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.

During the week, Cleveland Browns defensive end Corey Williams stated that New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs can indeed be stopped, providing a little bit of bulletin board material as Jacobs responded.

I asked John Woods of the New York Times' Fifth Down Blog what his take was on this matter:

Question: "Corey Williams was on the Green Bay Packers team that held Brandon Jacobs to 67 yards in the postseason last year. Williams was quoted this week as saying, "You have to come out and hit him [Jacobs] in the mouth early. That way he gets tentative later on. We need to do that Monday night." Jacobs then responded with non-direct, yet direct jabs back at Williams.

How do you expect the physical Jacobs to fare against a massive front including Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams? Which team, if any, will the "bulletin-board material" benefit more, considering the Browns need to do something to get the ball rolling, but the Giants are used to this sort of thing?"

Woods: "The thing is, the Giants seem to be on a roll, and not just on the field: I think their morale must be at a record high. The Plaxico Burress story (where the team suspended him for missing a Monday workout) seemed to have no effect in the locker room, and that's in New York where the media is thirsty for player-on-player crime. So when the Browns' Corey Williams says something like Brandon Jacobs is going to be tentative when confronted by a physical front four on defense, I think it's poor strategy on his part.

For one thing, Jacobs is a physical runner. For better or for worse, that's his game. What Williams said is probably the kind of pregame talk Jacobs, and his offensive line, wants to hear. 

For another thing, the Giants' rushing game seems fairly solid. Last week, it went up against a Seahawks' defense that had held Marshawn Lynch, Frank Gore and Steven Jackson all well under 100 yards apiece. Jacobs rushed for 136, with two scores. All three of the Giants tailbacks who played in that game averaged better than 5 yards a carry and had at least one gain of 20 yards or more. Now, I am not saying the Giants are unstoppable, but their success on the ground so far is probably not a fluke.

Finally, even if Williams is right, and Jacobs is a panty-waisted Nancy Boy who is going to be cowed by some solid knocks to the head, the Giants have like-minded runners to replace him, including Ahmad Bradshaw, who led the Giants in rushing in the playoffs last seson.

So, I think Williams's comments probably play into the Giants' hands a little, though sometimes I think pro athletes are so removed from real life that bulletin-board stuff just doesn't matter to them. No matter what happens, Jacobs will still drive home in his giant S.U.V. Anyway, it's probably more important, I think, for the Browns to score a few points than to get into Jacobs's head."

I'd like to thank John for taking the time to answer my question. Tomorrow morning, I will have a prediction blurb of this week's game on the Times' Fifth-Down Blog, so stay tuned for that.

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.

photo via Associated Press

This is not the game recap yet, but with how important it is, it may as well be:

List of Physical Scars Left by Giants:

• QB Derek Anderson: On the play he got sacked from behind by DE Osi Umenyiora, he suffered a concussion and a bruised right hand. Reportedly, Romeo Crennel is more concerned about the concussion than he is the hand. Right now, it looks like QB Brady Quinn will get the starting nod against the Detroit Lions, and if that's the case, I'd put my money on the Browns signing a fourth quarterback today.
  
• WR Joshua Cribbs: On the play where DB Mike Adams was called for fair catch interference, Cribbs suffered a left ankle injury. He was seen walking to the team bus with a walking boot, and is scheduled to undergo an MRI today or tomorrow. The roster odds for WR Syndric Steptoe are rising.
• TE Brad Cieslak: Chalk up another concussion (that's what I hate about national coverage in the preseason; they don't inform you of anything past the first units). I guess this explains why TE Darnell Dinkins saw so much action late in the game.
• LB Leon Williams: The extent of the injury is not known, but Williams injured his neck during the second half of the game and did not return.
  
• S Brodney Pool: This, perhaps, could be the scariest one. On the Giants' second drive, Pool suffered a concussion while tackling RB Brandon Jacobs. It was his third concussion since joining the Browns.
  

That's why the New York Giants are the defending Super Bowl Champions; one word defines them: physical.