McCoy's late rally drowns Miami

On a day that the offense and Colt McCoy looked pretty dismal for most of the day,the Cleveland Browns and McCoy stepped up on a final drive that ended with McCoy hitting Mohammed Massaquoi for the game winning touchdown with 43 seconds to go for a 17-16 Cleveland win.

The 2-1 Browns will host the 2-1 Tennessee Titans in Cleveland next Sunday before heading into the bye week.

Brownie Bits

1) One thing to note right off-Colt McCoy did not play well other than the winning drive.
The numbers do not look that bad-210 yards,2 TD's and one pick,but 19 of 39 in an offense that is built around a high completion percentage is not going to cut the mustard long term.
McCoy overthrew Josh Cribbs on a pass that saw Cribbs yards ahead of his defender that would have been an easy TD and he seemed to be either over or underthrowing much of the day.
I did (of course) like the final drive,but despite the win,I still have questions to answer on McCoy.

2) The final drive was very nice as McCoy ran the offense the way it is intended to be run as he completed passes to six different receivers.
In a way,the winning drive showed the potential that the Browns could have had the Browns added another playmaker.
A guy that gets yards after the catch,like Greg Little is beginning to show signs of being.
The Browns add one more top flight pass grabber to go with Little,Mohammed Massaquoi as the 3rd receiver,Ben Watson and Evan Moore at tight end,the Hillis/Hardesty running game and the team could have the makings of a offense....

3) Peyton Hillis had been battling strep throat all week and left before the game,ticking off fantasy owners and giving Montario Hardesty his chance to shine.
Hardesty ran for 67 yards and looked strong.
I think the main issue with Hardesty was the team did not run him enough!
With McCoy struggling and Hillis out,I would have given Hardesty the ball far more.....

4) Hardesty's biggest play of the day though was his screen pass reception for a first down on the final drive on a fourth down and four.
Hardesty played in a pro style offense at Tennessee,he can catch the football and could be quite a help in passing situations.

5) Excellent play on the game winning catch by Mohammed Massaquoi in keeping both feet in bounds,but the "two men on the ground" at the same time celebration rule that gave Miami great field position was a bogus call.
Anyone could see that Massaquoi had gotten up and fell off balance just as Ben Watson slid in.
A guy can taunt,dance and everything else and that is OK,but two guys on the turf at the same time is a penalty?
Dumb rule and one that could have cost the Browns this game.

6) The Pat Shurmur offense sure is not where I hoped it would be,but thus far the defensive line has been spectacular.
Rookie Jabaal Sheard and Phil Taylor have both been terrific,Jayme Mitchell has been a pleasant surprise and Ahtyba Rubin continues to develop into one of the better tackles in the league.
The four already look to be the Browns best pass rushing bunch since the team returned in 1999.

7) Mike Adams did not have to leap for the final pass of the game by Chad Henne,the pass was going to be well incomplete anyway,but it still was a huge jump.
Adrenaline can make you do things that you normally cannot....

8) Joe Thomas had an excellent day as he controlled Jason Taylor all day long.
The line in general kept the rush off McCoy (zero sacks),but the right side did allow some Dolphins to get through-right tackle HAS to be a priority next season in either the draft or free agency....

9) Josh Cribbs played offense only due to a groin pull,which is why he did not return kicks.
Cribbs effort on his 33 yard TD catch was immense as that was one of those plays that came down to which player needed to make the play.
In those situations,it is not very often that Cribbs is going to lose those battles...

10) One final note-with Ben Watson and Evan Moore playing well and Alex Smith seeing playing time as well,has anyone noticed that fourth rounder Jordan Cameron has been a healthy inactive each week thus far?
I had questions on this pick on draft day,when you considered Cameron being a project and tight end being one of the deeper positions on the team,but it looks worse now as that pick could have brought Denarious Moore in,who is playing well early for Oakland.
I admit that I was not pushing for Moore then,but he would look very good on this team right now....

Photo Credits
Matt Sullivan-Getty Images

Cleveland Browns 2011 in review-The Offense

Today,we start a three part series in which we will look at the season in review for the 2011 Cleveland Browns.
I have time on my hands since ALL four of the teams that I rooted for over the weekend lost,giving me a borderline disgusting final four for the NFL,featuring Baltimore and Murderin' Ray Lewis against New England and cheating Bill Belchick and the Giants and their NYC Hype against San Francisco and their long time member on the disliked list-Jim Harbaugh...

Today,we will focus on the offense,with the next post covering the defense and the third and final post looking at the special teams and coaching....


Quarterback:
Browns fans are split on whether or not Colt McCoy is the long term answer at quarterback.
To me,this is like the question of the chicken or the egg,which came first?
How can Colt McCoy succeed with such limited weapons? or if Colt McCoy was truly a QB to build around,he would make limited talents better,would he not?
Both sides have merit,but from what I saw,I would lean towards McCoy being an decent quarterback with the right team,but not the type that is going to win a Super Bowl with.
McCoy's numbers look better than they really were because of the dink and dunk style of Pat Shurmur and rolling up garbage time numbers in games that were already lost.
The question that so many have is should the Browns replace McCoy or give him one more season with improved skill position talent?
I think it depends on the player available.
Seneca Wallace has seemingly complained his way into a possible chance to win the starting job despite not being able to throw the football accurately beyond twenty yards.
I did not see the Browns improve much in his starts,but apparently someone has in the Browns front office.
I have never seen what Mike Holmgren has seen in Wallace going all the way back to Seattle.
5'11,32 years old (for 2012),a lousy arm and a questionable attitude-what's not to love?
Want a crazy prediction?IF Seneca Wallace is the regular starter for Cleveland in 2012,the Browns will own the first pick in the 2013 draft.
Pat Shurmur picked up former Ram Thaddeus Lewis off waivers to be the third stringer,but Lewis saw no action.

Grade:C-

Running Back:
Peyton Hillis battled injuries all season and seemed to not play when he could have,but looked very strong in two losses late in the season when given plenty of carries before being only given ten carries in a winnable final game against Pittsburgh.
Hillis will likely not return due to the issues during the season and does not seem to be a west coast offense fit or a Pat Shurmur guy.
Hillis always played hard when he was on the field,so his effort there is beyond question,but the Browns will likely allow him to leave.
Montario Hardesty was a huge disappointment in his return from a knee injury.
Hardesty missed most of the second half and rushed for over seventy yards one all season and that was a 95 yard day on a whopping 33 carries in the classic 6-3 win over Seattle.
Perhaps it might take another year for Hardesty to be really over his knee injury,but I think it would be a huge mistake to enter next season with Hardesty being counted on for a major role in the offense.
There is still time to turn things around,but for now trading up in the draft for Hardesty is looking to be a real bust.
Chris Ogbonnaya was brought into town as an emergency measure when both Hillis and Hardesty were injured and was a key in the win over Jacksonville and the should have been win against the Rams.
When the above pair returned,Ogbonnaya was limited to spot duty and special teams.
Ogbonnaya is not a player to hang your hat on,but used properly can be a helpful part of the team.
Owen Marecic was a huge disappointment to me as a rookie fullback.
Marecic was reported to be a great blocker and pass catcher,he proved to be neither.

Grade C-

Wide Receiver

The Browns thought the WCO would magically turn bad receivers into good ones and therefore paid no attention to the position other than drafting Greg Little in the second round.
Little dropped more passes than he should have,but between missing his 2010 college season and being stuck on a team where a rookie was being covered by the opponents best corner because there was no one else to worry about,I liked Little's season.
I think he is a true number two receiver rather than a one,but a solid season all things considered.
Josh Cribbs improved his hands this season,but showed little of the breakaway ability that he shows in special teams.
I still think Cribbs is not a true receiver,but would be better used in situations that showed his versatility.
I have been saying that through three coaches now,so that may not happen.
Mohamed Massaquoi has never been the same player since being hit by James Harrison in Pittsburgh in 2010.
Massaquoi looks tentative and rarely is a factor,which is more production than the team got from Brian Robiskie before his mid season release.
I would not be surprised to see Massaquoi elsewhere next season.
Jordan Norwood showed signs of possibly being able to help as a slot receiver.
Norwood reminds me a little of New Orleans' Lance Moore,which is more valuable on a good team than a bad one.I still liked Norwood's
Carlton Mitchell finally caught three passes after 30 games of not catching one.
Mitchell has the size and speed,but there has to be a reason that he never plays.

Grade D+ and that's only because of Greg Little's development.

Tight End
Ben Watson battled concussion issues all season that finally ended his season early.
Watson was steady but unspectacular and made nowhere near the impact that he did in 2010.
Watson is reportedly considering retirement with his concussion problems.
Evan Moore has the best hands on the team,but the Browns were very inconsistent in their use of Moore,who would occasionally go entire games without seeing a pass.
Moore should have been the red zone target for the team.
Not sure what the team issues are with Moore,but I bet there is something there...
Jordan Cameron was inactive for much of the first half,before seeing the field in the second.
I liked the cameos of Cameron and I can see the physical skills,even though I still think the Browns drafted him too soon..
Grade C

Offensive line

The line took a huge shot with the loss of Eric Steinbach at left guard,which dropped Joe Thomas from dominant at left tackle,to simply a pro bowler.
Steinbach was replaced by rookie Jason Pinkston,who was serviceable in his first year.
Alex Mack was strong at center and despite leading the line in penalties,Shaun Lauvao gives me hope at right guard.
Right tackle is a major problem with Tony Pashos,Oneil Cousins,Artis Hicks and the janitor among others.
Pashos is injury prone and not that good when he plays.
The others are backup types at best,so right tackle is a major need for next season.
All things considered with an injury to a key player (Steinbach),a rookie playing out of position (Pinkston) and basically two rookies at guard,I think things could have been far far worse.

Grade B-

Fools gold in Frisco

The Cleveland Browns were able to generate little offense other than one play and despite Pat Shurmur's "We battled" comments appeared to meekly drop a 20-10 decision to the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park.
Colt McCoy's 45 yard TD pass to Joshua Cribbs was the only effective play from the offense on the day and the game was really not as close as the score indicates,in what is quickly becoming a trend with this team.
Cleveland falls to 3-4 on the season and travels to Houston next week and a date with the first place Texans.

Brownie Bits

1) Unable to run the ball after the first quarter calf injury to Montario Hardesty (That just added the butterscotch to the sundae of an awful fantasy football week),the Browns were not exactly dazzling throwing the football either.
Take the one dab of glitter off the board in the touchdown pass to Cribbs and the Browns were almost incapable of moving the football.


2) For what seems to be the millionth game in a row,Colt McCoy picked up passing yards in garbage time to make his day look far better than it really was.
However,I cannot blame all of this on McCoy-his weapon from the backfield was a guy on the practice squad in Houston two weeks ago and a group of receivers that seem to specialize in the three yard route when you need eight.
McCoy has many of his own issues,but this mess is cannot be totally blamed on him....

3) One cannot blame the receivers for the routes that they run.
They are going with the play that is called,but this note is a pet peeve of mine since the Belichick era and it just drives me nuts.
I know that the idea behind the "West Coast Offense" is for the receivers make yardage after the catch,but it is painfully obvious to anyone watching the team that this group of skill players,with the arguable exception of Greg Little,is not capable of turning nine yards out of a three yard pass.
Yet,these same plays featuring these routes are called again and again and rarely succeed in the objective-gaining first downs!

4) Frank Gore bulled his way for 134 yards on the ground,but the Browns defense did control him in the second half for the most part and that (theoretically at least) kept Cleveland in the game.
The Browns have made some defensive strides this season,but they still lack the type of playmaker that turns games around.

5) Too bad that D'Qwell Jackson grabbed Frank Gore's facemask on a third down that would have forced a punt and gave Cleveland a chance to tie the game.
Instead,the drive continued and ended in David Akers field goal that put the game out of reach.
Jackson had ten tackles and unfortunately would have a good game overshadowed by a penalty.

6) The only touchdown of the day appears to be not a called play.
Josh Cribbs was a decoy and not part of the reads for Colt McCoy on a particular pass play,but throughout the game,Cribbs claimed to be open on this route.
McCoy changed up on his reads and the play ended in the touchdown.
I like to see a little variations on plays occasionally.
It makes defenses a little less certain and can break a big play on occasion.

7) The injury to Montario Hardesty meant that Chris Ogbonnaya played the entire game.
Considering he was not even playing two weeks ago,his 37 rushing yards and five catch day was decent enough,but my question is why are the Browns only carrying three running backs?
With Peyton Hillis nicked up and the injury history with Hardesty,this does not make sense to me.
The Browns will have to pick up a back this week as insurance against Hillis or Hardesty not being ready to play in Houston...

8) Best player on the field in this one?
Navorro Bowman of the Niners.
Bowman might not get the pub of his excellent teammate Patrick Willis,but he is every bit the player that Willis is and seemed to be in on every play-run or pass.
Bowman and Willis are the exact type of linebackers that the Browns have none of-tough linebackers that can run,play against the run or pass and play every down.....

9) Cherie and Rachel (Boy,am I thrilled that she has caught the football bug!) like Colt McCoy a lot and their complaints are constant every week that he just does not have the time to throw the football.
There is more to the struggles of the young Texan than just that,but their point is valid on this part-the right side of the line is just awful.
Tony Pashos is not quite to John St.Clair level awfulness,but he still is not blocking anyone and any team that has a pass rusher that is comfortable from rushing off either end should be lined up against Pashos.
That will equal a nice day for that defender.
Cleveland needs a right tackle badly and should be drafting one no later than round two next season.
Nine sacks allowed in two weeks tends to make these issues pretty visible.


10) Alex Smith has been decent enough as the blocking third string tight end,but his behaving like a guy that won the game with a ten yard catch has gotten very old.
Settle down a bit and act like a veteran...


11) I miss the Brown jerseys.
Most teams wear the colored jerseys at home,but Cleveland has been wearing white at home.

C'mon guys,the name of the team is the Cleveland BROWNS,right?


Photo Credit-AP

Cleveland Browns Draft Review

The Cleveland Browns entered the 2010 draft with many needs and lots of picks to attempt to fill them with.
The Browns tried to fill some of them with picks, but two trades with the Philadelphia Eagles weeded some of those picks away with a return of veteran corner Sheldon Brown, linebacker Chris Gocong and using some to move up into the second round to select Tennessee running back Montario Hardesty.

First-round pick Joe Haden was thought to be a Brown's possibility over the winter, but a bad combine workout caused Haden to slip from the minds of many observers.
Haden redeemed himself somewhat with a better performance at the Florida pro day and the Browns bought into Haden.
Haden is a physical man-to-man corner and was the best cornerback in this draft.
I might have taken Texas safety Earl Thomas over Haden, but certainly have no complaints on this pick as between Haden, Eric Wright, and bringing Sheldon Brown over from the Eagles, Corner looks to have moved from a weakness to a strength for Cleveland.

T.J. Ward of Oregon was the Browns second-round pick and to me, this was somewhat of a reach for a need position.
Ward looks to be better against the run than the downfield type and I saw Ward and Oregon play both at the beginning of the season (Boise State) and the Rose Bowl against the Buckeyes and I don't remember hearing much from him.
I had reservations about USC safety Taylor Mays as well, but I think Mays would have been a better selection than someone else as Ward could have been available in Round three.
In any event, Ward is likely to start this season, so we should see his worth quickly...
Cleveland then traded into the second round to nab Tennessee's physical runner Montario Hardesty.
Hardesty was beset with injury issues as a Volunteer, but stayed healthy all of last season and had the production to show for it.
Hardesty breaks tackles and falls forward as a runner, which is something that I always like in back, but the injury issues are concerning

In Round Three, the Browns used their picks on their possible quarterback of the future in Texas passer Colt McCoy and Arizona State offensive lineman Shawn Lauvao.
McCoy seems to be the perfect fit for the Mike Holmgren offense according to most and I tend to agree, but keep in mind that this won't be a Holmgren offense, it will be an Eric Mangini/Brian Daboll offense and McCoy doesn't seem to fit there as well.
McCoy is a leader and I like him, but his arm isn't the strongest around, and battling the Cleveland wind will go a long way in his possible success.
McCoy was well worth the risk at this stage in the draft.

Lauvao can play guard or tackle but seems to be a better fit at guard, I like this pick in adding bulk to the offensive line.
At the minimum, Lauvao will add depth, but the Browns hope he will start at right guard.

Cleveland didn't pick again until the fifth round with another safety in Larry Asante of Nebraska.
Looking at the safety rankings, Asante wasn't ranked very far below T.J. Ward.
Another hard-hitting "in the box" type safety, Asante looks to be better against the run than in coverage but still should be a special team help at worst.
The final two picks for the Browns were in round six with South Florida wide receiver Carlton Mitchell and South Carolina defensive end Clifton Geathers.
Mitchell has the type of physical talent that could make him a real steal for the Browns.
At almost 6' 3 and sprinter speed, Mitchell could eventually be an impact player.
Geathers has an NFL pedigree (father and uncle former NFLers) and at 6'7 and 300 pounds could be a powerhouse off the end.
The rap on Geathers is that he doesn't play to his size and takes plays off.

This draft looks solid, but some gambles were taken.
I like most of the players, but the draft can be just as much about when you take players as much about who you take.
Hopefully, this will work out in favor for the Browns,.....

Cuts,losses and more

The Pirates 9-2 loss to Washington was a rarity-I gave up on the game and watched something else (ESPN3's coverage of the WBA Middleweight title fight between Felix Sturm and Giovanni Lorenzo from Germany).
Sue me.
7-0 by the middle of the fifth does that to a person,although I didn't stop until the end of the sixth.
I did see Andrew McCutchen's homer (13),but that was about the only highlight.
Paul Maholm dropped to 7-14 after allowing all seven of the early runs.
The series concludes today with a battle of struggling pitchers as Charlie Morton (1-10) takes on Jason Marquis (1-7).
Considering Marquis has an ERA over eight and Morton's is over ten,look for lots of runs this afternoon....

Cleveland Browns fans looking for rookie Montario Hardesty to be a huge part of the running game can forget that after tearing his ACL and will miss the season.
Big loss for the Browns after moving a third and two fives for a player that will miss the season.
Hardesty was a risk going into the draft after an injury-plagued career at Tennessee.
The Browns gambled and lost.

Cleveland trimmed their roster to the limit of 53,but look for plenty of changes before the opener in Tampa.
Why? Well,they have three corners and twelve linebackers on the roster.
Some new players are coming in and some of the players currently on the team are going to leave.
The interesting names on the cut list included 5th round safety Larry Asante,corner Brandon McDonald,veteran pass catcher Bobby Engram and running back Chris Jennings,the star of last years upset win over Pittsburgh.
I am not sorry to see McDonald and his soft tackling go,although I wish Asante would have stuck,considering he was a 5th rounder and the trade of 2 other fifth rounders to move up for Montario Hardesty makes it look even worse....

The big news in Seattle is the release of T.J. Houshmandzadeh.
The release of the former Bengal means the Seahawks paid him roughly fifteen million for one season by the time all is said and done.
Mike Williams has looked super in the pre-season,but he will need to continue to do in order for this to look decent.
The remainder of the releases were pretty non-descript other than releasing J.P.Losman.
Losman isnt a huge loss,but for now that means that Matt Hasselbeck and Charlie Whitehurst are the only QB's on the squad.
Look for Seattle to possibly add Patrick Ramsey (cut by Saints) or maybe even Matt Leinart (released by Cardinals) to fill the final slot....

Seattle also shipped a seventh rounder (seems they are always dealing 7's) to Philadelphia for
tackle Stacy Andrews.
Andrews started for the Bengals for three years before joining the Eagles in the off-season.
The Seahawks acquired another tackle in Tyler Polumbus a few days back for a undisclosed future pick from the Lions.
Polumbus was waived by Denver,but was claimed by the Lions after the release.
Detroit was preparing to waive him and the Hawks wanted to make sure that they added their man this time....

I have been critical of female football announcer Pam Ward in the past,mainly because she is terrible,but that's beside the point.
Last nights Cincinnati-Fresno State game featured Beth Mowins,a staple of low revenue women's sports (and basketball for men and women) for ESPN for years teaming with Trent Dilfer and I thought both were very good.
Mowins called the game and deferred to Dilfer on things that she didn't know or was unsure of.
Ward often is trying so hard to show you that she knows football that she comes off screechy and overbearing.
Mowins blended into the game and told you what happened,not her thoughts-that is what the color analyst is for.
Hope to see more of the Mowins-Dilfer pair on ESPN this season.

Wish I could say the same for the halftime bunch of Wendi Nix,Todd McShay and former Buckeye Robert Smith,who come off as unprepared (Nix),self important (McShay) and downright somnambulant (Smith).
The worst studio bunch for college football that I have seen in quite a while.

Not so special teams for Browns in loss in Oakland

The offense did not produce much in their return from the bye week in Oakland,but the blame for this not as close as it looks 24-17 loss to the Raiders has to go to the special teams,which allowed a Jacoby Ford kickoff return for a touchdown and a fake field goal that ended in another Oakland touchdown via the pass.
Colt McCoy did toss two touchdowns,but much of his 215 yards passing came in garbage time.
The Browns fall to 2-3 on the season and host Seattle on Sunday before another trip to the Bay Area against the suddenly strong 49ers the following week.

Brownie Bits

1) I was critical of Eric Mangini at times,but one thing that even the most devoted Mangini dissenter could not say was that Mangini teams did not prepare on special teams.
I can even give the Jacoby Ford return somewhat of a pass.
Big returns with fast returners can happen to any team,no matter the preparation,but the fake field goal was wide open and you could see the play being open from the couch.

2) Watching the play develop,you could clearly see that Kevin Boss ( a tight end,not a tackle or linebacker that you could easily ignore) was not even covered on the end.
Now assume that the field goal attempt is tried,no rush off the end?
That was the alignment as Boss did not even have anyone to BLOCK!
Poor job by all involved.

3) The Browns hit on Jason Campbell that ended the Oakland quarterbacks season could be one that affects the Browns for seasons to come.
Because Campbell was knocked out and Kyle Boller was so bad in his place,the Raiders pulled the trigger on a deal for Carson Palmer and that sent either 2 first rounders or at worst a first and second to the Browns division rivals-the Bengals.
Time will tell what Cincinnati does with those picks,but the Browns have set the Bengals up to have an excellent chance to improve through the draft in the next two seasons...

4) The Raiders allowed the Browns to have a prayer of a comeback after passing on a short field goal try to go for it from the Cleveland five,which the Browns stopped.
Always take the chance to go up by three scores,Hue Jackson did not and kept the Browns alive.
What was it with coaches and dumb decisions this weekend?
First Ron Zook and then Hue Jackson.
At least,Jackson's team won.

5) Montario Hardesty shows promise,but he needs major work on his blocking and picking up his assignments.
Hardesty was so poor at this late in the game that Peyton Hillis,who was out of the game with hamstring issues,had to enter the game just to block the blitzers to give Colt McCoy a chance to get rid of the ball!!

6) Oakland entered the game with one of the league worst run defenses,but you could not know that from watching this game-the Raiders front seven stuffed and controlled both Peyton Hillis and Montario Hardesty throughout the game and held Cleveland to 65 yards on the ground.

7) Greg Little continues to develop with six catches (of 12 targets) and came within a half yard of a touchdown before losing his balance.
Little looks better every week after missing last year at North Carolina and I believe could be a elite player if the Browns could ever add a deep threat to the other side...

8) Alex Mack played less than two weeks after an appendectomy and gets full credit for that,but the line still is not protecting Colt McCoy as well as they should.
The right side of the line (Shawn Lauvao and Tony Pashos) are simply not getting the job done.
I'll give Lauvao a small pass because he is basically a rookie (Injured last year) and playing beside a below average tackle,but Pashos has been a major disappointment.

9) Josh Cribbs says he wants to be on special teams full time since he is a "Very Insignificant" part of the offense.
If that makes him more effective there,fine,but to me,this combined with the Peyton Hillis saga is concerning to me.
Five games into the season and already locker room issues?

10) The Browns added running back Chris Ogbonnaya off the Texans practice squad and released Armond Smith.
Smith carried the ball just three times for the Browns this season,but will be remembered most for the fourth and one pitch play in the loss to Tennessee.
Ogbonnaya is a former Texas Longhorn and draft pick of the Rams,so there are connections with Colt McCoy and Pat Shurmur.

Photo Credit-Thearon Henderson-Getty Images

The less said the better-Cleveland 6-3

After watching a game that bad,you cannot blame me for taking a few days off,can you?
Two fifty plus yard field goals by Phil Dawson gave Cleveland a 6-3 win over Seattle in a game that ranks with this classic as the worst game that I have watched since starting this in 2007.
The Browns improve to 3-3,while the Seahawks drop to 2-4.
Cleveland travels to San Francisco this week,while Seattle hosts Cincinnati.
I will be back with the Devils game against the Kings later today as I will be watching it as soon as I am finished writing about this barnburner..

Puget Brownies (Clever,huh?)

1) As awful as both teams were-Seattle should have won this game.
The only mild excitement on the day was Leon Washington's punt return for a TD that was called back for a block in the back,that really was not such.
The Browns defender fell down and the ref tossed the flag.
Difference in the game-RIGHT THERE as Howard Cosell used to say on the Monday Night Football highlights...

2) Cleveland won the game,but there was zero question that on this day,Seattle's Red Bryant was the dominant force in the game.
Bryant generally threw Browns around like the old Andre the Giant tossing prelim wrestlers around like matchbox cars when he was angry.
Three tackles,half a sack,what seemed to be about twelve hits on Colt McCoy,two blocked field goals and handling what seemed to be half the Browns offense.

3) It is too bad that Bryant was tossed from the game for headbutting Alex Smith and allowing Cleveland to run out the clock,not only to see if Bryant could earn the blocked field goal hat trick,but because it put a damper on the best game of his career.
Now that these two teams wont play for another three years,I hope this is a building block for Big Red's play.

4) I know everyone thought Eric Mangini might have paid too much attention to special teams and carried too many players that offered nothing but that part of the game.
I was one of them,but the last two weeks have shown a glaring weakness there.
A fake field goal for a touchdown against you,two of your field goals blocked,a kickoff returned for a score and a punt that should have been a touchdown.
Big problems here in this faction of the team and somewhere Eric Mangini is chuckling.

5) Good news-Montario Hardesty 95 yards rushing in place of Peyton Hillis.
The bad-Hardesty accomplished that on 30 carries for an average of 2.9 yards.
Yuck.

6) T.J. Ward had his best game of the season.
It seems that Dick Jauron was using Ward differently than Rob Ryan did and his play was affected.
Against Seattle,Ward was moved around and used as a blitzer occasionally,earning a sack early in the game that forced a turnover.
The Browns need to continue to use Ward's hitting ability to its potential by moving him around a bit and putting him in positions to cause more fumbles and cover his sometimes defiencies in pass coverage.

7) Charlie Whitehurst slammed the door on any chance to start a controversy at quarterback.
I wanted to see Whitehurst play considering the price paid for him in Pete Carroll's first major move as coach before the 2010 season.
Just awful,if Seattle does not take a quarterback in round one next year,I would have severe issues of faith in the front office...

8) Joe Haden played the entire game despite his knee injury that caused him to miss the game against the Raiders.
Haden played well with one exception considering that he was still not at top health.
Nice to see Haden taking one for the team...

9) One more piece of luck for Cleveland-Joe Haden thinks they are in zone coverage and his incorrect assumption allows Sidney Rice to be wide open down the field.
Rice should walk to the end zone,but Charlie Whitehurst's throw forces Rice to turn awkwardly to catch the ball and the result is Rice catches the ball inbounds but the poor throw knocks Rice off balance and out of bounds instead of walking for the certain score...

10) A tip of the hat to two defenders that had nice games-David Hawthorne of Seattle and Ahytba Rubin of Cleveland.
Both played very well and Hawthorne showed signs of returning to his excellent form of last season.....

11) I got through it and tried to avoid any offensive offense talk as well!!!

Photo Credits
Pumpkin Head:Cleveland Plain Dealer
Hardesty:AP

Browns corral Colts 27-19

Peyton Hillis rushed for 94 yards and two touchdowns and the Cleveland Browns evened their record at 1-1 with a 27-19 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Indianapolis.
Colt McCoy passed for over 200 yards and a touchdown in the win that saw McCoy complete passes to eight different Browns.
The Browns will be taking their talents to South Beach next week for a faceoff against the 0-2 Dolphins.

Brownie Bits

1) A four way tie for first place in the AFC North (although being old makes always think of the division as the Central) after two weeks at 1-1.
I wonder which is going to loom larger looking back at the loss to the Bengals,a loss that killed playoff hopes or a game that put the Browns closer to Andrew Luck?

2) 94 yards looks like it is OK,but Peyton Hillis set the tone for this game.
Hillis' bruising style wore down the Colts and made his clinching 4th quarter touchdown a foregone conclusion.

3) Colt McCoy spread the ball around,avoided the big mistakes (NO interceptions) and did exactly what the Browns are hoping to see from him.
Keep the ball in Cleveland control,pound Peyton Hillis and do not turn the ball over.
This sounds like basic football 102,but if McCoy can do that,he looks safe as the QB for a while...

4) Loved the play from the defensive line.
Ahtyba Rubin and Jabaal Sheard each collected sacks and Phil Taylor stuffed the run very well,especially on a third and one that forced a field goal.
The Colts offensive line was having issues,so keep that in mind,but for this game the potential was easy to see.

5) Sheard especially stood out with a forced fumble and another rush that almost turned into a Browns interception.
The Plain Dealer writes that Sheard played this game on his more comfortable left side of the line.
The team said no commitment to keeping him there,but this makes no sense to me.
If Sheard plays like this each week,he'll be on the side he wants to be on.

6) Greg Little and Mohammed Massaquoi each caught three balls and look to be the best two wideouts on the team.
Little as the yards after the catch receiver and Massaquoi as the deeper threat looks to be the tandem that could work best for the Browns.

7) That means less time for Brian Robiskie,who did not catch a pass in the win.
The Browns still need a better best deep threat than Massaquoi,but a number one guy with Little has the two and Massaquoi as the three would give the team a corps that moves above the average teams bunch.

8) Brad Maynard,the new punter after the placing of Richmond McGee on IR put three kicks inside the twenty.
Maynard might not be the Pro Bowler of past years,but he is an improvement over McGee....

9) I would have liked to see more of Montario Hardesty,who I did not see until the fourth quarter.
If the Browns truly want to see Peyton Hillis fresh for the late season games,Hardesty needs to see more time than that..

10) Joe Haden had two penalties,but quietly kept Reggie Wayne from a big day.
Wayne finished with four catches for 66 yards and a long of 20 yards.

Photo Credits
Hillis-AP
Rubin-Joshua Gunter-Cleveland Plain Dealer

Cleveland Browns Preview

Please bear with me,I am currently trying to catch up on my rest after the baseball season and in order to do that,I have not been on as much.
I am hoping to rectify that over the next few days with this post,the PPM,a Seahawk preview and a cleaning of the inbox between today and Sunday.
I actually have some things that I am excited about writing,so I hope that time permits in getting them finished..

The Cleveland Browns are expected to be a better team this season,even though the record may not show it.
The Browns continue to add young talent in place of older talent and hope to be in a position of being one draft and free agent period away from being a playoff club.
New head coach Pat Shurmur has installed the West Coast offense and the 4-3 defense in an attempt to put his stamp on the team.

On the offense,this is Colt McCoy's team and his style of offense with this being his chance to run with it.
McCoy had better as he will not get another one,if he does not take advantage of it.
Many observers think McCoy's lack of arm strength will doom him in the winter weather along Lake Erie,but the offense should take advantage of his strengths in the short game and give him a chance to succeed.
McCoy had better succeed as the choices behind him are less than thrilling as Seneca Wallace returns as the main backup bringing with him the 20 yard bomb.
People think McCoy has a weak wing? Wallace makes McCoy look like John Elway.
Shurmur favorite Thaddeus Lewis was claimed off waivers from the Rams after the end of pre-season as the third passer.

Peyton Hillis was the surprise of the season in 2010 and looks to be the workhorse again this season.
My worry about Hillis is the durability factor as runners of his style take a ton of shots.
I don't have concerns for this season,but the fact of the Browns talking long term contract with a runner of his style is a bit worrisome.
Montario Hardesty will be the backup after a knee injury that cost him his rookie season.
Hardesty is a needed player in order to give Hillis an occasional break.
Rookie Owen Maricic will start at fullback and rookie Armond Smith completes the backs on the roster.

The wide receivers still look weak to me.
Brian Robiskie and Mohammed Massaquoi return as starters with plenty to prove.
Both enter their third season and need to step their game up if they want to be looked at as true NFL starters.
Rookie Greg Little carries the largest upside of the group and should see the field often.
Joshua Cribbs will continue to get playing time in the slot with second year man Carlton Mitchell along former Eagle Jordan Norwood completing the group.
Ben Watson and Evan Moore are back to give the Browns two pass catching threats at tight end.
Watson is more of an every down tight end,while Moore is more of a pass catching threat only.
Rookie Jordan Cameron resembles Moore in his type of game and will get more time as the season progresses.

The Browns have had to patch the offensive line with some veterans from the waiver wire due to issues with injuries.
Pro Bowler Joe Thomas is as good as it gets at left tackle,but Eric Steinbach will miss the season with back issues giving Cleveland a huge blow to the less than deep line.
Alex Mack is better than average at center and 2010 third rounder Shaun Lauvao will start at right guard with his chance to start.
Tony Pashos is a huge question mark at right tackle due both injuries and his play.
Oniel Cousins was claimed from Baltimore and Artis Hicks was claimed from Washington to add depth and one will take Steinbach's slot at left guard.
Steve Vallos returns and John Greco was signed from the Rams to complete the group.

The new 4-3 defense features an almost all new defensive line.
Ahytuba Rubin returns after a great 2010 at the nose tackle in the 3-4 and will be installed at the defensive tackle beside first round pick Phil Taylor of Baylor.
If things work as expected,the Browns are going to be tough to run up the middle on.
Jayme Mitchell will start at one end after never playing a down under Eric Mangini with second round pick Jabaal Sheard starting at the other.
One of them will need to step up as a pass rusher if Cleveland is to put heat on the opposing passer.
Marcus Benard returns after a seven and a half sack 2010,but the question is-can he put up similar numbers in the 4-3?
I am not sure as he makes me think of him as a 3-4 rush guy.

The starting linebackers are all returning from the past.
D'Qwell Jackson is back after missing most of the last two years due to injuries.
If Jackson is back to form,he should be solid in the middle.
Scott Fujita and Chris Gogong are decent veterans on the outside,but neither are long term answers to the linebacking question.
Kaluka Maivia,Titus Brown and Quinton Spears are special teamers and the backups that are less than average if case of an injury.

Three of the four starters return from the 2010 Browns.
Joe Haden and Sheldon Brown are back on the corners with T.J. Ward back at safety paired with Mike Adams moving up from the nickel back to start at the other safety.
Usama Young was signed to start at safety,but was beaten out by Adams.
The depth is nothing to get stoked for with former Eagle Dmitri Patterson brought in along with speedy fifth rounder Buster Skrine,who should return kicks occasionally as well.
Two other rookies made the team as well in seventh rounder Eric Hagg and free agent James Dockery joining with returning special teamer Ray Ventrone.

Josh Cribbs will be the main kick returner with Buster Skrine and Jordan Norwood getting time there as well.
Phil Dawson is back at kicker and Richmond McGee replaces the injured Reggie Hodges as the punter..

The Browns need to get off to a strong start as the stretch run is brutal with four of the last six on the road and the home games being against the Steelers and Ravens.
Luckily, the schedule is not that strong early,so there are some winnable games.
I am looking for improvement,not necessarily wins,so there is more to this than meets the eye.
I'll be positive and go with 7-9,although 6-10 would not be a surprise to me

Browns mudbog over Raiders 20-17

The Cleveland Browns overcame an extremely muddy field to slog their way to their second win in a row in Oakland as the Browns defeated the Raiders 20-17.
Brandon Weeden threw for 364 yards and tossed a 44 yard touchdown to Josh Gordon to lead the Browns,who drove 94 yards in the fourth quarter to score a Trent Richardson rushing touchdown to put the game away although Oakland scored a garbage time TD with a one second to go to cut into the final margin.
The now 4-8 Browns host Kansas City next week in the return of so many former Browns players and coaches to Cleveland...

Brownie Bits

1) I am not sure how to feel on this.
This could be one of those meaningless wins that costs draft position that the Browns pull off every year.
However,I do see signs of progress from the team and I feel pretty good about that.
So I'm conflicted!

2) I am not in favor of a Pat Shurmur return,no matter the final record.
Some of the losses were not his fault,but I think if another coach coached these games,the Browns might be 6-6 and that might put them in the playoff race.
But I thought Shurmur called maybe his best game of the season in the win.
Not as many glaring mistakes and a cut back in the amount of the 3rd and eight,so throw a four yard pass.....

3) Brandon Weeden had good points and bad points in the game.
His yardage was impressive and you had to like the 94 yard drive that Weeden led for the game clinching score.
But his interception in the end zone was a really bad one and he badly underthrew Josh Gordon when Gordon had the Raider corner beaten that would resulted in another long touchdown pass.

4) Speaking of Josh Gordon,I am starting to believe that Josh Gordon just might be the number one receiver that the Browns have been looking for.
The physical tools are there and Gordon certainly is a big play maker.
Imagine what he might be with an off season training program and a full training camp under him.....

5) Phil Dawson missed a field goal after hitting 29 in a row.
Tough to blame Dawson considering a bad snap and the muddy conditions.
Dawson deserves a Pro Bowl trip...

6) The Browns secondary played reasonably well in the win.
Other than a long touchdown pass to Rod Streeter,the Raider passing consisted of a bunch (14) of checkdowns to tight end Brandon Myers.
Sheldon Brown made a nice interception and knocked down four passes,while Joe Haden basically  took Denarius Moore out of the game as Moore caught just one pass against Haden and his 20 yard catch came against Brown....

7) Montario Hardesty ran for 39 yards on seven carries and for the second week in a row,showed signs of being a nice change of pace back for Trent Richardson when he needs a breather.
Hardesty was a player that I was all but ready to give up on,but the last two weeks makes me think that he could be very effective if his carry number is kept to ten or under...

8) Greg Little has gotten a rap of being a player that drops the football,but of late he has not done that.
Combine that with his very underrated blocking ability (his punishing block set up the 55 yard catch and run by Mohammed Massaquoi) and Little is making me think that if the Browns could get one more experienced receiver (I'd rather not continue to gamble on the injury prone Massaquoi) I'd feel pretty good about the receiving corps for next season...

9) The Raiders have the reputation of being a well supported team,but there were tons of empty seats and the West Coast Browns Backers were loud and very visible in the stands.
The Browns Backers is the largest fan group in the league,you think the Steelers are well supported on the road-wait until this team gets into contention,The Browns Backers will have even larger numbers for road games...

10) The offensive line is really jelling (one sack),but a surprising part of that is veteran guard John Greco.
Greco has been extremely strong in replacing Jason Pinkston at guard after Pinkston's season ending illness and he might make a case for being a starter next season...

11) After breaking a long losing streak on the road in a game that I thought might be a let down game after the win over Pittsburgh,I am moderately optimistic on the team.
I see improvement and a win over the Chiefs would give the team more wins than 2011.
I still think it would be a bad idea to let some of these things allow Pat Shurmur to stay (Remember the late season winning streak in 2009 that kept Eric Mangini around and essentially wasted a year),but there is improvement.

Photo Credit:Joshua Gunter-Cleveland Plain Dealer

Reviewing the tape-Browns earn first win!

The Cleveland Browns became the final team to earn their first win of the season as they defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 34-24 in Cleveland.
The Browns were paced by two touchdown passes by Brandon Weeden that included a 71 yard heave to Josh Gordon in the first half.
Cleveland put the game away with a Sheldon Brown interception that he took 19 yards for the final blow against the Bengals for a touchdown.
The now 1-5 Browns travel to Indianapolis next Sunday for the waiting Colts.

Brownie Bits

1) I picked the Bengals in the PPM,but I have told/written all during the football season that I saw two windows of opportunity for wins,this one with the Bengals at home and the Colts on the road,along with one in December with a three game run of the Chiefs,Raiders and Redskins.

2) I wish that the Browns would throw the occasional crossing pattern to Josh Gordon to get him more involved in the offense,but there can be no denying that the Browns have found themselves a deep threat.
Gordon still has work to do as a fledgling NFL pass catcher,but the speed is there and if he can stay away from his college issues,the Browns might have themselves with their number one receiver in Josh Gordon.

3) The Browns did not have all good news as Trent Richardson injured his ribs and finished with a very pedestrian 37 yards on 14 carries.
Richardson is iffy for next week's game in Indy and it might not be a bad thing.
Ribs are the type of injury that are easily aggravated and if he misses a game to get things right,I would not complain.

4) The surprising note from the win?
The reappearance of Montario Hardesty,who led the team with 56 yards rushing and his first rushing touchdown as a pro.
Hardesty might be down to his last chance,so if Richardson does miss a game,it would behoove him to play well for his future endeavors.

5) The true play of the game might have been the Emmanuel Stephens hit/strip of Andy Dalton deep in Cleveland territory with the Browns up ten,but the Bengals looking to make it a one score game.
Billy Winn scooped and ran the ball out of the danger zone,but that essentially ended any comeback worries.

6) Brandon Weeden's long bomb to Josh Gordon into a tough (I repeat TOUGH) wind showed the arm strength that the Browns hoped for,but his interception off a deflection by Geno Atkins still showed the work that needs to be finished.
Weeden still needs to get rid of the ball quicker as I think he holds it a hair too long and that results in more deflections.

7) Joe Haden's return to the lineup certainly lifted the Browns emotionally,but A.J. Green once again had his way with Haden.
It happens sometimes,every corner has players that he covers the blanket and players that they struggle with and it appears that Green is Haden's blind spot.
I wish that was not with someone inside the division,but....

8) Jordan Norwood had been very productive in the slot over the last two games,but Norwood was out and Josh Cooper was activated from the practice squad.
Cooper caught two passes for 39 yards,but showed the potential to continue the production from that position.

9) Hustle award goes to tight end Jordan Cameron,who fell down on a route and yet scrambled up and down the field to catch a Weeden toss before being tackled at the one yard line.
Cameron shows the ability to be a large part of the offense with his physical skills,but when you see the hustle as well,I have reason to think that Jordan Cameron just might be a big time tight end in a year or so....

10) One disappointing part of the game was a strong performance by the Bengals Vontaze Burfict.
Burfict went tumbling down draft boards after a poor combine effort and a reported awful attitude.
I wanted the Browns to take a shot at Burfict in the late rounds (He went in the final round) and they passed.
Five games into the season,Burfict is starting,playing very well and is exactly the type of linebacker that Cleveland is badly in need of.
Another missed opportunity for the Browns.

Foolish mistakes burn Browns in Baltimore 20-14

Bad coaching,poor decision making and out and out dumb play added up to foil a Cleveland Browns rally as the Browns lost to the Baltimore Ravens 20-14.
Baltimore led 20-0 until late in the third quarter when Josh Cribbs took a Raven punt 84 yards for a touchdown.
Seneca Wallace's fourth quarter pass to Evan Moore for a six yard touchdown pulled the Browns to within six,but a late drive was stopped on downs in Baltimore territory and Phil Taylor jumped offsides on a fourth and two that allowed Baltimore to run out the clock.
Peyton Hillis ran for 115 yards for about the only real offense for Cleveland on the day.
The 4-11 Browns wrap up the season next week against Pittsburgh by Lake Erie...

Brownie Bits

1) I am sure today's post will sound negative,but I do not see tons to be positive about.
First,lets address the first drive of the game.
Peyton Hillis is in fine form and the Ravens cannot stop him.
It is third and one on the Baltimore 30.
Remember early in the season on a similar drive that screams HILLIS,where Pat Shurmur got too cute for his own good and called a pitch play to a guy that was not even on the team in a few weeks?
Well,Pat Shurmur Take two as the Browns do not even play action,they call a pass,which is promptly picked off.
I would have been surprised,if I did not figure that this was a WCO special coming up,where the coach has to show everyone how much smarter he is than the opposition....

2) Seneca Wallace takes the blame for the run play at the end of the first half,which resulted in zero points inside the Ravens five as the clock ran out.
Sure,the play might not have been Shurmur's choice for that time,but the disorganized group of players and their response are still Shurmur's responsibility...
In any event,Seneca Wallace is always talked about as such a great backup with his experience,shouldn't that experience have enabled him to think twice about a run play with no timeouts and audible to a pass???

3) Phil Taylor's jumping offsides on a final fourth and two and handing the game to Baltimore is inexcusable.
All the players had to know that Baltimore was trying to get the Browns to jump and worst case for them was an extra five yards to play with for the punt.
Considering the situation (no timeouts),Taylor's mistake cannot be excused...

4) Rich Gannon about drove me nuts in this game as I counted at least four times that Gannon claimed that "Pat Shurmur was one of the best play callers in the NFL".
I have seen every game and have seen no evidence of such prowess...

5) Second strong game in a row for Peyton Hillis,this time against one of the leagues best run defenses that was geared to stop him.
I still think Cleveland should try to bring Hillis back,although he may price himself out of their range,but keeping Hillis would lessen the need for a running back that would not put the total burden on the brittle Montario Hardesty to stay healthy...

6) Biggest issue with playcalling? Same as it was last season with Brian Daboll.
It seems like every critical third/fourth down always starts with a pass well short of the first down markers.
This might be overcome with better receivers,but not with what Cleveland has now.
The Browns cannot get away with throwing 1 yard passes when they need five yards,their personnel just does not fit that type of playcalling....

7) Sheldon Brown has been less than stellar this season,but credit is due on his fourth quarter interception in the end zone.Brown had Lee Evans covered perfectly....

8) Joe Haden is still a fine CB,but his play has dropped over the last month.
The pass interference penalty that cost the Browns 60 yards in the first quarter (and eventual TD) was on Mike Adams,but it was Haden at fault,for he was beaten badly on the play...

9) I was starting to think Josh Cribbs might have been past his prime in the return game,but his return yesterday was enough to make me think that perhaps his nagging injuries really are at fault for a less than dazzling season.
Cribbs and his returns are such a huge part of the team that something big is missing when his play is off mark.

10) My need list for next season?
On offense-in no particular order-Right Tackle,Wide Receiver and Quarterback (Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin would do quite nicely)
On defense-Defensive End (A quality end with Jabaal Sheard,Ahtyba Rubin and Phil Taylor would be very strong),Linebacker (preferably a pass rusher),Cornerback ( Need to see someone other than the shopworn Sheldon Brown) and a playmaking safety to go with the punishing hitting of T.J. Ward...

11) Teams to root for next week-Colts and Jaguars play each other and no matter which wins helps the Browns.A Colt win would give the number one to the Rams,who might deal the pick since they have Sam Bradford,A Jaguar win leaps the Browns over them in the draft.
Root for the 49ers to beat the Rams as that would keep the Rams in either the first or second slot and root for the Vikings to beat the Bears,as that would move the Browns up a slot.
Assuming the Browns lose to Pittsburgh,they are guaranteed to pick between the third and fifth pick in the draft....

Photo Credit-Larry French-Getty Images

Down to the wire,but Cleveland holds off Jacksonville

Normally,I would have waited on this until tomorrow,but the Devils total collapse tonight in Florida makes me want to write about something pleasant,so the Devils will have to wait until tomorrow...

The Browns tried to give the Jacksonville Jaguars a victory,allowing them to drive to the two yard line with seconds remaining,but Jacksonville receiver Jason Hill dropped what would have been the game winning TD on the next to last play of the game and Blaine Gabbart failed to see a wide open Maurice Jones-Drew,who would have walked into the end zone on the final play enabling the Browns to hold onto a 14-10 win.
Colt McCoy threw for 199 yards with one touchdown and interception,while Chris Ogbonnaya rushed for the other Cleveland score and finished with 115 yards on the day.
Cleveland improved to 4-6 with the win and will travel to Cincinnati next Sunday where the Bengals are waiting...

Brownie Bits

1) The numbers were not great,but Colt McCoy continues to impress me with his toughness.
McCoy injured his shoulder and neck on the tackling of Dawan Landry on McCoy's only interception of the game,but the Longhorn did not miss a play.
One can question many things about McCoy,but his toughness cannot be one of them...

2) The 85 yard drive that proved to be the winning score was the best Browns drive of the season in my opinion.
McCoy made several big completions and scrambled for a first down once as well as he showed that the Browns can,on occasion,drive the ball downfield...

3) I thought the Phil Dawson missed field goal in the fourth quarter could have gone either way,but I lean towards it being good.
What I found laughable was the fact that replay could not review it.
Replay is supposed to fix things,but rarely does,therefore why even bother?
I will say this-I have been watching Phil Dawson since 1999 and I have NEVER seen him that angry!

4) Super game by Chris Ogbonnaya,who left the game after his longest run of the game and looked to be grabbing a hamstring that forced him to pull up out of bounds.
However,he was soon back in the game and running hard with his second 90+ yard game in a row.
I still think that Ogbonnaya is running up these numbers with huge carry days and against bad teams,but I'll take performance anytime over opinion.
The Bengals defense will be a huge test for Ogbonnaya next week,although Montario Hardesty is a possibility to return to the field for that game.

5) The longest play of the game was a 51 yard catch and run from McCoy to Jordan Norwood,who then disappeared from the game.
Norwood has looked decent in limited action and I wish he would see the field a bit more in the coming weeks.

6) Good games from the rookies on the defensive line as Phil Taylor was the defensive force of the game and Jabaal Sheard had a sack and forced fumble.Sheard was pressuring Blaine Gabbert all day,while Taylor was the main reason that Maurice Jones-Drew finished with only 87 yards on the day and might have been the reason Jacksonville threw two passes at the end of the game instead of putting the ball in the hands of their best player....

7) If I was a Jaguar fan,I would be disenchanted with Jack Del Rio.
The poor clock management put the cats in the spot of feeling that they could not chance a run play late in the game.
That goes almost all on the coach and Del Rio will likely be looking for a job at the end of the season.

8) I thought Maurice Jones-Drew's celebration mocking the loss of LeBron James was very classless.
Changed my opinion of MJD at least...

9) I know Jacksonville spent a first round pick (and traded up to do so) on Blaine Gabbert,but I did not see much to be impressed with.
It is only one game,but from what I saw-I'll take Colt McCoy....

10) This was almost a must win for the Browns,who look to be underdogs in every game from here on out.
The Browns wins have come over winless Indianapolis,.three win Miami and Jacksonville and four win Seattle.
Only 3-7 Arizona has a losing record of the remaining six games and that game will be in the desert.
I think Cleveland will win one game that they shouldn't and cost themselves about two spots in the first round for doing it for a final record of 5-11....

Photo Credits
Hill's Drop-AP Photo
Ogbonnaya and Sheard- Matt Sullivan Getty Images

Poor tackling and coverage dooms Browns

The Cleveland Browns will head into their bye week 2-2 after a pounding that was handed to them by the Tennessee Titans 31-13.
Cleveland will travel to Oakland in their next game on October 16th.

Brownie Bits

1) It was poor tackling in this one as several Titan big plays ended with poor tackling efforts,but a major issue was an inability to cover the tight end as not only Jared Cook's long catch and run ended in a tight end TD as did Craig Stevens in the end zone for the first Titan score.
I know D'Qwell Jackson has bounced back,Scott Fujita has the veteran presence that the team likes and they must like Chris Gogong as they signed him to a contract extension,but I see a serious lack of speed in the linebacking group.

2) Colt McCoy threw a team record 40 completions and 61 passes,but few were of the exciting variety.
These records tend to pop up when your team gets drilled and the other team scores on one and two play drive and the occasional defensive touchdown.

3) McCoy was sacked three times,but was under heavy pressure far more often than that.
Not a stellar day for the blocking bunch.

4) I have seen this type of play call (and railed about it) from Mike Holmgren and the West Coast offense protege's for years and Pat Shurmur pulled one out yesterday.
Fourth and one with Peyton Hillis in the fullback position in the Power I,Armond Smith behind him.
Keep in mind,not Montario Hardesty.Armond Smith.
Instead of handing the ball to Hillis,McCoy flips the ball to Smith for an off tackle run.
Tennessee hammers him for no gain.
I have seen so many times that WCO coaches try so hard to show how brilliant they are,they shoot themselves in the foot.
It must be passed down with the playbook.

5) Peyton Hillis was reported by ESPN to have skipped the Dolphins game that he had strep throat in for contract reasons as well.
I do not know Peyton Hillis,but I do see his effort and I do not buy it.
Now,do the Browns? We will see.

6) Joe Haden injured his knee and will undergo an MRI today.
Haden would be a huge loss to a secondary that is not exactly loaded in speed and talent as is.
Sheldon Brown would move up to the top corner if Haden's injury is serious and it seems like Brown is getting beaten every game.

7) Tennessee allowed the underneath passes for Colt McCoy to complete,but the team rarely took any chances deep downfield.
Is this because of the WCO philosophies?The lack of deep threats? or could it be that Pat Shurmur is not a believer in Colt McCoy's arm strength?
Interesting to see how that plays out as the season goes along.

8) I do think Mohammed Massaquoi is improving and I really like what I have seen from Greg Little,but tight end Evan Moore was only targeted twice in the loss.
When you look at the receivers in general,Moore could be a huge help in the passing game and yesterday,he was basically ignored....

9) McCoy's interception that was returned for a touchdown went to our old friend from Seattle,Jordan Babineaux.
Babineaux seemed to make big play after big play as a Hawk,but yet never seemed to get a chance as a starter.
Nice to see him getting a chance somewhere,although he is just the type of playmaker that the Browns lack in the secondary.

10) Pat Shurmur.Luke Fickell.
You two guys know each other?
You share something in common.
That "Oh Crap" look on the sidelines.

11) I know we all root for Atlanta to lose to help the higher draft pick obtained for Julio Jones in next years draft,but another team to root for to lose?
The Rams.
If the Rams get the top pick in the draft,either one of two things happens.
One,The Rams like Sam Bradford and will either trade the pick or pass on Andrew Luck.
Two,They prefer Luck at a cheaper rate and will move Bradford.
With Pat Shurmur's St.Louis connections,keep that in mind,if the Rams are at number one..

Photo Credit:Joshua Gunter-Cleveland Plain Dealer

Cleveland Browns Preview

The Cleveland Browns look to be slightly improved going into the season,but far from a threat to contend for the playoffs.
The Browns have two winnable games to start the season with (Tampa on the road,Kansas City at home) and they had better get one of those in the win column because after those two,the schedule gets tougher as not until their game in Jacksonville on Nov 21st does a game appear that is a pickem matchup.
That is a span of seven games in between,so an 0-2 start could mean an 0-9 start would not be out of the realm of possibility.
That might mean the end of Eric Mangini as coach,I think the Browns could win the first two games,but with the caveat that they could drop both as well.


The Browns have completely revamped the quarterback position with three new passers replacing the three on the roster from 2009.
Jake Delhomme,Seneca Wallace and Colt McCoy are in with Derek Anderson,Brady Quinn and Brett Ratliff elsewhere.
Delhomme was downright awful last season as a Panther and has tons of questions,but if he is even close to past performance (other than 09),he should be an upgrade over Anderson and Quinn.
Not saying that will be the case,but it could be.
Seneca Wallace was a source of frustration of me in Seattle appearances,but Mike Holmgren loves him and a poor first five or six games for Delhomme could see Wallace as the placeholder for the remainder of the season.
I am looking forward to Wallace and Josh Cribbs running some formations together that could prove to be interested as long as the Browns allow some creativity instead of the run up the middle that so often was the call from the single wing last season.
Colt McCoy will be the third stringer and with luck will see little to no action...

Montario Hardesty's season ending injury could mean that Jerome Harrison could finally have his long deserved chance to see if he can be the full time ball carrier.
Harrison had better take advantage of it early though,but if he does not,Peyton Hillis looks to be a Mangini and (eventual) fan favorite and could get his chances.
James Davis rounds up the trio at running back with vicious blocking Lawrence Vickers the full timers at fullback with Hillis seeing time there as well....

The wide receivers look pretty similar to last season as only sixth round pick Carlton Mitchell is new to the group that ended last season.
Mohammed Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie will start after inconsistent rookie seasons.
Massaquoi was the better of the two last season,but Robiskie has been reported to be sharp all summer.
Robiskie will need that improvement as a similar year to last season will likely land him on the bust list.Josh Cribbs returns as the all around threat and possession receiver (and Mangini favorite) Chansi Stuckey joins Mitchell to round out the corps.
Improvement from the second year players are mandatory or this group will definitely rank near the leagues bottom.

The Browns kept four tight ends,which seems to me to be one too many.
Ben Watson was brought in from New England to be the leader of the group.
Watson could be headed for a career season considering the wideouts in Cleveland.
Evan Moore returns as a pass catcher after a strong finish to the 2009 season,but Alex Smith was kept and both players have a similar skill set.
Look for one to go eventually once the injuries start to set in unless it is at tight end.
Rock handed Robert Royal was kept as the blocking tight end for goal line/short yardage situations,as it sure wasn't for his pass catching.

The offensive line looks similar to last season as the depth chart shows all five starters from last season starting again.Joe Thomas and Eric Steinbach rank among the games top left side of the line and Alex Mack showed All-Pro level potential at center.
The right side still has questions with Floyd "pork chop" Womack at guard and the sieve like John St.Clair at tackle.
St.Clair on the team is mildly surprising,but starting over free agent signee Tony Pashos is stunning.
Pashos and/or third rounder Shaun Lauvao could be starting on the right side before the season hits the midway point.
Steve Vallos was claimed from Seattle for depth and could see lots of action by seasons end.
Vallos can play guard and center and even tackle in a pinch and is the type of versatile lineman that all teams can use.
Billy Yates provides more depth at the interior line spots.

The defense does look improved to a degree especially in the secondary,but pass rush questions continue to plague the team.
The defensive line looks pretty similar with starters Robaire Smith,Shaun Rogers and Kenyon Coleman.
Smith was decent enough last season,but only finished with 1 and a half sacks with Coleman providing the same number from the other end.
A motivated Rogers can change things with his up the middle rush,but Rogers missed much of camp and we will see just what kind of shape he is truly in.
I liked what I saw from Ahtyba Rubin late last season and I thought Rubin on the nose and Rogers at end provided more zip to the pass rush.
You could see more of that as Rogers rounds into top shape.
Derreck Robinson and Brian Schafering provide the remaining depth.

The Browns kept eight linebackers and the group does look improved,although no real impact players were added.
Cleveland looks to be depending on a full season of Matt Roth providing a solid rush from the outside backers slot.
Roth was a difference makes in his six games as a Brown and the team needs that type of play to continue.
Scott Fujita arrives from New Orleans to man the other outside position.
Fujita is an excellent tackler and brings the "intangibles" that Mangini loves so much to the field.
D'qwell Jackson will miss some time early on,but will eventually bring his skills to the field on the inside.Veteran Eric Barton returns from injury to man Jackson's spot for now.
Former Eagle Chris Gogong will be the other starter at inside backer with another Mangini favorite David Bowens back again to see action.
Special teamers Blake Costanzo and Jason Trusnik return as special teams ace and down the roster backer depth.

The secondary looks to be much improved with three strong additions to the lineup.
Veteran Sheldon Brown was obtained from the Eagles to start at one corner with returnee Eric Wright manning the other.
Top pick Joe Haden will be the third corner for now,but with development could move Brown to safety next season.
T.J. Ward was a second round selection that will start at the free safety position with Abram Elam starting at the strong spot.
Elam was a bit of a disappointment to me last season and needs to pick his game up with Mike Adams breathing down his neck as a nickel back.Adams played safety and corner last season,but with the additions of Brown and Haden can play his more natural position of safety.
Special team stars Nick Sorensen and Ray Ventrone round the crew out....

Phil Dawson returns at kicker and Reggie Hodges replaces the injured Dave Zastadil as the punter with Josh Cribbs starring as the full time returner.

I get razzed about picking the Browns for roughly the same record every year,but this year could see another similar record.
However,I do see the team as improved,but playing a tough schedule hurts their chances.
I'll go 6-10 or 7-9 if you want to give them every close game and figure they will get one game that they shouldn't on paper...

Will try to be back tomorrow with the Seahawks preview....

Cleveland Browns Draft Preview-Team Needs

I thought about how I wanted to do this and decided on two smaller posts,one which will look at the players that might be available to the Browns and the other which looks at what Cleveland needs position wise in the draft.

I'll start with the team needs and there are many.
Almost too many to choose from,but I'll try to cover them anyway.
On the offensive side of the ball,one need stands out above all-Wide Receiver.
Eric Mangini's use of 2009 second rounders on Brian Robiskie and Mohammed Massaquoi has not panned out and although I am not ready give up on either player,especially with the change in offensive philosophy,the reality is that neither player is going to be a game breaker.
The Browns will use an early round pick at this position,the question is will it be round one,two or three?
Mike Holmgren has had one consistency in the draft since his days in Green Bay-pick a quarterback sometime in the draft every year.
That not only keeps the corps young,it also pays dividends down the road with being able to move some of those players.
Just look at the many backups to Brett Favre that eventually were moved for high picks in Green Bay without proving anything.
Considering the Browns likely do not want to go through another season with both Seneca Wallace and Jake Delhomme backing up Colt McCoy,one of them will have to go and the third stringer will likely come from this draft.
Running back might be another late round target considering the lack of depth at the position after Peyton Hillis.
The Browns are likely counting on 2010 second rounder Montario Hardesty to return full strength,but his history with knee issues make that a dicey gamble and Mike Bell showed little in the tank after being acquired from the Eagles.
With those three being the entire RB group,a back might be a possibility.
The offensive line is solid,but a right tackle might be a nice idea since the team wised up and released John St.Clair.Floyd Womack plays tackle better than guard and a healthy Shaun Lauvao could slot in at right guard,but a tackle to develop behind the ten year veteran Womack would be a smart decision to bring in.
I don't see the Browns going after a tight end with Ben Watson and Evan Moore returning unless they need a power blocking type for short yardage situations..

The Browns have needs all along the defense,most notably along the defensive line where the shift from a 3-4 to a 4-3 defense leaves the Browns very short at the depth chart along the line.
With the exception of Ahtyba Rubin,who will fill one defensive tackle spots,the team is loaded with aging injury riddled veterans and practice squad fodder and this will need to be addressed with at least a high pick along with another selection sometime during the draft as well.
I think if all is equal,the team would prefer an end to a tackle,but either more than makes sense,
The Cleveland linebackers are veteran laden and solid with Scott Fujita,Chris Gogong and D'qwell Jackson as the starters.
If Jackson can return from missing almost the last two years,the linebackers look decent enough,if not spectacular.
A pass rushing specialist could be a thought,if Matt Roth is not brought back.
The secondary improved last year with top pick Joe Haden at one corner,but Sheldon Brown looked more suited to a safety move as the season progressed and Eric Wright had another disappointing season.
T.J. Ward played well as a hitter at one safety,but Abram Elam has never impressed me much at the other position.
Mike Adams fills well as a nickel back,but the Browns could use help here as well,especially at corner,where I think Brown is getting past his expiration date on the island at corner.
Phil Dawson and Reggie Hodges are entrenched as the kickers and don't look to have strong challenges.

This is not a list of what positions I would draft in order,just a list of needs from most important on down.
1: Defensive End
2: Wide Receiver
3: Defensive Tackle
4: Cornerback
5: Offensive Tackle.

Back later with some looks at possible Browns and who I would hope to see in Brown and Orange....

Cleveland Browns Preview

The Cleveland Browns continue a rebuilding process that could be scrapped at the end of the season as new owner Jimmy Haslem could clean house or pick and choose whom he would like to keep around.
Improvement would go a long way towards people keeping jobs,but a brutal schedule works against the Browns this season.

The Browns are going all in with "Veteran Rookie" Brandon Weeden getting the starting nod at quarterback.
I suspect despite the first round status  of Weeden that this is a one year tryout for him.
A bad season would likely mean the pressure will be on the Browns to go after Matt Barkley next season,so the time is present for Weeden to show promise.
Last year's starter Colt McCoy returns as Weeden's backup and if recent history is the norm,McCoy will see some action.
Pat Shurmur favorite Thaddeus Lewis is the third stringer to round out the group.

First rounder Trent Richardson will be the workhorse at running back.
Richardson is fighting off a knee injury and will take time to get to full speed,but is expected to be the back that the Browns have lacked since their return in 1999.
Disappointing Montario Hardesty,third down back Brandon Jackson and last years waiver surprise Chris Ogbonyanna round out a running corps that could compliment Richardson,although not replace him.
Second year man Owen Marecic will be the only fullback on the roster after a disappointing 2011.

Second year wideout Greg Little is back to lead a young group pass catchers that added two rookies,but no veteran presence in a bunch that could have used one.
Little dropped a lot of passes last season,but I think that was part of the maturation process and the drops should well,drop this season.
Mohammed Massaquoi will start on the other side,mainly out of need.
Massaquoi always has injury issues and has underachieved,so this should be his last chance with the Browns to bust open.
Cleveland spent its second round pick next season to land a first round talent in Josh Gordon,but will need to be patient with Gordon as he missed last season and will need time to adjust.
Speedy Travis Benjamin was a fourth rounder and will attempt to be a deep threat and Jordan Norwood will be a slot receiver  after a promising 2011.
Josh Cribbs will see the occasional pass in five wideout formations.

The Browns look to be relying on second year man Jordan Cameron as the team begins to phase him in as the tight end future.
Ben Watson is the listed starter,but concussion issues plague Watson and I think he is one hit away from leaving the game.
Alex Smith is back as the third string blocking tight end....

Cleveland used a high draft pick and a middle rounder in an attempt to fix a leaky right side of the line.
The left side is first rate with Pro Bowler Joe Thomas at left tackle leading the way.
The perennial star is the rock of the line and helped Jason Pinkston break in at guard last season after being a fifth round pick.
Pinkston looks to be improved between Thomas and center Alex Mack and should be a solid left guard.
Mack made the Pro Bowl at center and along with Thomas will be the foundation for the team.
Shaun Lauvao is back at right guard after some struggles in his first year as a starter.
Mitchell Schwartz was tabbed in the second round at right tackle to hopefully fill the gap that has been such a problem for the Browns over the last few seasons.
The former Cal Golden Bear was taken over a few higher rated tackles,so there is some interest in seeing how Schwartz performs.
Veterans John Greco and O'neil Cousins return as backups and are joined by massive Ryan Miller,a fifth rounder from the draft.
Miller and Cousins might see time at both guard and tackle as the season progresses....

The defensive line has common ground with the offensive line in this statement-the left side of the line is solid with the right side having questions.
Second year man Jabaal Sheard returns after a great rookie season rushing the passer at end.
Ahtyba Rubin adds the rarest of all defensive tackles-one that can rush the passer and stuff the run.Rubin might be a Pro Bowl contender this season.
Phil Taylor will miss some of the season with a injury and the Browns hope that rookies John Hughes and Billy Winn can make up for the loss.
Free agent signee Frostee Rucker was signed from Cincinnati to start at right end.
Rucker is coming off his career year and I wonder if that was the case of a contract year performance.
Juqua Parker will be the pass rusher off the bench after signing from the Eagles and Emmanuel Stephens rounds out the bunch...

The linebackers were hit by injury when Chris Gogong blew out an Achilles and will miss the season.
D'Qwell Jackson is back after a terrific 2011 to start in the middle.
Aging vet Scott Fujita won his appeal with the league to avoid a suspension,but Fujita is slow and injury-prone,so to me this is little gained.
Rookie John-Michael Johnson will start on the outside over Fujita and Kaluka Maiava will start in the place of Gogong.
Rookie free agent L.J. Fort made the team and another rookie in Tank Carder of TCU was claimed on waivers to add depth.
Craig Robertson is a special teamer listed as a linebacker.

Joe Haden leads a group in the secondary that looks similar to a unit that struggled in 2011.
Haden has a suspension issue on the legal drug Adderall on the horizon,but the final decision is still unknown.
Dmitri Patterson was re-signed to a lucrative deal to start at the other corner,but slow footed Sheldon Brown retained the starting spot anyway.
Patterson will be the third CB with second year man Buster Skrine and rookie Trevin Wade the other corners.
T.J. Ward starts at strong safety after a disappointing year and second year player Eric Hagg will be the free safety after beating Usama Young out for the job.
Ray Ventrone is the reserve,but is more of a special teams ace than a defensive back...

Phil Dawson returns as the ever reliable kicker and Reggie Hodges will be back as the punter after missing 2011 due to injury.
The pair provides a good kicking game and Hodges will be the holder for Dawson's placement attempts.

Josh Cribbs will be the main returner on kicks and punts with Buster Skrine assisting on kickoffs and Travis Benjamin seeing the occasional punt.

I think this should be an interesting year.
The schedule is tough and things are looking up in some spots,but the depth is still weaker compared to most teams in the league and I have major questions about Pat Shurmur at head coach.
All and all,I think that things might be better although the record may not show it.
4-12,although a lesser slate might have seen 6-10.......