Box Score - 11.17.08
Team	1	2	3	4	Final
	6	7	3	13	29
	0	10	3	14	27

The Browns won for the third time in their past four road games, taking out the wildcard-contending Buffalo Bills 29-27 on Monday Night Football. It was our second Monday Night victory of the season in two attempts -- we have one more in December against the Philadelphia Eagles.

I think that overall, when you look at the state of the team, we are a better football team than last season. Looking at our schedule heading into the season, we feared that despite being better, we'd have a worse record. We do have a worse record at this point (4-6), but it's not because of the competition. We've defeated the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants. We've defeated two potential playoff teams in Buffalo and Jacksonville. And, we dominated the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens -- two teams with great records -- until making team history with collapses.

The odds aren't in our favor now, but we still love Cleveland Browns football, and our team gave us another wild one against Buffalo. Let's get started with the game balls for Week 11...

Awarding Game Balls (Making Fans Jump for Joy)

K Phil Dawson kicked a tremendous game for the second year in a row versus the Buffalo Bills.

1. Phil Dawson: I didn't agree with the decision to kick it short on kickoffs as often as we did, but I'll assume those calls came from special teams coach Ted Dashier. Dawson is listed here for being the hero against the Bills for the second year in a row -- by now, I'm sure Buffalo fans hate him to death. Dawson went an incredible 5-for-5 on the road, with each one of them being spot on. His finest piece of work came on what turned out to be the game-winning field goal with 1:39 remaining, as he calmly drilled a career-long 56-yarder.
   
2. Jerome Harrison: I'm not exactly sure if four touches merits praise for the coaches in terms of getting him involved a whole lot more, but at least they stuck with him while he was hot. At the start of the fourth quarter, Harrison burst through the line for a 72-yard touchdown. I was screaming and jumping out of my seat as I saw him get past the third level. His work may have been even more important after that though -- following a Bills kick return touchdown, Harrison came right back out for a 9-yard run (tack on a personal foul penalty), followed by a nice 21-yard reception on a play the Indianapolis Colts often run. He didn't return after that due to a hamstring injury, but he led us to 10 points in the two drives he was utilized.
   

Goats of the Game (Could Have Cost Us)

1. Andra Davis: Welcome back to the goat section Andra Davis. After making a nice interception in the first quarter, the rest of the game was unbearable. The entire defense couldn't tackle Marshawn Lynch or Fred Jackson, but Davis was the worst of them all. Please, Romeo: get Beau Bell in there already. I don't care if Bell gets juked out of his shoes on every single play; removing Davis from the field is a victory in itself.
   

WR Braylon Edwards can celebrate another aspect: he had several nice blocks down the field.

2. Braylon Edwards: He had 8 catches for 104 yards, but it could have been so much more. Edwards was targeted on several other occasions, but couldn't come away with a reception. The most notable ones were a nice high pass on the team's first drive, and a ball that hit Edwards right in the face on the final drive. I do give a lot of credit to Terrence McGee for having excellent coverage on Edwards throughout the game, but Edwards is supposed to be a Pro Bowl receiver. There were clearly catches in that game that he knows he's talented enough to catch; the wait for him to break out of his funk continues on.
   

General Thoughts (Random Tidbits on the Game)

1. Outstanding Defense: Yes, of course there were a lot of things our offense should have done to adjust better to the Bills' defense. Nonetheless, I thought Buffalo gave Brady Quinn a lot of tough looks in his first road start, and I'm glad that they did. It allowed us to see how Quinn would respond to that type of pressure.
   

QB Brady Quinn may have been pressured, but he wasn't flustered.

2. Quinn Did What Needed to be Done: Statistically, it wasn't a very pretty game for Quinn, as he completed just 39% of his passes for a QB rating of 55.9. Maybe Derek Anderson would've had been stats in this game, but that's not what is important to look at in this case. Quinn was blitzed heavily all night long and did a great job getting a throw off down the field most of the time. The option of using him on a bootleg run panned out well too. My favorite throw is his one on our final drive that set up Dawson's long field goal -- a corner blitz came free from the edge, and Quinn almost instinctively without seeing him was able to step up, double pump, and fire a completion.
3. Missing Stallworth: It was good to see Edwards get involved this week, and Winslow was still targeted several times as well. However, I don't like the fact that we heard Syndric Steptoe's name mentioned more on the receiving end than Donte Stallworth's. Things looked bright last week between Quinn and Stallworth, but having zero catches the next week is not what this team paid so much money for.
   
4. McDonald's Redemption: I couldn't have been happier for Brandon McDonald, who made up for last week's miscues with two big plays against the Bills: an interception and a forced fumble, each of which led to a Dawson field goal. The tackling was still atrocious, but if you can't tackle you at least need to make up for it as McDonald did.
   
5. Strong Consideration for E-Wright: There probably should have been a third game ball handed out to cornerback Eric Wright. Blanketing the fast Lee Evans most of the game, he held him to without a catch the entire game. Heck, I don't even remember him being targeted once, despite the fact that Trent Edwards often had light years to make a decision. That's the first time Evans has failed to record a catch in a game in nearly 70 games.
   
6. Special Teams Edge: Trying to determine who had the better special teams on Monday Night is a tough one. Dawson had five field goals including the game winner, while Rian Lindell missed the game winner. The Bills' coverage on Cribbs was solid, while the Browns' coverage on Leodis McKelvin was poor. There is one play that will lean me towards Cleveland: in the first quarter, Mike Adams perfectly downed a Dave Zastudil punt at the one-yard line on a play most special teamers would probably muff into the end zone in the heat of the moment.
   
7. Did You See Orr?: I sort of rushed seeing the game since I was on tape delay, but I didn't really notice any difference in terms of Shantee Orr's playing time. If anyone has any word on that, feel free to chime in. I noticed Travis Daniels in on the action more often, but he was just part of the depressing non-tacklers.
8. Ahtyba Rubin: Even before he made a critical fumble recovery, I noticed Rubin making a few more plays than usual. If anything, it looked as if Rubin was receiving the type of proportional playing time I expected Orr to get at linebacker.
   

The Browns' defense couldn't stop Bills RB Marshawn Lynch late in the game.

9. "Reason 2 - Not Physical": I listed "not physical" as reason number two of our defensive shortcomings in my review of the Denver Broncos game, and it applies to the Bills game as well. Marshawn Lynch has a lot of talent, but he had not had a good game all season. In the past three games, we've allowed rookie Ray Rice to have a career day, fullback Peyton Hillis to beat us on fourth-and-one, and Lynch to win 1-on-6 matchups with 20 yards to go against us. We're not catching unlucky breaks in terms of backs getting hot; we're just that bad when it comes to tackling.
   
10. Fullback Slant: Heh, I'll take a quick fullback go/slant route over the middle any day over a fullback flat pass. When Charles Ali caught Quinn's pass in stride, I thought, "holy crap, is that Ali out there?" I would've hated to have been the defender to meet him for the tackle.
11. Ineffective Back: There was a lot of discussion before the season in debating who was better served as the Browns' backup running back: Jason Wright or Jerome Harrison. Wright had two decent seasons as a backup, but this year he has been in my opinion a detriment to the offense. I still put some of the blame on him for not turning around quick enough on Haloti Ngata's interception a few weeks ago, and I blame Wright for not doing a good job in picking up the blitzes Buffalo brought up the middle. All you need is a chip, but all I saw were whiffs.
12. Crennel's Reactions: At the end of the game, I couldn't help but roll over laughing at Romeo Crennel's excited reactions to Dawson's successful kick and then Lindell's miss. As they showed him walking to the center of the field after the game, I could've sworn he had a facial expression that was trying to look normal but was really holding back a huge smile.
13. Opposite Reaction: After I saw those reactions from Crennel, I saw someone on the OBR mention how Crennel looked pissed off after Jerome Harrison's huge touchdown run. I went back and checked the tape and was laughing -- but baffled -- at just how true this was. If you taped the game, go back and check it. A montage of these past two bullet points would make you laugh.
14. Brownies: Quinn had a heart-clutching throw late that should have been picked and cost us the game...it goes without saying, but Shaun Rogers remains a beast, as he had another Pro Bowl type of game...I kid you not: right before Cribbs' four-yard touchdown run, I said to my brother, "I bet we'll run a double reverse to Joshua Cribbs here." It was only a single-reverse, but close enough.

The defense was horrible again in the fourth quarter, meaning our "rotations" didn't really keep people any fresher. In the end, the "W" is what matters, and Brady Quinn has improved to a .500 record at 1-1. This is the third straight game that we should have blown out the competition based on how we started the games; maybe we can do that this Sunday against the Texans. Thank goodness for a regular Sunday 1:00 PM game too -- I've missed those.

Box Score - 10.19.08
Team	1	2	3	4	Final
	0	0	3	8	11
	0	0	7	7	14

After Sunday's loss to the Washington Redskins, clearly there is only one man to blame: Phil Dawson. Only kidding, of course, as it was clearly the underachieving offense that cost us yet another football game.

Just think about that -- the Browns, potential-wise, are supposed to have one of the best offenses in football.

We held one of the AFC's best teams, Pittsburgh, to just 10 points. Result? Loss.

We held one of the NFC's best teams, Washington, to just 14 points. Result? Loss.

This week, it wasn't the playcalling that was the problem. The adjustments that Rob Chudzinski has made over the past several weeks were still on display. However, if you can't even execute a screen pass to a receiver at the line of scrimmage, you can't move the chains to set up the remainder of your gameplan as a coordinator. The goats of the game this week are back again, and although a major case can be made for two of our players on offense getting the award, I'm going to substitute one of them for a defensive player.

Goats of the Game (The Reason We're Not .500)

"We're only tugging onto each other because we couldn't hear the play call from the sideline!"

1. Derek Anderson: For as many steps forward as he appeared to take against the New York Giants, he took a lot of those steps back against the Redskins. I wasn't too surprised due to all of his road woes last season, but I was certainly discouraged. I don't think he's lost the right to his job yet. Right now we're 2-4 and still far from the season being over.
   
2. Terry Cousin: I was flabbergasted when I read that Mike Adams would be inactive for the game. Although the defense played well, Cousin was Ralph Brown-esque. I believe I remember most of Jason Campbell's success coming on crossing routes over the middle. Each time, including Santana Moss' touchdown, Cousin was in on the coverage.

Awarding Game Balls (Fewer Than Last Week)

1. Eric Wright: He has really made amends for fumbling an interception against the Bengals several weeks ago. After intercepting an Eli Manning pass for a touchdown last week, he came up with a huge strip on Clinton Portis when it looked as if we were dead and buried. Credit Wright for hustling on the play when Portis was already a step ahead of him.
   
2. Jamal Lewis: He may still be averaging under 100 yards in most of these games, but he is fulfilling his duties by running for over four yards a pop. His effortless hurdle in full stride for a 22 yard gain was a sight to see. Not being able to punch it in down at the goal line with several cracks was discouraging, but that's where you also need the threat of a capable quarterback.

General Thoughts (Random Tidbits on the Game)

  "1/8 from the one-yard line is a high percentage in my book. So much, that I won't throw the red challenge flag."

1. IN for the TOUCHDOWN?: Forgive me if I have missed confirmation that shows otherwise, but a major factor in this game came with about a little over 8 minutes to play. Derek Anderson dumped a screen pass off to Jamal Lewis, and Lewis followed lead blocker Rex Hadnot down the field. Lewis was ruled down at the one-yard line...but why? On replay, it looks like Lewis merely stumbled while trying to use Hadnot as a shield, and tripped himself down at the one-yard line. Still untouched though, his momentum carried his body and the ball into the end zone, where a defender then touched him.
   
2. No Red Flag: Remember when we used to complain so much about Romeo Crennel wasting challenges? Well, apparently he's gone into a shell now, because through six games, I don't even recall him throwing it once. Had he thrown it in this instance and if the play had been ruled a touchdown, we would've had a lot of time left to come back and win. Granted, failing to get the ball in with four attempts is no excuse, but neither is missing this call.
3. Running Wild: The Redskins might just have the best running back in the league. Clinton Portis dazzled once again, rushing for 175 yards on 27 carries against the Browns. The high yardage count is still attributable to some of our defensive shortcomings, but overall he just deserves props on being one of the best, and perhaps most underrated, players in the game.
   

"Damn."

4. Still Missed It: I joked in the opening line that Dawson was to blame for this loss. In all fairness, he does deserve a share of the blame. He showed tremendous leg strength in the preseason, connecting on a couple of 50+ yarders. Last week's miss from beyond 50 yards didn't have as much relevance because we ended up winning big. But, in Dawson's first pressure kick opportunity of the season, he failed to come through. Remember, we won at least two more games last season because of late kicks by Dawson (Seattle and Baltimore).
5. Eight Punts: From no punts to eight punts. At least Dave Zastudil didn't show much rust, as he booted the ball well throughout the game.
   
6. Late Defensive Stop: One of the most surprising things this season came on the Redskins' final "true" drive of the game, when they had a chance to run out the clock. After running all over the Browns all game and only needing a first down, I thought our depleted defensive line would be toast by the second carry. To my surprise, the unit reached down deep and played their hearts out until the final whistle, fighting through fatigue and the misery of watching a crappy [Browns] offensive effort.
   
7. Kellen Winslow: The friction between Winslow and the team is not good for overall team morale. Staph infections remain a huge problem, and it's getting laughable to try to accept that all of the infections with Cleveland players specifically are merely a coincidence. Whether his suspension is lifted or not for next game though, right now, we are a better football team when Steve Heiden starts for several reasons -- blocking, chemistry with Anderson, and having more respect from the coaching staff.
8. By the Way: Did we draft Martin Rucker and Beau Bell just to sit them all season? Just wondering, because right now our starting tight end is at odds with the team and Andra Davis remains invisible.
9. Sean Jones & Ryan Tucker: With the positive news of Sean Jones returning, there was the negative news of Ryan Tucker being listed as inactive for the game, and possibly for the near future as well. Jones played "ok" and led the team with ten tackles, but he seemed to be a beat off. After having a game's worth of live action under his belt again, I expect the rust to have worn off by the Jacksonville contest.
   
10. Offensive Line: Anderson was hit a lot more against Washington than he was against the Giants, but that isn't an excuse. On many of his throws, including the failed one to Braylon Edwards right before our field goal attempt, he had plenty of time to make the appropriate throw. 
11. Harrison's Involvement: Several users complained about the team not using Jerome Harrison earlier in the game, but would that have really made a difference? Lewis was running the ball fine, and the real problem were things like Anderson overthrowing Donte Stallworth on a screen pass, or Edwards completing missing the hot slant route on a Redskins blitz. I think fans were automatically thinking "Harrison = Spark". In truth, the plays were called all had "Spark" written all over them, with a little asterisk * mentioning the failed execution. Bottom line: I felt Harrison was intended to be used correctly for the third game in a row -- it just didn't come off that way.
12. Cribbs' Hit: Cribbs showed a lot of toughness by returning to the game after taking a huge blow earlier in the contest. Credit goes to Gerard Lawson though, who had arguably our best kick return of the season in place of Cribbs -- a tough, bounce-off-defender return for 43 yards.
13. Slight Steps Forward for Wimbley: I saw a few things I liked from Kamerion Wimbley, particularly once when he almost had an interception dropping back in coverage. Wimbley needs to drop back more often to mix up the play calls and leave the opposing team's left tackle wondering whether or not he's actually going to come.
    
14. Brownies: While only having two catches for the second week in a row, I thought Donte Stallworth opened up the offense again...Steve Heiden was heavily underutilized in this game...although Edwards had several drops again, most of them would've netted minimal yardage...can the team clone Shaun Rogers?
    

Believe it or not, the Redskins game was losable. It kills me that we didn't seize the advantage and get back to .500, but we still showed that we can compete with a very good football team, even on the road, until the final seconds.

The bigger game comes this week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Why were we left out of the postseason last year? Because we had a horrible conference record in comparison to Tennessee.

Right now, we're only one game back of a tie for the wildcard. One game! That is no reason to give up hope. The Jaguars will be competing for one of those wildcard spots though, so if we can take them out this weekend, that will be a huge step forward in getting our season back on track.

Box Score - 10.13.08
Team	1	2	3	4	Final
	0	14	0	0	14
	3	14	3	15	35

On September 28th, 2008, the Browns picked up their first victory over the season. That came against arguably the worst team in football, the 0-6 Cincinnati Bengals.

On October 13th, 2008, after a long bye week, the Browns picked up their second victory of the season. This time, it came against the undefeated and defending  Super Bowl Champion New York Giants.

I was extremely fortunate to have witnessed the game in person. Although the stadium was jam-packed, I can't help by chuckle at the fans who, before the game, stated that they would not be attending (in fear of seeing the Browns getting blown out). Who could've blamed them though? Since returning to the league in 1999, the Browns have rarely beaten the Pittsburgh Steelers, and we have never defeated "the team to beat" during the regular season. We finally accomplished that.

This week, I'm going to do things a little different in reviewing the game. Because there were so many positives, I'm giving out more game balls than usual, and I'm cutting out the goats of the game altogether. Any negatives will be addressed in my general comments section.

Awarding Game Balls (Everyone Could've Gotten One)

DB Eric Wright's interception for a touchdown sealed the game.

1. Derek Anderson: It took five games, but Anderson is finally getting his first game ball of the season here on Dawgs By Nature. Despite beating the Bengals, he had to be under a lot of pressure. He hasn't played a solid football game dating back to part of last season and was going up against the line that knocked him out with a concussion back in the preseason. Anderson still had a few shaky throws, but that's Anderson -- he's not a 70% completion passer. What counted is that he was about to hit his throws down the seams, check off to several reads, and get rid of the ball before the Giants could even touch him.
2. Steve Heiden: I am so happy the Browns didn't place him on the injured reserve in the preseason. With a surplus of tight ends (and Martin Rucker healthy at the time), it could've been an "easy" way out to keeping an extra guy like Darnell Dinkins (who we kept anyway). Heiden proved exactly why we don't even really need Rucker to catch the ball -- he can do so just as well, and he can block very well too. The help he gave in taking on defensive end Justin Tuck was incredible.
3. Eric Wright: What was the stress point all of training camp and the preseason? "Our secondary is so thin." Well, it still is. If we need to start Terry Cousin or Travis Daniels, we're probably in trouble. With the starters we have now, even minus one starting safety, we are making things happen. Wright baited Eli Manning into a quick throw late in the game, when the Giants were marching to try and cut the lead to six. Wright picked off Manning's throw, and then just barely got by him for a clear path 94-yard touchdown return. Ballgame. Being at the game, this was by far the loudest the crowd had gotten all night -- first when Manning was picked off, and then quickly taken over by Wright passing up Manning on his way back.

  WR Braylon Edwards can celebrate now: he finally looked like the Pro Bowl receiver he was last season.

4. Rob Chudzinski: Here's one for the coach (offensive coordinator). The personnel packages he inserted reminded me of last season, begging the question -- why wasn't he calling these things for the first several weeks? I'm talking about using guys like Joshua Cribbs under center, Jerome Harrison having plays designed for him, and Syndric Steptoe in the slot. (see continuation of this discussion, as I answer my own question in the general notes section below)
5. Ryan Tucker: First game back? Domination. Before the game, I still favored having Kevin Shaffer at right tackle and Ryan Tucker at guard. Now, I want Tucker to stay at right tackle the rest of the year. What do we do with Shaffer then? He can spell Tucker and help in goal line situations, where we can use three tackles (instead of always shifting Joe Thomas to the right).
6. Braylon Edwards: 5 catches, 154 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 two-point conversion. The first thing I thought? Fantasy points! Seriously, it was the breakout game Edwards needed to get him back in the right direction. I think it was more critical that he had this type of a performance in front of a home crowd too.

General Thoughts (Random Tidbits on the Game)

1. The Underrated Stallworth: I asked earlier why Rob Chudzinski's playbook suddenly expanded, and I truly believe that it all points to having Donte Stallworth in the lineup for the first time this season. Without him in there, everybody else was "out of place". Steptoe was starting, when he's a barely a slot receiver. Kellen Winslow was kept in the game more often to try and make up for Stallworth's absence, taking away the thought of having the "hidden" elements of Steve Heiden or Darnell Dinkins in the game. Stallworth only had two catches, but he was targeted a lot more, and from the stands, you could definitely tell that the defense was giving him respect on any given down. When the defense treats the No. 2 receiver seriously, everything else just...opens up.
   
2. Just Wait...: ...until we get Joe Jurevicius back now.
3. Running Tough: He didn't have over 100 yards rushing, but that's not what defines success for Jamal Lewis. Anyone who watched the game against the Giants saw that he was just as significant of a contributor as everyone else was. Even at first contact, he was fighting for that extra inch every single time. He also had a sick cutback move on his second-quarter touchdown.
   

  RB Jamal Lewis knows how to make defenders miss, as he runs through DB Kenny Phillips.

4. Take a Seat: Brandon Jacobs is a beast -- the power he showed when plowing into Mike Adams for a 7-yard touchdown was impressive. There is a very ironic statistic though: remember how Corey Williams discussed how to stop Jacobs? Jacobs ran for 67 yards against the Packers last postseason. He ran for 67 yards against the Browns' defense Monday.
5. No Punts: I was bummed that I didn't get to see Dave Zastudil punt the ball in-person. Who am I kidding -- that was a tremendous feat for the offense, showing how well we controlled the clock and executed our gameplan.
   
6. Dawson Misses: Dawson missed a field goal attempt just over 51 yards. In pregame, from that side of the stadium, Dawson was having some problems. If the kick had been on the other side though, he would've had a crack at a 60-yarder. You could probably infer that on television by the fact that his kickoffs were going way out of the end zone on that side too.
7. The Bad: Besides the atrocious announcing by the Monday Night Football guys (we have to hear them two more times this year, ugh), the penalties were again a problem for the Browns. Sure, we ended up somehow going 117 yards for a touchdown on a second-half drive, but that type of execution following mistakes is a rarity. When we made mistakes on our first drive of the game, we were held to a field goal. Rex Hadnot deserves some of the blame, as I heard his number called a few times.
8. Annoying Lady: I just have to get this one off my chest -- some lady in a bright red leather jacket kept was sitting in the middle of our row of seats (I was on the end). I'm not joking here -- she got up and went by us literally 15-18 times during the game, with several of the occurrences happening as the Browns were running a play. Most of the time, she was on her cellular phone. Why the hell would you keep coming back to the middle of a row if you're just going to get up and leave again two minutes later? Had to vent a little there.
9. Bad Eli: I was very surprised by the performance of Eli Manning. Sure, he's human, but his interceptions, while great plays by our secondary, involved questionable decisions that I just didn't expect to see from him. After the two deep throws, I thought..."Really? That's happening to another team and not us? Sweet!" The Giants, towards the end of the game, would've been better off sticking with the draw plays down by the goal line, instead of having Manning throw a pass that Wright could jump.
   

QB Derek Anderson has silenced critics for another week.


10. Heiden Open: I'm not sure if it was seen on television or not, but in the second half, Anderson threw a route towards the sideline to Darnell Dinkins, but the pass was incomplete as Dinkins went to the ground to try to get it. On the play though, fans groaned a little as Anderson missed seeing a wide open Heiden down the field on a post route. Heiden's man was fooled, and he probably would've walked in for a long touchdown.
11. Love the Double Reverse I loved the double reverse to Jerome Harrison. The defense completely soled out on the first handoff and never saw the second one coming. I'm fairly convinced that Harrison got the maximum possible yardage on the play, but on replay, I do wonder if there was a chance he could've taken it the distance if he had just continued running straight as opposed to trying to fake out an oncoming defender.
12. Why Review the Play?: I'm still unclear as to why the referees were reviewing the play before the end of the first half where Eli Manning fumbled. Because illegal contact was called on the Browns and the Giants accepted the penalty, what was under review? Does anybody know? I know everyone in the stands around me sounded confused too.
    
13. Brownies: Again, major props to Brodney Pool and Brandon McDonald. Amani Toomer was held without a catch, and the "feared" Domenik Hixon only caught one pass...Phil Dawson's first kickoff attempt was perfectly executed -- we almost got there in time to recover the kick ourselves... chalk up another sack for Alex Hall -- and that was hilarious seeing Manning in the middle of that huge takedown pile...dating back to last season, we're 2-0 in impressive fashion when wearing our "throwback uniforms" at home...we need some more production out of LB Andra Davis.
    

Against the Bengals, I closed the recap by saying the following:

"A win is a win. The next step is looking good in victory. You can't expect that to happen against the New York Giants, but you can certainly prepare for it to happen. With several players slated to return from injury, if this Browns football team is in sync in all aspects of the game, there is no reason we can't be in the game until the final whistle."

We didn't expect it to happen, but based on what everyone across the country saw, we certainly prepared for it. It paid off.

Box Score - 9.21.08
Team	1	2	3	4	Final
	0	10	0	0	10
	0	7	21	0	28

Right now, we're one of the worst teams in football. Potential wise, we remain the "best" of the worst teams in football, but that's not going to offer us any comfort when we're on the outside-looking-in again come January.

So, where should I go with the breakdown of this game? The Derek Anderson / Romeo Crennel replacement storylines are so hot right now, perhaps I can offer a take on some of the other issues that happened with the game. So, for the majority of this review, I'll try to hold off "extensive" discussion on Anderson / Crennel (save that for Wednesday's post):

Goat of the Game (Why God, Why?)

Browns QB Derek Anderson had one of the worst second halves imaginable.

1. Derek Anderson: It was truly a story of two halves for Derek Anderson. In the first half, he actually wasn't too bad -- both statistically and in making decisions. He was 9-of-16 passing for 101 yards and 1 touchdown, aiding the team to a 10-7 lead at halftime.
2. ...(continued): Then, the second half was miserable. Anderson was 5-of-21 for 24 yards and 3 interceptions in the second half. What was the reason for the difference? If anything, you'd expect a poor first half to shake your confidence in the second half, and not vice-versa. Nonetheless, with a second half performance like that, Anderson's the only player you need to point the finger at to blame for this loss. Well, I could blame Donte Stallworth in a way too, but that's in more of a joking yet detailed manner I've yet to delve in to.
3. Dave Zastudil: People may not remember it, but when we were backed up to our own 12-yard line, he only got off a 31-yard boot. The Ravens promptly drove 43 yards to tie the game at seven.

Awarding Game Balls (More Meaningless With Each Loss)

RB Jerome Harrison scores the only touchdown of the game for Cleveland. Makes sense that it was his only play, though.

1. Jerome Harrison: Why deprive him of a gameball just because the coaches don't give him more than one play? He capitalized on that one play too -- a 19-yard screen pass for our only touchdown in two weeks. Overall though, Romeo Crennel actually gave Harrison less of a workload than he did against the Steelers. Liar. And idiotic.
2. Alex Hall: I didn't think he had an overpowering game, but the sole fact that he was recognized more than Kamerion Wimbley says a lot about how much Wimbley really is struggling. Hall had the Browns' only sack of the game on Joe Flacco as well.

General Thoughts (Random Tidbits on the Game)

1. We Should Have Won: Our defense wasn't great, but the unit played well enough to win (until the backups were inserted into the game). They were also opportunistic, picking off the rookie quarterback twice in the first half as I anticipated would happen. Anderson handicapped our defense 14 points.
2. Recognition on Trick Play: The Ravens tried to run a variation of the fleaflicker on a play that ended up being Flacco's second interception of the day. He pitched the ball to Willie McGahee, who slowly ran to the sideline without even coming close to selling a run, and then tossed the ball all the way back to Flacco, who then wound up and launched a rocket down into the end zone. Mike Adams came away with the ball, and although the Ravens executed the play poorly, I still credit our young / depleted secondary for being all over it.
3. Edwards Still Struggles: I don't recall him having a drop, but I still wouldn't call it a step forward for him. On his second reception, he bobbled the ball about four times before finally securing it against his chest. That's not what you want to do against a hard-hitting defense over the middle. Edwards may or may not have been partially at fault for Anderson's second and third picks, but either way he didn't do a good job at shielding the defender.
4. Not The Cribbs We Know: On kick returns, Joshua Cribbs isn't Joshua Cribbs right now, and I'm not just saying that because he's not busting 30-yard returns every time. He only averaged 17.3 yard a pop on 3 attempts against Baltimore, and wind wasn't a factor this week. He doesn't seem to be accelerating through a hole like he did last year. Instead, he's doing more shifting, which is easily allowing defenders to catch up with him. Now, that could be due to worse blocking on special teams than last year, but probably not.
5. Cribbs' Other Aspects: He still looks solid on covering kicks, and I don't understand why he's not playing receiver over Syndric Steptoe. He had a nice effort on the team's first catch of the game, and then made a terrific diving one-handed attempt on an overthrown Anderson pass in the second half. If he would've caught that, it would've been all over SportsCenter.
6. Stover's Miss: What? Matt Stover missed a kick against us? I'm shocked. Of course, it had no bearing on the outcome of the game, unfortunately.

The Browns are all over the Ravens' fleaflicker attempt, as DB Mike Adams comes away with the interception.

7. Lewis' Carries: Should we have given more carries to Jamal Lewis? That also seems to be a hot topic, though I think the reaction has been a little overboard. Any way you look at it, to control a game, we need a balanced passing and rushing attack. Even if we gave Lewis more touches to start the second half, we still would've needed Anderson in third-down situations, and he didn't appear capable of anything in the second half. On the same note, once we went down by three scores, running the ball against a defense that is still pretty good will only burn off time we can't afford to waste.
8. Vickers' Hot Start: I thought Lawrence Vickers had a hot start to the game. Like Harrison though, if it works, "let's not go to it". Instead, let's watch Anderson throw ten incomplete passes toward the direction of Kellen Winslow.
9. Speaking of Which: Who is to blame for Anderson's first interception? Although he took a shot, I do blame Kellen Winslow for not holding onto the ball. We're in need of playmakers right now, and tight plays like that are desperately needed. DBN reader "rufio" said it best in the gameday topic though, on why it didn't make sense on Anderson / Chudzinski's part: "Why was DA throwing at McAllister and R.Lewis when Rolle and Landry are out!"
10. Thomas Struggled: Maybe in the first half, we held things together. For the entire game though, I saw Joe Thomas struggle in recognizing where the rusher was coming from off the start (unless the play calls were just so bad that they told Thomas to stay there). Eric Steinbach was sorely missed, not only because his absence had adverse effects on Thomas, but because Seth McKinney looked awful. Rex Hadnot wasn't very good either, as the offensive line gave up a total of five sacks.
11. Brownies: I saw Shantee Orr burst through with a nice tackle at least once...though I gave Hall a game ball, Brodney Pool had a very nice performance in my book for the second straight week...Phil Dawson is going to have more points than the rest of our team combined pretty soon.

Hardly any teams have ever made the postseason after starting the season at 0-3. I don't look at those statistics though -- wins can still be strung together, and a record of 9-7 certainly isn't out of the question (which could win the division).

For every loss we put on the board though, we dig ourselves into a bigger hole. At some point, something has to chance to dig us out of that hole. Will that be Anderson getting back into a groove? Or, will it be Brady Quinn getting his crack at the job? That's what we'll find out over the next few weeks.

The Cleveland Browns are entering the 2008-2009 with high expectations. With a successful offense returning, a much-improved defensive line, and the fans more excited than ever about the team, anything short of a playoff berth will be a disappointment.

Now, let's take a look at this year's official season preview, brought to you exclusively by Dawgs By Nature.

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CLEVELAND BROWNS (0-3)		GAME #3		DETROIT LIONS (3-0)
		VS.
6				26

Was that not one of the most boring games you've ever watched? I know that preseason games don't even deserve to be compared to regular season games in terms of excitement, but this was beyond boring. At least we didn't have to pay to watch Saturday's game -- that is, unless you purchased a ticket to Ford Field.

After the game was over, one thing kept racing through my mind: the regular season can't get here soon enough. The players with jobs clinched could care less, the coordinators call vanilla plays on offense, and the head coach pretty much knows who his 53-man roster will be already. Death to the preseason -- bring on more games that count.

GENERAL GAME THOUGHTS

1. Rogers Provided "It": If there was one thing I wanted to get out of this game as a fan, it was to see Shaun Rogers get on the field alongside Robaire Smith and Corey Williams. Rogers had the definite "it" factor on the defensive line, stuffing the run and creating havoc left and right. He will definitely make the players around him look better. I'm also awarding him this week's lone game ball.
2. Finishing the Pressure: A former defensive backs coach, it looks like a lot of Mel Tucker's defensive schemes in the preseason have involved blitzing the cornerbacks and safeties only. I love how often we're bringing those blitzes, but I hope he finds a fair balance between those and linebacker blitzes come the regular season.
   
   Browns DL Shaun Rogers had an impressive game.
   
3. Pressure on Kitna: Give credit to Jon Kitna: he's a veteran quarterback, and him escaping from pressure is not an uncommon occurrence. On the same note, he was sacked very often last season, so it was discouraging to see the Browns have the right play on, only to let Kitna get away and complete a pass downfield. You can't blame the secondary in those cases.
LB Kamerion Wimbley overpursues, resulting in a fairly easy 35-yard counter rushing touchdown for Lions RB Kevin Smith.
4. Wimbley on Kevin Smith: During the second quarter, Kamerion Wimbley made a bad decision on a rushing attempt by Lions rookie RB Kevin Smith that cost the Browns a touchdown. The defensive line did their job by bottling up the line, and there were at least two or three extra linebackers over their in case he broke through to the second unit. Wimbley, covering the backside, decides to try and become the third unit behind them in the 0.001% chance that Smith will become Jim Brown. The better decision would've been to stay home the entire time, to at a bare minimum force Smith to the outside, allow the safeties to catch up, and accept a 10-15 yard gain. Instead, it was a 35-yard touchdown. Major props to Lions backup QB Dan Orlovsky for taking out three of our defenders down at the goal line on the play though.
5. Not Too Hyped: Although Nick Sorensen had two notable defensive plays starting in place of Sean Jones, you just can't really get too excited about them. He just happened to be unblocked on his nifty-looking sack, and he was standing in center field on a play that Bernie deemed as a quarterback's nightmare.
6. Hall = Best Rookie: It should be official already, though there are far too few rookies to actually choose from at this point. Alex Hall showed a nice pass rush against a starting unit and should make this team ahead of David McMillan.
7. Corner Play: I didn't think the cornerback play for the starters was spectacular, but it wasn't as bad as the score would indicate. I believe we're going to have to live with a bend-but-don't-break pass defense this year, and a lot of Kitna's success involved both our missing safeties and our inability to sack Kitna when we had the chance.
QB Brady Quinn's first preseason start was an uneventful one to say the least. He finished 14-of-24 for 106 yards, with no touchdowns or picks.
8. Quinn...ugh...Mulligan: Yes, I'll take a mulligan. The whole offense in general was just so...boring. Quinn didn't have a sharp game throwing the football either -- many of his passes were low. Sure, that's fine in some cases, but his throws were either low or bouncing at the receivers' feet. The range should be chest-level to low. The offense failed to record a touchdown all game, and the third-down execution was pitiful.
9. Biggest Mistake Ever: Well, probably not the biggest mistake ever, but a mistake nonetheless: starting Travis Wilson. The kid has looked very good in camp as a third receiver. He looked very good in the Jets came as a third receiver. The past two weeks as a starter, he looks clueless. Now, fans are back to giving up on him and going as far as wanting to cut him. Mentally, he's not ready to handle a starting role. But, there's no reason he still can't be an effective third receiver unless the past two games have shot his confidence 100%.
10. Screen Worked: I'm still not overly enthused by our screen plays, but at least we had a successful one to Jerome Harrison. Speaking of Harrison, big mistake to catch the ball three yards downfield and then step out of bounds. Get those five extra yards and take the hit. Fortunately for Harrison, whenever Austin Scott or Travis Thomas get into the game, it looks as if their feet are in quicksand.
11. Leggett: Some people have probably jumped the gun (not here, but other Browns boards) by saying that Lance Leggett should make the final roster after having some success the past two preseason games. A pair of quarters against third-string defenses won't win you a sudden roster spot, but it does show you have some potential playmaking ability. That could call for him to be on the practice squad.
12. Kasper's Done: I can't imagine Kevin Kasper sticking around much longer. My anticipation level went from sky high to literally nothing in a matter of one play. A shame, too, considering he probably would've embraced the temporary starting receiver role a lot better than Wilson has.
13. Steptoe Average: Return-wise, it was only an average day for Syndric Steptoe. That's not a dig at Steptoe, but it reminds us that there is only one Joshua Cribbs.
14. Big Season: I probably sound crazy since I always diss Andra Davis big time, but I really like the awareness he's shown in third down situations this preseason. He's already broken up two passes at the line of scrimmage -- those plays will end drives, or better yet, result in an interception if he tips it high enough into the air.
15. Dawson's Strength: Keep it up Dawson -- those 50 yarders could be the difference against the top contenders this season. Credit to Dave Zastudil too, whose punt "for a touchback" probably actually went out around the one-yard line.
16. Rehashing, Rehashing: I can't really debate the running back battle between Jason Wright and Harrison, because week after week it's the same thing. Wright may not have the most moves, but when given a hole he can shoot through it. Harrison can make the play when it's not there, but is still undersized. I still prefer Harrison, but not by a whole lot. Get well soon, Jamal Lewis.
17. Sleeper: Earlier in camp, Gerard Lawson was called a sleeper by the Plain Dealer I believe. He had a nice pass breakup later in the game against Detroit that could've gone for six. Also, consider this: he has been fielding kickoffs. If the team chooses not to keep Steptoe, Lawson's ability to return kicks could give him a slight edge over an A.J. Davis.
18. Kosar Rules: Bernie Kosar was at his best again -- especially when he said something along the lines of "if they need someone after Ken [Dorsey] and you see I've left the booth, you'll know where I went," in regards to the Browns naming Steptoe their third-string quarterback.

That's pretty much it -- not really sure how I made 18 points out of a boring football game, but I did. Do I really want to say "bring on the Bears" now? Only if we get to see one series with Derek Anderson and Braylon Edwards back on the field. If healthy, do I want them to risk that one series? Absolutely. Even though it's just the preseason, we need some more fire as a team, and as fans.

A lot has gone on since the disaster against the New York Giants, but altogether I think we came out a lucky football team. We could've had a quarterback with a separated shoulder, a safety with a career-threatening concussion, and a stud kick returner out for a portion of the season. Instead, we're only going to be forced to rest some guys up until the team's Week 1 contest versus the Dallas Cowboys.

As far as our game this Saturday (4:00 PM EST start time) against the Detroit Lions though, here are the players who have all but been ruled out, and who will be replacing them:

1. QB Derek Anderson-----> QB Brady Quinn
   
2. RB Jamal Lewis----------> RB Jason Wright / Jerome Harrison
3. WR Braylon Edwards---> Not yet disclosed
   
4. WR Joshua Cribbs-------> WR Syndric Steptoe
   
5. OL Ryan Tucker-----------> Not applicable
6. DT Louis Leonard--------> DT Ahtyba Rubin
   
7. LB Willie McGinest-------> LB Alex Hall (rumored)
   
8. S Brodney Pool------------> S Mike Adams
   

RB Jamal Lewis won't be trucking through defenders against the Lions, as he will sit out with a pulled hamstring.

In case you're counting, that could very well be seven starters right there (five for sure). All of the injuries were known about immediately following the Giants game or beforehand, except for the ones to Lewis and McGinest. In case you missed the news yesterday, Lewis pulled hamstring and McGinest pulled a groin during the Giants game. (Late note: according to the OBR, Leonard will be out with a foot injury)

Now, for some more positive news: who will play. Head coach Romeo Crennel and other sources have all but confirmed that the following players will be ready to face the Lions:

1. FB Lawrence Vickers
2. WR Kevin Kasper
3. TE Brad Cieslak
   
4. DT Shaun Rogers
5. LB Leon Williams

The biggest addition to that list? Well, physically, it's Rogers -- but I'm referring to significance: Kevin Kasper. After Travis Wilson failed to take advantage of a starting opportunity last week, Kasper finally made his long-awaited return to practice a day or so ago and is looking to get back into the thick of things before it's too late. If Kasper has a huge game Saturday, I wouldn't rule a roster spot out for him just yet.

One final note to catch up on: Crennel is deciding not to sign another quarterback after Anderson's injury. That means the team is down to just two quarterbacks. Many fans originally speculated that Anderson may have suffered a significant shoulder injury when he was driven into the ground against the Giants, but Crennel shot that rumor down today:

''I know nothing about a shoulder,'' Crennel said. ''I said a hand because he fell on his hand as well as his head. The concussion is the thing we're dealing with. He just got a bruise (on his hand); he put a Band-Aid on it.''

As for how the protection broke down on the play, left tackle Joe Thomas offered some insight:

''They kind of caught us in a blitz and we didn't pick it up correctly. We had leakage on the front side and the back side. When you have that, the quarterback's got no place to go.''

The Browns will only play Brady Quinn and Ken Dorsey on Saturday, but they are auditioning for in-house quarterbacks in case of an emergency. Among the candidates are P Dave Zastudil, TE Darnell Dinkins, TE Brad Cieslak, LB Kamerion Wimbley, LB Shantee Orr, LB D'Qwell Jackson, S Sean Jones, S Nick Sorensen, WR Efrem Hill, and WR Syndric Steptoe. I think Zastudil and Dinkins would be the favorites to play quarterback -- and to prevent an injury to a starter, I'd use Dinkins. According to the Plain Dealer, Dinkins was once the fourth quarterback on the Giants' roster.

CLEVELAND BROWNS (0-2)		GAME #2		NEW YORK GIANTS (1-1)
		VS.
34				37

The score doesn't really show it, but every single person who watched the game knows it: this is a game that you'll want to forget about...forever. I always say that what counts in preseason games is what the starters do, so I'm not going to be hypocritical and praise the team for only losing by three.

We lost this game 30-3. By Twenty-seven points. In just a quarter and a half of game clock. We wanted prime time, and we got it. If we want to hang with the big boys, it's going to take a whole hell of a lot more than our effort Monday Night to succeed. There is one saving grace though: a lot of what went wrong was a result of inexcusable penalties.

That's not an excuse, but rather a starting point of the first thing that needs to be addressed. Since so much went wrong, and we want to forget about this game forever, let me put a unique spin on this game review and just throw all of the bad stuff at you at once: just to get it out of the way.

WHAT WENT WRONG - THE BAD

1. Travis Wilson: I was really disappointed by Wilson's effort in a starting role, as he failed to even record a catch. On one particular play, an all-out blitz came toward Anderson on a 3rd-and-long. Anderson got rid of the ball at the last second, and the ball landed about two yards past the first down marker on an intended comeback route. Instead, Wilson seemed to over-run the route by several yards. The timing factor on a blitz is probably a little less important for an inside receiver, which is where I want Wilson during the regular season. If I'm not mistaken, Wilson also had a dropped pass (on a not-so-great pass) a little later.
2. Eric Wright: I was not too pleased with the coverage by Wright on Domenik Hixon. I mean, it's basically like their sixth receiver (think Paul Hubbard on our team, depth-wise) just dominating our starting cornerback. Sure, praise Hixon for making some nice catches. But fault Wright for balking on the first touchdown, and then tripping on the second (I think that was Wright on the second TD; couldn't get a look at the jersey number).
3. Dumb Penalties: Another dig on Wright -- an early 54-yard pass interference called on him. It's the preseason: I want to see how our defensive line and linebackers do; you can't do that when the Giants pick up chunks like this. Also, what in the world was with Mike Adams' interference on a punt, especially when the ball wasn't even close to coming down yet? He would've warranted his own subtitle had he not had some nice blitzes later on in the game. There were too many other holding penalties as well.
   
4. When You Practice, PRACTICE: Even though I didn't say it, when Crennel kept keeping everyone out of pads for a week after the first preseason game, I kept thinking: "isn't that a little too long?" Usually, I've heard of a day or two off from pads, but not a whole week.

   "Unbelievable," Crennel said. "Evidently we didn't do enough work. I told the team it's my fault for trying to save them in practice by not hitting. We're not very good right now."

   
   I'll say. The Browns were physically manhandled on the offensive and defensive lines while the starters were in. A lot of that has to do with the Giants' superiority, but I think a lot of it also has to do with Crennel giving his players a little too much respect during camp.
5. Jamal Lewis: After two nice runs to start off the game, Lewis was victimized by the offensive line getting pushed into the backfield. However, failing to lock in a handoff down at the goal line is something he should have down pat right now -- what have the past three-four weeks of training camp been for?
6. Kamerion Wimbley: We see the Giants with so many effective pass rushers against our tremendous offensive line. So then, why is it that Wimbley can't even record a footnote of a memorable play on gameday? It's instances like this where you start to wonder if Wimbley will inevitably be nothing more than average in this league, due to being one-dimensional.
DB A.J. Davis is beaten on a kick return touchdown by the Giants' Domenik Hixon.
7. Special Teams Coverage: I'm still very confident in the kick coverage ability of our starting unit. I'm not at all impressed by some of the youngsters in the second unit though, and that includes CB A.J. Davis. On Hixon's safety return for a touchdown, Davis was in prime position to stop him. Instead, Hixon blew by him with ease. Davis had a couple of nice hits later in the game, but that's not enough to hand him a roster spot. LB David McMillan was also in decent enough of position on the play.
   
8. Never Again: Appearance-wise, the brown pants only looked "ok" in my opinion. Then why use them? They already have bad voodoo on them after this loss, and I've already heard fans and media from across the country question why in the world we would choose such an ugly uniform color. Let's not add fashion to the list of areas our rivals can mock us with.
9. You Let Droughns Do It: I didn't want Reuben Droughns making some sort of impact against us (it's that former Browns rivalry thing), but he did. Travis Thomas was manhandled by a running back, and he blocked Dave Zastudil's punt in the end zone. Speaking of which, didn't Zastudil appear to take a little too much time before booting that one? Backed up, it has to be catch and hit; not catch, set, and hit.
10. No Screen Team: We finally started trying screen plays when Ken Dorsey came in, and our execution was even worst than last week on three attempts. Pitifully run.

For the positives, now, I'm going to start off by handing out a few game balls. Game balls always cheer people up, right?

WHAT WENT RIGHT - THE GOOD

1. Game Ball - Syndric Steptoe: I am literally in awe at how quickly Steptoe has improved from a year ago. He was the heart and soul of the final score looking respectable. Or, if you want to put it another way, he was our Domenik Hixon of the second-unit. He pulled in two touchdown grabs -- one of which had him saving Brady Quinn by not giving up on the football and not only wrestling it out of the defender's hands, but tipping it to himself and heading in for a touchdown.
   
   He was also outstanding on kickoff returns again, including one that went 90 yards. I'm convinced that Steptoe needs to be on our final roster now, because someone else will pick him up otherwise. We may need him right away if Joshua Cribbs' MRI comes back with bad news.
2. Game Ball - Charles Ali: I think I read somewhere on the OBR that Ali is by far the best second-string fullback in all of football, and I'd have to agree with that. Getting reps again with Lawrence Vickers out, Ali opened some nice holes for Lewis and Jerome Harrison. He also caught several passes in the flat and took them upfield for nice little gains.
3. Game Ball - Phil Dawson: Dawson's leg strength reached new highs against the Giants. His opening kickoff was deep enough to warrant a touchback, and on our first offensive drive, he connected on what would've been a career-high 56-yard field goal, had it been the regular season. He not only hit the kick straight down the middle, but he had several yards to spare. Those kicks will be critical against tough opponents like Dallas come Week 1.
4. Defensive Shoutouts: Nice job by Andra Davis on the first series, reading Eli Manning perfectly and batting his pass down at the line. If Shaun Rogers was available to get a greater push, Davis could do that type of thing more often. Also, D'Qwell Jackson had a beautiful helmet hit to jar the football loose from Brandon Jacobs. Unfortunately, the Giants recovered the fumble.
5. Corner Blitzes: Not sure why we waited for the second stringers to come in to start them, but our corner blitzes looked sharp when Anthony Wright and David Carr came in. In particular, Eric Wright and Mike Adams did a fine job. Adams' first blitz allowed Wright to return a pick for a touchdown. Wright later had the team's only sack of the game on a blitz.
6. Brady Quinn: Literally, Quinn had several seconds longer to throw than Anderson did when he got in. Still, it was good to see Quinn run the offense effectively in the off-chance that Anderson will be out Week 1. We even got to see Quinn fire a deep ball downfield to Steptoe for a touchdown. I won't praise Quinn's throw because it should've been picked -- but surely it's something he will hopefully start working on more during practice.
7. Darnell Dinkins: I still don't want him catching footballs often, but credit to him for making several nifty catches late in the game. He finished with 3 grabs for 50 yards.

QB Ken Dorsey was sharp with the third unit, making impressive throws down the field.

8. Ken Dorsey: Who woke him up? This was the best I've ever seen Dorsey play at the NFL level, as he was rocketing balls down the field to open receivers. He single-handedly made Paul Hubbard, Lance Leggett, Steve Sanders, and Efrem Hill look good late in the game (not taking credit away from the wideouts, but Dorsey threw some perfect balls).
9. Harrison's Toughness: More than the speed, I liked the toughness and moves I saw from Harrison on his 23-yard gain. We need to get Harrison about 3-4 touches per game on gameday, in the right situations.
10. Key and Hall: Late in the game, Giants RB Danny Ware broke free from an Alex Hall tackle attempt. Shortly thereafter though, when Ware tried to break free again, Travis Key charged at him and gave a nice hit. I didn't see much more of him besides that, but it's better than seeing Steve Cargile get burned in his only play against the Jets.

GENERAL THOUGHTS

1. Players Out: I missed two leaders: WR Braylon Edwards on offense and DT Shaun Rogers on defense. I know this probably sounds crazy, but if Edwards was healthy, maybe the Browns get him the football on our first drive, and we eventually go in for a touchdown rather than a field goal. Maybe Anderson knows to get him the football right away on the play he gets the concussion, therefore avoiding the hit altogether. Crazy talk, maybe. Reality, possibly.
2. I'm Not Depressed: Now, if this were a regular season game, I'd be depressed. We still have several weeks to collect our thoughts and correct the issues we had though.
3. I'm Upset: I'm upset at all of the injuries we suffered after staying relatively healthy in camp. We can't afford to lose those guys if we want to make a run at the division.
4. Bring Back Bernie: I hate prime time games during the preseason. When the second and third units are in, I care about what the hell is going on still. I don't want to hear announcers speculating "surely if you're Cleveland fans, you're thinking 'this, that, and this'". Can't wait to hear Donovan and Kosar next game again.

The game was one to forget...and now, the book on it is closed. Still feel free to post comments here though, of course.

I know a lot of you out-of-towners love to read these training camp reports here on Dawgs By Nature. Thanks to sfanscott over at the Munilot (OBR Blogs), you can view a three-minute video from today's practice session! The first two minutes or so are some basic agility type drills, but after that you get to see the offense in action.

Sunday's practice was a little light compared to the past couple of days. We're under a week away from the team's practice at Cleveland Browns Stadium, meaning the excitement continues to build day-by-day.

TRAINING CAMP REPORT - DAY 5 (7/27/08)

1. First and Foremost: There were no pads today in practice, which you should've surmised if you watched the video above.
2. Names to Faces: So that you can better know the names to the faces (or jersey numbers) in the offensive plays above, I'll go through each play below.
3. Play 1 (Quinn to Hill): QB Brady Quinn fired a quick slant route to WR Efrem Hill -- a player he seems to have chemistry with. The strange thing is that he was being covered by No. 28 on the play -- however, I cannot find that jersey number anywhere, even on the team's official site. If anyone can identify this player, let me know.
4. Play 2 (Quinn to Hubbard): QB Brady Quinn threw a pass over the middle that rookie WR Paul Hubbard dove to the ground to bring in. It was a nice play, but reportedly Hubbard still failed to stand out amongst the crowd. The primary defender on the play was rookie DB Mil'von James. You can also see rookie LB Alex Hall with a pretty decent pass rush coming off the right side of the defense.
5. Play 3 (Anderson to Winslow): This was a thing of beauty; at least if you're dying for Browns football. QB Derek Anderson stepped back and zipped a pass down the right sideline to TE Kellen Winslow with two defenders chasing him. The defenders on the play were LB Leon Williams and S Sean Jones. Presumably, after the play, Winslow and Williams exchanged words with a little head shoving mixed in too (though that could have been later, depending on how the video was spliced).
   
QB Derek Anderson plays around with second-year WR Syndric Steptoe at practice. Anderson has looked well enough in camp to put aside any threat of Brady Quinn taking over the position.
Photo Credit: Official Site.
6. Play 4 (Winslow Reception): The QB was not identifiable on this play. After a few quick nifty jukes, TE Kellen Winslow caught a pass to his right with LB Kris Griffin covering him.
7. Players Absent: The following players missed practice due to bumps and bruises, according to the official site: TE Steve Heiden (knee), DE Corey Williams (shoulder), OG Seth McKinney (ankle), FB Lawrence Vickers (hamstring), WR Kevin Kasper (hamstring) and OL Marvin Philip (back).
8. Wright Way: After missing several consecutive practices, RB Jason Wright returned to practice, but only for individual drills. WR Donte Stallworth also continued working on individual drills.
9. Edwards is Too Good: You won't hear a negative thing about Braylon Edwards at any of these sessions it seems. The guy is a natural receiver -- other receivers in this league would kill to be able to make things look so easy.
10. Anderson Still Ahead: If this were a quarterback competition, which it's not, Derek Anderson would be far ahead of Brady Quinn. Anderson still has some things to work on, but he looks like the reigning starting quarterback of this team while Quinn continues to try and find his accuracy.
11. After Practice: When the session was over, Quinn was getting some extra work in with WR Steve Sanders. I'm sure many fans can't wait to see the local product (Sanders) in another preseason game at the very least.
12. Punt it Up: No complaints in camp yet about Dave Zastudil, who is booming his punts well. We don't want to see Paul Ernster again.
13. Unrelated: In unrelated camp news, the New England Patriots signed former Browns practice squad offensive lineman Pete McMahon today.

If you loved seeing the video at the top of this post, sfanscott also posted two more videos on Sunday: one from the Day 4 Evening Practice, and the other from a Day 2 Practice Session.

Here is your latest link collection (Note: the top link is to Pluto's Sunday article -- have to get my weekly mention of him in):

Terry's Talkin: Rogers & CB Situation (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Pluto)

Eric Wright bringing swagger, glow (Official Site, Jackson)

Winslow aims to grow, improve (Official Site, King)

Pontbriand going strong (Official Site, King)

The Browns hit the field twice again on Monday -- once for a morning session and once for an evening session. As always, don't forget to take my training camp pocket schedule with you when you go to Berea! I'm sure you'd hate to forget what time practice started, eh? You can keep the thing handy in your wallet 24/7.

I feel like the ESPN announcers who cover the World Series of Poker: "it's Day FIVE of poker immortality at the World Series of Poker...".

Braylon Edwards signs autographs for fans after practice.
Photo credit: Mark Duncan, AP

Instead, it's Day 1 of the Cleveland Browns training camp. Our first preseason game is right around the bend, and in a little over a month, we'll be on cloud nine as we prepare to get hyped for the home opener against the Dallas Cowb