Box Score - 9.7.08
Team	1	2	3	4	Final
	7	14	7	0	28
	0	7	0	3	10

For the second year in a row, the Cleveland Browns did not fair off too well in their season opener (which also happens to be at home). All offseason, we wanted the schedule makers to give us the same respect that other contenders in the league were being given. For the first game, we laid a big egg. Not that it provides a significant amount of comfort, but all things considered, we may have lost to the best team in the National Football League.

The Patriots are without Tom Brady the rest of the year. The other AFC favorites -- Indianapolis and San Diego -- each suffered home losses to teams expected to finish no better than .500. Disregarding Pittsburgh's dominant performance over the Houston Texans, the Cowboys looked great on all sides of the ball -- they were in near midseason form.

The bottom line? Getting beat was ok. Getting beat with dropped passes, no pass rush, and awkward coaching decisions was not ok. As I've done in the past, to go along with a loss, it's time to look at the goats of the game...

Goats of the Game (Better Redeem Next Week)

WR Braylon Edwards did not have a good game by any means, as he watches one of an eventual four passes go through his hands.
1. Braylon Edwards: I was wrong in assuming that several weeks off due to a cut on his foot would not deter him from having a big game. His quickness and route-running looked fine, but the simple fundamentals of catching the ball in traffic posed a significant problem, as many people credited him with having four drops. The games we won last year, Edwards made spectacular catches on good throws from Derek Anderson. Had Edwards caught those passes early on, maybe our offense would've stayed in a groove and participated in the shootout we thought we would've seen.
2. Kamerion Wimbley: I know that D'Qwell Jackson had a horrible game too, but I think it's more appropriate to mention Wimbley here. He demonstrated more than ever that he only has one move. His strategy seems to be "let me see how large of a circle I can make around the left tackle as Tony Romo steps up in the pocket. If Wimbley had an inside move, he would've used it. He didn't develop it over the offseason, and now we're going to have to deal with it all season long. You almost feel like starting Alex Hall over there in front of him.

Awarding Game Balls (Tough in Defeat)

DT Shaun Rogers was stopping the run all game until the fourth quarter, when the fatigue set in.
1. Shaun Rogers: The big man delivered with what we expected him to bring to the table. All things considered, after the first game, I'm extremely pleased that we got this guy for just a third-round pick and Leigh Bodden. He did wear down at the end of the game though, and that can be attributed to fantastic execution by the Cowboys' offense, keeping their unit on the field 15 minutes longer than the Browns. Rogers is solid, but he's not as good as Albert Haynesworth where he can go strong four quarters without a break.
2. Kellen Winsow: Why we didn't go his direction more in the second half is beyond me, but Winslow caught the ball well, being our only receiver to go over 2 catches and 20 yards receiving. I'm still a little puzzled by the lack of emotion he has appeared to show throughout the preseason and in Week 1. Maybe it's just me, but he seems a little too subdued (except for the bow he took on his touchdown reception).

General Thoughts (Random Tidbits on the Game)

1. We Miss Cribbs: Besides Edwards' drops, the absence of Joshua Cribbs was the biggest key of the game (even more so than the defensive shortcomings). When you see Syndric Steptoe and Gerard Lawson getting tackled around the 25-yard line for less-than-stellar returns, you can literally imagine on the field Cribbs taking it an extra 20-25 yards each time. The Cowboys did not have tremendous kick return coverage -- Steptoe and Lawson were just not very elite. Better field position again would've contributed to the offense, and the defense for when we did punt.
2. The Field Goal: Sweet, three extra fantasy points for Phil Dawson, right? Wrong. I never care how later it is in a game -- the opportunity to rally still exists. With 10:43 left in the fourth quarter, down by three possessions, you only kick a field goal if it'll make it a two-possession game. Instead, Crennel went for the field goal, which in that scenario was virtually the same thing as turning the ball over on downs or punting it away. Bad decision by Crennel, and the fans let him hear it by booing louder than I've heard fans boo on the television set in a long time.
3. Anderson Wasn't Bad: Statistically, completing only 45% of his passes did not look good. In terms of being prepared and how he played, I don't understand why so many people (on the OBR and from public speaking) are considering him such a major goat. The velocity on his balls was great, needling throws when appropriate. He had four drops from his top receiver, three of which should've definitely been caught. On top of that, he was basically working with two practice squad receivers with Donte Stallworth injured. The Cowboys' defense only had to blanket two receivers, because the Syndric Steptoe and Steve Sanders just weren't getting too open. When the coverage was too tight, Anderson did the right thing by running and picking up some yards with his feet.
4. Equivalence: Please don't tell me that Donte Stallworth is going to end up being nothing more than the offense-equivalent of Antwan Peek (injury-wise). Not having Stallworth did put our receiving position even thinner than our defensive backs position.
5. Third-Down Conversions: A lot of our offensive shortcomings came down to a lackluster 33% third-down conversion rate. When Dallas converts 72% of their third downs in comparison, you're doomed.
6. Third Downs, Part II: Digging deeper into the lack of offensive conversions on third downs, you see that several of the situations were short-yardage plays. On the first drive, there was a bad quarterback-center exchange between Anderson and Hank Fraley. Right after the second half started, we had two nice runs by Jamal Lewis to set up a 3rd-and-2. The pressure came quick, Anderson heaved one too deep to the outside, and we had to punt.
7. Third Downs, Part III: Finally, it's time to rip our defense for the lack of a pass rush generated on third downs. On Dallas' eight conversions, six of them were through the air, mostly because Romo had all day to throw. It didn't matter who we blitzed: it was picked up with ease.
Cowboys QB Tony Romo had all day to throw against our secondary, though CB Eric Wright did record an interception.
8. Defensive Backs Coverage: We didn't stop Terrell Owens. We didn't stop Patrick Crayton. And hell, we didn't even cover Jason Witten (though the linebackers were responsible for him at times). You can't fault the cornerbacks for giving up yardage when there is literally no pressure up front, but on the same note you still need better play. We needed to jam Owens better, but Brandon McDonald's idea of that was the "hands to the face" call. When McDonald jumped a route to Crayton (and just missed) and when Eric Wright recorded the Browns' only turnover of the game, I saw glimpses of what our defensive backs' will be relied upon once the pressure improves.
9. Turnover Ratio: Speaking of which, we were actually -1 in the turnover category.
10. Running Well: I was pleased with how Jamal Lewis ran the ball. Like last year though, it's unfortunate that when we get down in the game so quickly, we have no other choice but to abandoned the run. Thankfully, there didn't seem to be any lingering effects from his hamstring injury.
11. Heiden All Out: When Steve Heiden laid all out to try and make a catch, I couldn't believe me eyes. Just seeing him try that was unusual (but encouraging) to see. You wonder how much a guy like Martin Rucker would've helped in a game like this -- suddenly that draft choice looks a lot better than it originally seemed.
12. Penalty Dinkins: I recall a special teams penalty on Darnell Dinkins. Want to know why it doesn't make sense to always say "he had a great camp and earned a roster spot"? Because he never plays in the offensive sets, and on special teams, he has too many penalties called against him.
13. Get Well Cribbs: Please be ready for Pittsburgh next week. Oh, did I already have a bullet point about Cribbs? Did I mention how important he is? I did? Good.
14. Presence: Did you feel the defensive presence by Corey Williams? Me neither. There is hope for next game, though, just like the offensive line didn't look great in last year's opener.
15. Need to Blitz: I'd rather be beat by sending all the blitzers we can send at Tony Romo than have him sit there for an infinity only to find the open receiver with ease. Just because the first few blitzes don't work doesn't mean you go to an even worse strategy.
16. Dawson 1-of-1: Seeing your kicker get their first one through the uprights is a good sign, no matter what the score is. At least he did get a kick in before next week's night cap against the Steelers.
17. Special Teams Coverage: Though poor on the return game, our kick coverage was very good. I noticed Shantee Orr recording a tackle or two. We survived the coverage units without specialist Kris Griffin available too.
18. I'll Stop: I kept bragging that we were 6-0 at home under Derek Anderson last season. If that annoyed you, fear not: I can no longer say it with relevance to this season.

It was not a very fun opener to watch, but there's no way I'm going to get discouraged heading into this Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. A win against the Cowboys would've been great, but this is the critical portion of our schedule: three consecutive division games. If we don't go at least 2-1 during that stretch, we're down and out. With a clean sweep, no one's going to be talking about the Cowboys loss.

Go BROWNS.

I was pleased to have Mr. Dave Halprin over at Blogging the Boys, our SB Nation affiliate, provide us with a scouting report for the Dallas Cowboys this week. The two of us will be exchanging five questions shortly, so stay tuned for that feature as well.

Cowboys Offense:

Tony Romo returns as the QB and has looked sharp in limited preseason action. His main focus this offseason was staying still in the pocket, not sliding forward when looking for receivers and to release the ball quickly, with limited movement. So far, he looks pretty good doing it.

Cowboys fans are very excited about the extra dimension that rookie RB Felix Jones brings to the team's offense and special teams units.

Marion Barber takes over as the Cowboys feature running back and is simply a beast to tackle. Playing the role of change-of-pace back is rookie Felix Jones and he is dangerous; in the preseason he took short passes or runs and turned them into long gains. Keep an eye out for him in the passing game, too. The Cowboys have a few injured WR's right now so they could use Felix in the slot on occasion.

The passing game revolves around the 1-2 punch of WR Terrell Owens and TE Jason Witten. Owens is one of the few elite WR's in the game today. Witten over the middle is a staple of the Cowboys offense. He can also play out wide and might see more time there in this game because the Cowboys are dangerously thin at WR. Patrick Crayton is a competent #2 WR, but our #3 WR (Sam Hurd) and #4 WR (Miles Austin) won't be playing in this game. That means our #5 WR, the very inexperienced Isaiah Stanback, will be asked to play the #3 role this week. He's been out for a couple of weeks with a shoulder injury and it's still unsure how effective he'll be.

The offensive line is built on size and strength. The line is simply huge but surprisingly mobile. Starting left guard Kyle Kosier is injured and will be replaced by backup Cory Procter. This could present an opportunity for the Browns defense. Procter is very unproven and usually plays center. The rest of the group, LT Flozell Adams, C Andre Gurode, RG Leonard Davis and RT Marc Colombo are solid in both pass protection and run blocking. The Cowboys line is one of their strengths.

Dallas had a very potent offense last year and much of the same is expected this year. All the main players return and they've added a new weapon in Felix Jones. The problems they have for this game is the lack of depth at WR because of injury and starting Procter over Kosier at guard because of injury.


Cowboys Defense:

The starting defensive line for the Cowboys is good against the run and is trying to become more disruptive in the passing game. DE Marcus Spears has had a phenomenal preseason, DE Chris Canty played well last year and NT Jay Ratliff is an energetic worker who can get to the QB. Wade Phillips uses a one-gap 3-4 scheme, so expect to see them slanting into the gaps and attacking the backfield. They also have a very good rotation of backup guys, including Tank Johnson who could be a starter on a lot of teams.

The real pressure on the QB for the defense comes from the tandem of DeMarcus Ware and Greg Ellis at outside linebacker. Both had double-figure sacks last year. Ware has the chops to be a Defensive Player of the Year, it's probably just a matter of time. He's extremely quick and agile, but he's not all speed rush, he can use his strength to get it done, too. The aged-veteran Ellis came back from an Achilles injury last year and played his best season ever, going to the Pro Bowl and winning Comeback player of the Year. The one problem is that last year's first-round pick, Anthony Spencer, will be out for the game meaning Ware and Ellis will rarely get a break. Behind them without Spencer, there is zero depth.

Bradie James is the team leader on defense and is good against the run from the middle linebacker position. Next to him is veteran Zach Thomas, over from the Dolphins. Zach has looked great in preseason and has the ability to diagnose a play instantly and get to the ball. He's a playmaker, and currently he's healthy so he should be an upgrade to our defense. Kevin Burnett is the primary backup and the third down cover guy, but he's coming off a knee scope. They expect him to play, but no one is sure what kind of shape he'll be in.

The Cowboys did a major upgrade to their corners over the offseason where the lack of depth really hurt them last year. Terence Newman and former-Brown Anthony Henry will start and Adam "Don't call me Pacman unless you know me" Jones will be the nickel CB. Jones is shaking off the rust pretty well and has looked very good in his last couple of preseason games. We also drafted Mike Jenkins in the first round this year; he's a press corner who likes to get up close to the receiver. And fifth-round draft pick Orlando Scandrick already looks like a steal, he has speed to burn and has been a playmaker in preseason.

At free safety Ken Hamlin played excellent ball last year and is the guy who makes sure everybody else knows what they're doing in coverage. Strong safety Roy Williams' struggles are well-chronicled recently; he does a good job in run support but is a liability in pass coverage. In passing situations, the Cowboys will remove him from the field. They'll play two safeties - neither being Roy Williams - and three corners, then roll Anthony Henry up as a hybrid LB/S to cover the TE.

The Cowboys defense was good against the run last year but struggled in the secondary with its depth. That should improve this year with the added personnel at cornerback and they hope to get a more consistent pass rush from their interior players and blitzes.


Cowboys Special Teams:

Kicker Nick Folk is automatic on FG's and punter Mat McBriar is one of the top punters in the league. Adam Jones will return the punts and he's dangerous, he might also return kicks or it could be Felix Jones in this game. Both players are proven return guys. Where the Cowboys struggle is punt and kick coverage. They will be thanking their lucky stars if they don't see Josh Cribbs. But even the Browns backup might be able to exploit this weakness. The Cowboys just re-signed S Keith Davis this week; he was a special teams ace for Dallas over the past few seasons.

Note: You can find my similar preview here on Blogging the Boys.

It's always fun to see what Sports Illustrated's Peter King has to say about the Cleveland Browns, right? He had four bullet points dedicated to us, but unfortunately only one of them was positive:

g. Brady Quinn: six series, six points. Not a good first NFL start.

h. The Browns, all 75 of them left in camp, need to Google "sense of urgency.''

i. Except maybe Shaun Rogers. He stuffed Detroit's running game throughout the first quarter. Not that he was out for any kind of revenge or anything like that.

o. If you think Terrell Owens and Tony Romo aren't drooling at the thought of playing that Cleveland secondary Sept. 7, you're nuts.

-Peter King, MMQB

You really can't debate any of those points. As an optimist, I'd like to believe that we can bend and not break too bad against Owens. For me to have some confidence though, we'll need to make sure both of our starting safeties are back in the lineup. Still, it looks as though we're set to see a quarterback shootout on opening day.

Also, a reminder that the first roster cuts are due in by Tuesday, August 26th, at 4:00 PM. That doesn't mean teams can't start the process early though -- in fact, several teams have already made their cuts as of this posting. Those cuts can be seen here.

If the Browns announce their cuts today, I'll try to have the headline up as soon as possible.

Also, the Rams, perhaps in desperation mode, have brought in free agent center LeCharles Bentley to take a physical. If he goes to the Rams, he won't be facing us this year unless we miraculously meet in the Super Bowl.

Odell Thurman, via yahoo.com

Last week, I was excited to see Kenny Wright removed from the Browns' roster. As a fan, I couldn't justify Wright's actions in any way, shape, or form. Some NFL players are far from saints, but when they do something while they are on your roster, it's time to dispose of them.

That's part of the reason "problem" players have not lasted with teams they originated from. Pacman Jones, Terrell Owens, and Antonio Bryant all had some form of a character issue, with other teams taking a significant flier on them. In the Browns' case, we were the team to take a shot on Bryant. Although we weren't crazy about him, the investment as a short-term option wasn't too bad.

That brings us to a very interesting case in Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman. I should call him "former" Bengals linebacker, because he was released yesterday after taking too long to return to the voluntary OTA practices due to the death of his grandmother. Thurman had a week to mourn her death and did not return to the team fast enough, apparently representing the final straw.

Thurman has not played the past two seasons for violating the league's substance abuse and conduct policies. That means that Thurman -- drafted in the second round of the 2005 draft -- has only played one season in the NFL. That season was a memorable one though.

16 games.
1.5 sacks.
106 tackles.
5 interceptions.
5 fumbles forced.

In two combined games against the Browns, Thurman was in on 16 tackles, had half of a sack, and had an interception. He wasn't a hit-or-miss player as a rookie either -- he was, in my opinion, the only young defensive player that has had a solid impact as a rookie for Cincinnati in several years.

"The NFL provided Odell the opportunity to earn his way back onto our team, but we have not seen the right steps taken by him," head coach Marvin Lewis said in a statement. "With our offseason work in progress and new talent added at our linebacker position, we've determined it's best to keep moving in a direction that does not include Odell."

It may seem like hypocrisy for me to say that I'd encourage the Browns to take a flier on Thurman, considering my strong attitude against Wright. While I certainly don't condone Thurman's actions, I am more inclined to take a chance on a young player that could be shaped into a better person overall with the right team leaders and coaching staff around him. The Bengals have been a breeding ground for players committing inexcusable actions -- another reason to believe Thurman could take advantage of a fresh start.

I was carousing the OBR forums, and I wasn't the least bit surprised by the 50/50 split of maliciousness/take-a-flier debate that was going back and forth.

Half of the fans don't think he'll ever change -- that he had character issues from his college days, and that there were other "no-no's" that Thurman was doing even after he was reinstated by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell last month. Here's a comment from the OBR that sums this viewpoint up pretty well:

"Bengals fans have to be loving this. After giving them crap for the past two years about their arrests record, we want to sign Odell Thurman? I mean, two threads talking about signing this drug addict? Unbelievable."

The other half of the fans say "why not"? Thurman isn't going to get a large contract from anybody -- if he wants to play football still, he has to earn his contract through being on a short leash in terms of character and producing on the field. Also, Thurman might be intrigued to play for an AFC North team so that he can get his crack at the Bengals. Thurman is a middle linebacker, and would be the type of guy to give Andra Davis a run for his money more so than Beau Bell, if he stays consistent with his rookie form. Here's a comment from the OBR that sums this viewpoint up pretty well:

"I really hate to say it, but my eyes popped a bit when I saw the stats from his rookie season on ESPN. Based on the substance abuse and drunk driving charges, I'd say he's more of a knucklehead than a thug. Apparently the straw that broke the camel's back was a funeral he went to instead of OTA's...

I'm for a short-leash "one-mistake-and-you're-gone" contract. He's potentially a beast compared to what we have on the inside."

Granted, 30 other teams could be more interested in signing Thurman than the Browns are. Or, nobody may even want to give Thurman a shot until later in the offseason, forcing him to be an automatic backup/special teams player for a year. Either way, I'm interested in what your take is on the thought of signing him.