical Browns late season run of games to cost them draft position.
The slate starts next week in Oakland and then sees Kansas City and Washington hit Cleveland before expected losses in Denver and Pittsburgh wrap up the campaign.
Keep an eye on this next week...
10) That said and as much as I hate dropping in the draft and possibly making Pat Shurmur look good to Jimmy Haslem and Joe Banner-I'll take wins in the division anytime!
They will not make the playoffs or anything,but inter-divisional wins are worth the hit.
11) One play that might have decided this game?
A long pass to a wide open Mike Wallace that hit T.J. Ward in the back of the helmet.
IF Charlie Batch gets that ball to Wallace,it would likely have been a touchdown and would have swung the momentum along with the panic type of Pat Shurmur play calling as well....
12) What a great weekend!
Ohio State over michigan,Browns over Steelers!
You cannot beat that!!!!
Photo Credit:Cleveland Plain Dealer
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