Dawgs By Nature

Quinn Opts for Surgery; Browns Sign Gradkowski

2008-12-02T20:06:19Z

"Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn has elected to have surgery on his right index finger. The surgery will be performed tomorrow in Alabama by hand specialist, Dr. Thomas Hunt. Quinn is expected to make a full recovery in the next six to 10 weeks."

I suppose the best news about this is that the surgery will not be performed at the Cleveland Clinic. Clearly, Quinn knows what he's doing.

At the moment, the only quarterback on the Browns' 53-man roster is Ken Dorsey. You can claim that we have Joshua Cribbs too, but I'm sure there is a reason he wasn't drafted as a quarterback. Odds are, as a passer, he would have a horrible game unless he is only used in the "flash" package as a passer (i.e. only here and there).

According to James Walker of ESPN.com, the Browns brought in former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Bruce Gradkowski for a workout today in Berea. His career statistics are not great, but I remember him getting off to a hot start during the 2006 season, much like Kyle Orton did in his rookie year. After that, Gradkowski was shelved due to Jon Gruden's obsession with having five-six quarterbacks on his roster.

Gradkowski might be the type of player you keep for next season as an additional backup to Brady Quinn.

UPDATE (3:29 PM): The Akron Beacon Journal is reporting that we have indeed signed Gradkowski.

Poll

Do you agree with the Browns signing QB Bruce Gradkowski?

Savage gets ripped by Yahoo Sports

2008-12-02T16:07:05Z

Savage gets ripped by Yahoo Sports

Unless you are young, self-employed or incredibly blessed, you’ve probably had a boss like Browns general manager Phil Savage.

You know, a guy who cares only about his own hide, perpetually blames organizational underperformance on his employees and acts like everything he does is above reproach.

Oh, and in this case, a GM who goes on the radio the day before Thanksgiving to undercut the head coach he hired in 2005 and signed to a two-year extension last January.

In other words: A real horse’s ass.

Time for Rucker, Dorsey to Shine

2008-12-01T22:32:15Z

Doesn't it always seem like that when a once-potent team is out of contention, some of the critical position players suffer injuries (i.e. when it rains, it pours)? If you weren't interested in watching Derek Anderson quarterback the Browns the rest of the season, then I doubt you're suddenly going to turn on the tube with Ken Dorsey playing.

Heading into the season, we considered our quarterback situation a luxury. Ultimately, it turned out to be a disaster.

Like it or not, Dorsey is going to start the rest of the season, barring an injury. Anderson's MRI today revealed a tear in his left MCL that will not require surgery. However, it will take him 4-6 weeks to recover, meaning he will be placed on the injured reserve soon. We might sign a low-key free agent quarterback with some backup experience this week, but bringing a high-caliber name just wouldn't make any sense at this point.

Tight end Kellen Winslow had his MRI too, and reports indicate that he has a "high ankle sprain". Uh-oh. I do not want Winslow to become the next Leigh Bodden when it comes to ankle injuries. What does that mean? Shut him down -- at least for the next three weeks. If that is considered plenty of time to have recovered, it might be worthwhile to get him back on the field against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Nonetheless, Winslow is guaranteed to be out for this week's contest against the Titans. Steve Heiden will get the start, but with a short-game passer in Dorsey under center, I expect Martin Rucker to finally start seeing significant action (although history says that he'll still sit, as most of us have had fits with Crennel's and Chudzinski's decisions all year). He had his first catch of the season this past Sunday against the Colts in the fourth quarter.

Both players -- Rucker and Dorsey -- have waited a long time for an opportunity like this. Dorsey has not started an NFL game since November 27, 2005. His opponent that day? The Tennessee Titans. On the road.

Ironic, eh?

Our Defense, And How We Can Effectively Use Kamerion Wimbley

2008-11-30T05:51:55Z

Yes, you did read that correctly. No, I did not make a typo. I believe we can use Wimbley effectively and get him back to playing at a respectable level for a first round pick.

First, a few things about the 3-4 defense and what we aim to do with it. To rush the passer and probably more directly to stop the run, defenses talk of the offensive line in terms of "gaps". These are simply the spaces between offensive linemen. Gaps are lettered (starting with A) from the Center's left and right continuing outward.

In a "one gap" system, defenders are each assigned a gap, and they are responsible for runners running through that gap. If you are given the A gap to the Center's left, you need to "shoot" that "A gap" immediately after the snap of the ball, tackle any RB coming through it, or use that gap en route to the QB. Simple, right?

Now, where a defender is going is not the same as where a defender lines up. For various reasons (some which I will discuss later), defenders won't always line up directly in front of the gap to which they are assigned. The lateral area where a defensive lineman lines up is called a "technique". Techniques are numbered, starting with the "zero technique" where a DT lines up with his nose directly over a Center's nose.

Note that the numbers refer to where the nose/physical center of the defensive player would be. The mystified "three technique" DT would therefore be a DT who lines up with his nose on the outside shoulder of the OG. These Glenn Dorsey-types of guys typically are disruptive, penetrating types of players who shoot the A, B, or C gaps and can get to RBs before they hit the line of scrimmage, as well as sack the QB.

So how does our defense work? As opposed to traditional 4-3 systems, and some 3-4 systems (such as the one San Diego ran when it's defense was top notch), we do not assign our defensive linemen gaps to shoot. Our 3-4 relies upon defensive linemen to "two gap", or draw double teams. This is why we need absolutely huge guys like Shaun Rogers, and why all of our DL is well over 300 lbs. Two gapping typically involves rushing directly at an offensive lineman, engaging him/pushing him straight back, and then being able to tackle a runner coming to either side of him.

Rogers is usually at a 0 or 1 technique, right on the C, and our DEs are typically at the 4, "4.5"(right over the OT), or 5 technique. Here, if the RG and LG choose to help blocking the DL, the ILBs can flow to the ball carrier unblocked, and stop him for a short gain. If the OGs choose to leave the line alone and block the ILBs, EVERY gap on the OL should be filled by the line: we allow the offense to pick it's poison.

So, if the offense is passing the ball, and everyone does their job, any LB we choose to send should be free to get to the QB. That rarely ever happens. Not only can offenses go to 3- or 5-step drops to get the ball out quickly, but we often send the same LB who makes the same move every time. Usually, if we send more than 3 rushers, it looks like this:

The offense slides the protection one way, double teaming Rogers (because if you block him 1 on 1, you lose). How many times have you seen Kamerion Wimbley try to run to the QB, while the LT just pushes him out of the way? This "sliding" of protection typically works because it takes Rogers 2-3 seconds to get through the double-team, Wimbley gets neutralized, and our DEs can't beat an OT one on one. By the time anyone gets off their block, it takes a good 3+ seconds to get to the QB because offenses often keep at least 1 of the TE, FB, or RB in to pass block adding a second line of defense in pass pro. 4 seconds is too long to ask any secondary to cover.

Part of what I am proposing will never happen because Romeo, for whatever reason (lack of experience/talent in the secondary, lack of decent LBs, philosophical differences, lack of intelligence on defense, etc) refuses to put in a lot of complex things for our defense. He also doesn't like to one-gap a whole lot from what I can tell.

Regardless, I propose we take Wimbley and move him over to the LOLB position for a play or two every game. Then, we have our RDE line up at the 4 technique inside the LT, and Rogers shifts to the 1 technique on the C's left. The LDE lines up at the 4.5 technique as normal.

Another thing that is different here is walking the ROLB, ILB, and FS up closer to the line of scrimmage. Having this many guys so close to the line is called having "8 in the box", but more importantly for us here, we are "showing" blitz. Based on what a QB would be seeing right now, he would have to account for a blitz, particularly from the (defense's) right side, where we have the possibility of sending 6 players. The NT, RDE, ROLB, both ILBs, and the FS could all blitz on the right side of the formation.

Because we are threatening to blitz from the (defense's) right, the offense must again shift it's pass protection to that side (see the diagram above). The QB will also probably be thinking of a short route he can throw to in case we send all 6 blitzers and one or more of them is left unblocked. We don't send blitzers from that side at all:

Instead, the FS, ROLB, and ILBs all drop in to shorter zones. The SS and the CBs are all in deep zone, putting us in a Cover-3. After watching the Denver game, I can say with confidence we like playing cover 3/cover 1. On to the line: the RDE shoots the B-gap between the LT and LG. Rogers shoots the A gap between the C and RG. He gives the RG a choice: block me, or leave me 1 on 1 with the C, which will result in me sacking the QB. The LDE engages the RT, and tries to move him as far away from the RG as possible.

Wimbley, who is the LOLB here, is the last person blitzing. We all know Wimbley is anatomically imbalanced and can only run quickly while curving to his left. This play is perfect for him: with the RG trying to block Rogers, and the LDE occupying the RT, Wimbley can "stunt" inside of the RT--while running in a curve to his left, mind you--and get to the QB unblocked.

via farm4.static.flickr.com

Whichever back blocks should be shifted to block the blitz we were showing. The blitz never comes from that side, and if he can get a piece of Wimbley, he won't slow him down much. We showed blitz, gave the offense the impression we were doing one thing, and then did something else. I believe this play, combined with one where we actually DO blitz from the defensive right, would be effective. Not only would we probably get pressure, we could probably get it while only rushing 4, and dropping 7 in to coverage. It's not the "bend don't break" philosophy that is so frustrating about our defense, to me it is the lack of creativity.

Indianapolis Colts vs. Cleveland Browns - Official Game Thread

2008-11-30T17:53:20Z

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (7-4)	WEEK 13	CLEVELAND BROWNS (4-7)
	VS.

Date:	November 30, 2008	Location:	Cleveland, OH
Time:	1:00 p.m. ET	Stadium:	Cleveland Browns Stadium
TV:	CBS	Favorite:	Colts by 4½
Radio:	WMMS, 100.7 FM	Over/Under:	43½
SBN Coverage:	Stampede Blue	Announcers	Dick Enberg & Randy Cross

The Cleveland Browns' chances for the playoffs are gone, but their opportunity for vengeance remains. Last year, the Indianapolis Colts failed to give an effort in Week 17 against the Tennessee Titans, thereby eliminating the Browns from playoff contention. Whether that means something to you or not, it plays a factor in the emotion of today's game. Maybe not for the players, but for some fans, it does.

Derek Anderson will get the start for the Cleveland Browns after Brady Quinn's season-ending injury last week. The fans at the stadium could boo with every misthrow, but I hope they don't unless it truly is a horrible effort by Anderson. We still need to try to provide a home-field advantage -- it happened against the Giants, so why not against the Colts?

FINAL PREDICTION: Indianapolis Colts 27, Cleveland Browns 20.
Without Bob Sanders, almost anybody can score against the Colts' defense. However, the Colts' offense is back in sync, and with that, Peyton Manning is brilliant at chewing up clock time. By keeping our offense off the field enough, the Colts will come away with the victory.

This is the official gameday topic for the Cleveland Browns in Week 13 as they take on the Indianapolis Colts. All comments regarding the game should be posted in this topic. Enjoy the game, and GO BROWNS!!!

A Look Ahead to the Offseason

2008-11-28T21:29:56Z

Now that Brady Quinn is out for the season I decided to look at what the Browns offense needed to change this offseason. It started out a lot smaller but kind of took off on me. I will try and do a defense look in the next couple of days if everyone would like.

Here goes...

Quarterback

Quarterback; The Browns are very young at QB. Changes will be made at this position this offseason.

Derek Anderson (2008 Salary; 8 million) 25 Years Old; I think we all agree that Derek Anderson will be traded this offseason. If Matt Schuab and A.J Feely can get draft picks in return, Derek should be able to get the Browns at least a 3rd, maybe a low 2nd. We all should be pulling for the "Good D.A" to show up these last couple of games.

Brady Quinn (4.3 Million (Still getting bonus money)) 24 Years Old; The Browns have to let Brady Quinn take control of this team. His benching last week was one of the worst coaching moves I can remember. It served the future of the Cleveland Browns no help what so ever. If it makes anyone feel any better, I believe it was the final nail in Romeo's coffin. I fully expect Brady to be next years starter no questions asked.

Ken Dorsey (785 K) 27 Years Old; This is a steal. Ken Dorsey has been Brady's mentor since he has gotten here in Cleveland. A third QB is almost never called upon in a game. And if he is, your probably screwed anyways. I think it is a near lock that Dorsey will be back in Cleveland unless the new management drafts a young QB.

Free Agency help; Rex Grossman, Kyle Boller, or J.P Losman. These guys have some starting experience and would know from day one that they are back-ups. Would probably come on the cheap and would be a better insurance policy than say a Brad Johnson.

Draft help; Before anyone says why should we draft a young QB when we have a young QB ready to take over, this is what good teams do. Young QB's are always a wanted commodity in this league. Just because a team drafts and develops a young QB doesn't mean that team has to play him. We can call this the Matt Schuab effect. The Browns can look for a guy late with big upside. Curtis Painter, Dan LeFevour, and a wildcard Rhett Bomar. A kid that was the top HS QB but was kicked out of Oklahoma for accepting payments for a job he did not attend. He has all the tools and has put up good numbers at Sam Houston State. These guys would all be around in the 5-6 round range.

Prediction; The Browns will try and sign a veteran QB for low money and then draft a young QB and keep him as the "emergency QB". Ken Dorsey retires and starts his career as a QB coach.

Running Back

Running Backs; A position that needs to be looked at this offseason. You could even make an argument for a major overhaul.

Jamal Lewis; (6.5 Million) 29 YO I have already made my case for Jamal Lewis being benched. He has looked slow and uninterested and a major waste of money. If I were the GM I would cut Jamal Lewis this offseason. He doesn't even interest me as a goal line power back anymore. We all know what happens to a RB when they hit 30. And this one sucks now.

Jerome Harrison (449 K) 25 YO. I think the future is bright with this kid. He is explosive and is always making plays for this team when given the chance. He is still cheap and young. I think that he will have a much bigger role in the offense with a new coaching staff. A game changer.

Jason Wright (933 K) 26 YO. I would not be surprised to see Jason Wright in another uniform next year. He does nothing well and nothing poorly. A decent number three RB, nothing more. Is supposed to be the third down back on this team, yet has brought nothing to the table this year. 12 carries and 8 catches for the season.

Free Agency Help; There is not much help at this position this offseason. I like Fred Jackson from Buffalo but he is Restricted Free Agent so it remains to see how high the price would be. I assume that the Bills would place an offer to Jackson and I don’t think any team will be willing to give up a draft pick for Fred Jackson. Other than that Ricky Williams is listed as a FA, as is Maurice Morris. None of those guys seem like an upgrade over Jamal, so like I said not much help in the FA pool.

Draft Help; Here is where the Browns can get healthy. Look around the league this year and see how many rookie RB’s are making a difference. Steve Slaton, Ray Rice, Matt Forte, Felix Jones (before he got hurt), among others. By the way, out of those players, only Felix Jones was taken in the first round. The NFL has shown that productive runners can be found late in the draft. For as much as I love Chris "Beanie" Wells, I would pretty upset if the Browns take him in the top 10. The kid I love is LeSean McCoy from Pittsburgh. He doesn’t have the size of Wells (who does?) but has a huge upside. He is explosive and can catch the ball out of the backfield. Could possibly be there in the early second round. Others I like in the 2-3 round range; C.J Spiller, Clemson, has amazing open field moves and can also catch, although he is undersized. James Davis, Clemson, is the hammer back and has no problem running between the tackles yet has the speed to take it the distance. Other guys to keep an eye on, Keiland Williams and Charles Scott LSU, DeMarco Murray Oklahoma and Tyrell Sutton, Northwestern. I like Javon Ringer as much as everyone else, but Michigan State is running him ragged. I worry about his workload at such a young age. Could break down well before the magic 30 YO barrier.

Prediction; The Browns look to the draft for help at this position, but not in the first round. I think the draft is very strong at other positions and will push a very good RB down to the second round. The Browns will make a value pick that also makes a ton of sense in the second round. Could be the starter from day one like a Matt Forte if he is well rounded.

Full Back

Full Back; A position that is supposed to be a dying breed in the NFL, yet the Browns are stacked.

Lawrence Vickers (447 K) 25 YO. I love this kid. I think he is very under rated as a blocker and has decent hands. Should have gone to the Pro Bowl two years ago. Has been hurt some this year and the running game has not been as good as last year. He is also able to used as a hot read for the QB and can run over smaller defenders. Will be back.

Charles Ali (475 K) 24 YO. Was kind of a surprise addition to this roster at the start of the year and has proven to be a valuable addition to this team. Has filled in for Vickers when he has been hurt and is a very good blocker. Showed decent hands in the MNF win over the Bills catching a slant that made Braylon Edwards jealous. I expect the Browns to bring both back unless the new coaching staff decides to install a different offense.

Free Agency/Draft Help; The Browns will not be looking to add anything to FB.

Prediction; Vickers and Ali will both be back.

Wide Receiver

Wide Receiver; A position that the Browns thought would be a strength has been one of the most disappointing units in all of the NFL.

Braylon Edwards; (5.45 Mil) 25 YO. Where to start? The drops? The lack of concentration? He has been the most frustrating part of this team in my opinion. He has the tools to be the most dominant WR in the NFL. He can run, jump and RAC with the best of them. I think he does have rabbit ears though. The first sign of bad news or boos, he seems to try to make the amazing play often forgetting to catch the ball. That being said, I think that Braylon will have a big year next year. The QB position will be settled from day one, and he will have a clean slate. Maybe I am being naïve, but I think that BE will once again be a dangerous game changer in 2009.

Donte Stallworth; (5.15 Mil) 28 YO. A monumental waste of money. I am not being overly negative here either. In March of 2009, Stallworth is due a roster bonus of 4.875 Million dollars. In other words, last year Donte Stallworth signed a one year contract with the Browns with a t 4.875 Million dollar team option. I would be shocked if the Browns kept him at that price. He may re-do his deal to stay here in Cleveland, but I wouldn’t count on it. I am guess he is cut with a small cap penalty in the 200K range. Cutting Stallworth would free up close to 5 million dollars in cap room.

Joe Jurevicious; (FA) 33 YO. Joe will be a FA at the end of the season and has said he would love to come back for one final season. I think the Browns will bring him back at the vets minimum. Good guy to have around.

Josh Cribbs; (645 K) 25 YO. Has proven that he is a steal at that price and may want to re-do his deal this offseason. I think the Browns will keep him around. He did not have the breakout season I envisioned for him at the WR position. He has been hampered all year by the early high ankle sprain. He has not shown the same burst from last year. Still one of the best ST players in the world. Will be back.

Syndric Steptoe; (300 K) 23 YO. Was thrust into the starting lineup this year with the injuries suffered in the WR department, and he did nothing. Other than a long catch and run against the Jaguars, he did nothing. Don’t see him back.

Steve Sanders; (295 K) 25 YO. A practice squad player. He is cheap and young. Other than that I don’t have much.

Free Agency Help; Houshmandzadeh will be tagged and Colston will either be tagged with the highest tender possible or re-signed. Other than that the only two names I see that is of any interest would be Bobby Engram, yes the same Bobby Engram that is old and was hurt this year, and Lance Moore who is really playing well this year in New Orleans and would look nice next to BE.

Draft help; Michael Crabtree is not human. At 6-3 and 210 he is the same size as Braylon Edwards. I think he will go top 10 so the Browns may not have a chance to take him. Jeremy Maclin and Percy Harvin are both small, but very QUICK WR’s in the Steve Smith mold. Both are electric with the ball in their hands. Think of Ted Ginn with more experience catching the ball (Ginn was a CB in HS). Both would be risky picks but could pay off. Later on in the draft 2-5 rounds range are Brian Robiskie of tOSU, Pat White of WVU, a kid I love is Mike Jones at ASU pro style offense and has been very good, and Jaison Williams of Oregon is HUGE 6-5 240. Think Vincent Jackson.

Prediction; I think the Browns cut Stallworth and Sanders and look for a big-time replacement. Could it be a Chad Johnson, if he is cut? They won’t trade for him. There are always quality WRs on the market after teams make cuts, but the Browns do need to look forward and see if they can groom a young dynamic WR to play on the other side of BE. If not the first round, maybe they go after a FA, like a Lance Moore and take a flier on a Videl Hazelton from USC late in the draft. A kid with a ton of potential, who just couldn’t get on the field at USC. Look for a young WR and a veteran WR to be added to the roster next year.

Tight End

Tightends; Maybe the deepest position on the whole team.

Kellen Winslow; (5.6 Mil) 25 YO How is K2 still only 25 years old? I know there are some out there that say the Browns would be better without Kellen. I think those people are crazy. 100 catch TE’s that are walking mis-matches on defense are not just growing on trees. Is he a loudmouth at times? Yes. But he is also the most money player on the offense? Hell Yes. You build around players like K2 not ship them off. As long as he is not demanding a huge new contract, the Browns will be fine with him. If he is demanding a new deal, then the Browns can look at a deal. But they will not receive equal value for a player like Kellen.

Steve Heiden; (1.95 Mil) 32 YO How many teams in the NFL pay their top two TE’s a combined 7.5 million dollars? Heiden is a very good back-up TE. He does all the small things that this team asks of him and more. He doesn’t bitch and he always seems to get the first down. That said, he is older and has a hot-shot rookie on his heels. The saving grace may be that he and Rucker don’t play the same game.

Darnell Dinkins; (FA) 31 YO Simple a ST player and a blocker. Was kind of surprised he made the team this year and the same can be said for next year. Will be a FA at the end of the year.

Martin Rucker; (771 K) 23 YO I have never been so excited about a player taken in the third round before. If you watched this kid at Mizzou you know what I am talking about. He is a cheap version of Dustin Keller. Keller has more speed but I liked Ruckers hands better. He is a decent blocker but the passing game is where he makes his name. Once he gets going in this offense, you will be happy that you waited for him. I really think that he can make a huge impact on this offense next year.

Free Agency/Draft Help; None. The Browns will not be looking for TE

Offensive Tackle

Offensive Tackles; A Hall-of-Famer, a worthless back-up, one with a bad knee/hip/lower body, and one who forgets to block at times.

Joe Thomas; (8.8 Mil) 23 YO. Just a bad ass. I know he has not been a good as he was last year, but he has been missing his partner Eric Steinbach for a couple of games which doesn’t help. He will be back and at Honolulu next year.

Kevin Shaffer; (3.3 Mil) 28 YO. Has been unsteady to say the least. He is better run blocker than pass blocker. He seems to struggle with teams that employ two speed rushers, like he will see against Indy this weekend. He is affordable at 3.3 million, which may just end up saving his job.

Isaac Sowells; (451 K) 26 YO. This guy has been a waste of a roster space since he was drafted. I will crap myself if he is back with this team next year. Then again, I said the same thing last year.

Ryan Tucker (3.6 Mil) 33 YO. I love Tuck. He has been a rock for this franchise. He is a MONSTER at RG, but he has not been able to stay healthy. I think the Browns will have to cut Tucker this offseason, or bring him back at a much lower salary. I think Tucker would like to stay, he has said nothing but good things about the Browns franchise the past two years, and he may feel like he owes it to the franchise.

Free Agency Help; There are some nice names, Tra Thomas, Mark Tauscher, Jon Runyan and Marc Columbo for example. But those guys are all old and I am not sure that they are a step above Kevin Shaffer. I guy I would like to look at is George Foster. Was a starter in Denver then went into Shanahan’s dog house and was shipped to Detroit where he currently is and would be a nice cheap back-up that has starting experience. Something that Sowells doesn’t have.

Draft Help; The draft is very deep with young athletic tackles. Don’t be surprised to see three go in the top 8-10 picks. The Browns won’t be looking for one that early. But if one is around in say the third round, I think the Browns will jump at the chance. The guy I am looking at is Phil Loadholt from Oklahoma. He is gigantic. At 6-8 350 he would be maybe the biggest player in the NFL. I think he would be a great RT/RG and would be a man to run behind for the next 7 years. Also I like Eric VandenHeuval is a very good run blocker.

Prediction; The Browns bring back Tucker at a reduced salary, and cut Sowells. They then draft a young guy in the mid-rounds to groom to take over from Shaffer in a year or two. Tucker competes with Shaffer at RT and could see time at RG if he is healthy. They pass on everyone in Free Agency.

Offensive Guard

Offensive Guards; A bad-ass, an oft-inured journeyman, a mis-cast center and roster filler.

Eric Steinbech; (7.6 Mil) 28 YO. Outside of Joe Thomas this guy is the most important OL on the Browns. You could make an argument the Steinbach is more important because of the leadership and Thomas seems to lean on him for advice and blitz help. As long as he can stay healthy Steinbach has a long future ahead with the Browns.

Rex Hadnot; (3.95 Mil) 26 YO. I think Rex is a very good interior lineman. He can play Center or Guard. He has 65 career starts going into this weekend at the age of 26. That is real nice. I can see the Browns signing another guard this offseason and moving Hadnot to center or keeping him at guard. Either way, he needs to find a home at one of these spots and stay there because I think he has a real chance to grow and be a beast. Very strong.

Seth McKinney; (FA) 29 YO. I think that McKinney is nothing more than a back-up A nice back-up, but still a second string type of guy. He is a free agent this offseason. If he wants to come back for the same price I am sure the Browns would welcome it. Maybe he still fancies himself a starter. If he does, he won’t be back in Cleveland.

Scott Young (526 K) 27 YO/Lennie Friedman (773 K) 32 YO. I am putting these two guys together because I view them as the same player. Friedman was a nice blocker on ST, but other than that has done nothing of interest. Young hasn’t seen the field unless I am forgetting something. Both could be gone if younger, cheaper alternatives can be found.

Free Agency Help; The Browns will be looking for a back-up. The only name that looks remotely interesting is Richie Incognito and he will probably want to start. Look for the Browns to re-sign McKinney.

Draft Help; Once again, I doubt the Browns will be looking guard early, but should be looking mid-to-late rounds much like the tackles. Maybe steal a guy late and develop him to replace Hadnot when he moves to center in a year or so. Guys I like are Anthony Parker from Tennessee has been a bright spot for a bad team. I like Herman Johnson from LSU but he should be gone by the time the Browns will be looking at OG. Also Wisconsin has a nice duo at guard with Andy Kemp and Kraig Urbik. Both could be Browns late in the draft.

Prediction; The Browns will keep McKinney and draft a youngster to play ST and learn from Eric Steinbach. Unless a big name Guard is cut, I would look for the Browns to go into next year with Steinbach on the left and Tucker and Hadnot battling it out at RG.

Center

Center; A position that could use some change.

Hank Fraley; (1.6 Mil) 31 YO I think that Fraley is done as a good center. He is a captain so I know that the Browns front office an coaching staff see him as a leader. I am not so sure that the new coaching staff will think the same thing. He still has two years left on his four deal and is not that expensive. If the Browns don’t think they can find a better C on the market, they will keep him. The wildcard here is if the Browns believe like I do that Rex Hadnot is a better Center at this point in time than Fraley. They could then replace Fraley with a center or a guard. Possible, yes, but I believe Fraley will be back with the Browns for one more year.

Free Agency Help; None. Unless someone gets cut there isn’t a decent center on the market.

Draft Help; Centers are not usually known for going high in the draft, but Alex Mack from California could change that. He could go in the top 15-20 picks. I also like Antoine Caldwell. He is a little small but has a ton of experience and is a very smart player. Eric Wood from Louisville was All-BigEast last year and will repeat this year. Big strong kid that could drop to the 5-6th round.

Prediction; If the Browns find a young Guard and Tackle in the draft, I doubt the will also draft a Center. After all the young Guard could push Hadnot to Center. I am willing to bet the Browns add a young Guard and consider Hadnot the back-up center. Ryan Pontbriand is still listed a center, but is nothing more than the best long-snapper in the NFL.

Revenge in Store Against the Indianapolis Colts

2008-11-28T12:00:07Z

Oh, you thought something changed since 11 months ago? Think again.

On January 2, 2008, several days after the 2007-2008 regular season ended, I circled this Sunday's date on my calendar: a shot at the Indianapolis Colts.

It's no secret that I am a fan of the Indianapolis Colts, when you consider NFL teams that I like besides the Cleveland Browns. Most, if not all of that, has to do with how "cool" Peyton Manning operates at the quarterback position. In turn, he makes the rest of the Colts "cool" in my mind. Heading into Week 17 last season, all the Browns needed was for the Colts to defeat an offensively-challenged Tennessee Titans team, and we would've made the playoffs.

The Colts played Jim Sorgi most of the game. Tony Dungy conceded to a division rival. Think of it this way: even if the Browns had clinched a first-round bye for the playoffs, would you really want us to lay down against the Pittsburgh Steelers so they could make the playoffs? No way. That's what the Colts did.

"Hey! Don't blame me, I couldn't even quarterback the Lions!"

After my initial rant (link above), Brad Wells from over at Stampede Blue called for Cleveland fans to stop whining. From what I've read over the months, his feelings about the situation haven't changed. Neither have mine.

Spoiler alert: this Sunday, I am picking the Colts to defeat the Browns. For the first time in several years though, I don't want the Colts to win. I don't care if it sounds bitter, because there is justification behind it -- I want to see Tony Dungy look up at the scoreboard as the clock reads 0:00 and see the Browns with a "W". Last year, we were hoping that this game would mean something to the Colts -- like maybe it would hurt their chances at a division title. Well, there hopes for a division title are slim to none, but there's something even more important on the line: their playoff hopes.

A loss by the Colts will likely remove them from the fifth of sixth playoff seeds for a week or two. We already upset Eli Manning's New York Giants at home this season. Can we do the same to Peyton Manning's Indianapolis Colts? I hope so.

Poll

Do you still want revenge due to last season's Week 17 effort by the Indianapolis Colts?

Yes, I want revenge on the Colts!

63 votes

No, that was never a big deal to me.

34 votes

No, at the time I did, but now I don't really care about "revenge".

19 votes

116 votes | Poll has closed

Quinn's Last Start a Forgetful One in 16-6 Loss

2008-11-28T03:44:46Z

Box Score - 11.23.08
Team	1	2	3	4	Final
	7	6	3	0	16
	0	6	0	0	6

Maybe Brady Quinn shouldn't have played after all against the Houston Texans. After the game, it was revealed that due to playing and practicing with a fractured finger, his injury had worsened to the point where he will miss the remainder of the season.

Even with Quinn's injury, it wasn't a legitimate excuse for the egg the Browns laid against the Texans. For the first time this season, I didn't feel depressed after the game -- I just felt empty. That's a telling sign when you know the season is over.

Let's get started with the goats of the game for Week 12, and there was one player who was especially deserving of one...

Goats of the Game (Hang Your Head)

WR Braylon Edwards cannot hang on to a pass in the end zone from QB Derek Anderson. The catch would've made it a 16-13 game with enough time left to play.

Braylon Edwards: This was perhaps the worst of them all. He has been dropping passes in every game this season, but the problem was really dangled in front of our eyes Sunday when Rob Chudzinski called for every pass play to go his way. I believe the official statistic stated that he was targeted 17 or 18 times, with about 3 or 4 drops. It was worse than just those drops though -- a poor effort on Brady Quinn's second interception, and a possible momentum-changing jump ball touchdown dropped, just to name a few.
Jamal Lewis: With Quinn having an injury to his finger, I blame Chudzinski for not giving Lewis more touches. However, Lewis lost two fumbles against the Texans (Anderson was credited with the second one, officially). It has been a long time since Lewis has put the ball on the ground, but his turnovers certainly didn't swing the momentum our direction.

Awarding Game Balls (Solid in Defeat)

Shaun Rogers: Consistently neglected in the game ball section this year, it's time for Rogers to receive another one. He has been the most consistent player on the 53-man roster, with another high-impact game against the Texans. He blocked his second field goal of the season, and although he didn't record a tackle, his presence was felt regularly.
Brodney Pool: The defense didn't look "great", but they kept fighting. Pool intercepted Sage Rosenfels early in the third quarter to set the Browns up with great field position. It was negated two plays later though, when Quinn threw his first interception.

General Thoughts (Random Tidbits on the Game)

Thomas' Lowlights: In round two, Mario Williams had the edge on Joe Thomas. It wasn't the typical shutdown game for Thomas, who allowed Williams to knock down our quarterback several times.

If you were frustrated by the Browns' effort this season, here is some good news: you'll get to watch Derek Anderson for the rest of the season!

Quinn the Starter? We'll See: Exactly why was Brady Quinn named the team's starting quarterback or 2009 already? Don't get me wrong -- I have no problem with the "decision". However, after Romeo Crennel benched Quinn in an attempt to get a "spark" from someone else, how can he justifiably act like this was "all part of the plan"?
Poor Performance: There are some things I liked about Quinn's game, but it really kills me that he didn't get more opportunities to prove himself this season. In the end, Quinn didn't do enough to show that he can immediately take charge of the offense next season. Sure, the fans might be behind him, but the same may not be true for whoever our head coach is.
Anderson Slinging: Prior to the game, I said we shouldn't be surprised if we saw Derek Anderson (not on the sidelines, but in the game). His entrance came under unexpected circumstances, but he played nonetheless. I thought he actually did provide a spark with several nice throws to Braylon Edwards.
J. Wright is Bad Luck: If I'm Anderson, I never want to throw the ball to Jason Wright again. The last two times that Anderson has attempted a pass to Wright, it has been intercepted. Not that it is necessarily his fault, but I'm just tired of Wright being involved in the offense -- I wouldn't mind dumping him in the offseason.
Dawson's Shank: All kickers have them every now and then, as Phil Dawson shanked a chip shot field goal in the fourth quarter that would've drawn the Browns to within one possession.
Tackling Pays Off: We played back a little more. We were a little tentative in taking risks. The reason? We were focused on tackling. This was without question the best game this season our defense had from a tackling sense, as everybody, including Terry Cousin, made fundamentally sound tackles. Maybe next season, we can be like every other defense in the league and not look like we're learning how to play the game of football on the fly.
Secondary Affected: Our cornerbacks were affected the most by the tackling aspect, as Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter pretty much shredded Brandon McDonald and Eric Wright. Credit Sage Rosenfels on the first and only touchdown of the game though, as he threw a perfect pass to Walter in the corner of the end zone.

The Browns should have run the ball more with Jamal Lewis, if for nothing more than to take pressure off of Quinn.

Harrison Involved More: This may sound greedy, but even though Jerome Harrison had a season-high eight touches, I wanted more. Not just from Harrison, but from Jamal Lewis too. As I explained earlier in the goats section, it made little sense to throw it 32 times and run it 20 times when we were never even behind by more than ten points.
Welcome Back, Vickers: One player who had a quiet, but nice, game in return was fullback Lawrence Vickers. I thought he really opened up the holes well for the few times Lewis did carry the ball early in the game.
Winslow's Pass Interference: This has got to change too. We've already missed Joe Jurevicius' presence on third downs this season, so when we do execute them, it's a relief...that is, until you see a yellow flag down with the officials calling offensive pass interference on Kellen Winslow.
Really Got Under My Skin: This one really made me irate, so here goes a rant: in the fourth quarter, Joshua Cribbs received the ball and rolled out to the right. He suddenly pulled up ready to throw the ball, but quickly saw that nothing was there and tucked it for a short gain on the ground. Are you kidding me? We have been waiting for Cribbs to throw the football for about two years, but the play has never been called. Cribbs throwing the ball should be the "dagger" type of play when we are up by ten points, or the "shock" type of play in the second or third quarter when we are down by three. Why would you run the play late in the fourth quarter when we are down by two possessions? That is the best time Chudzinski could think of to call a Cribbs pass? Not against the Steelers? or Ravens? Sickening.
Wimbley's Pursuit: Although he was "let free" on the play, I'd credit Kamerion Wimbley's sack on Rosenfels as his best one of the season. The Browns need to do a lot more of what happened on that play -- spread Wimbley out further so that someone else occupies the left tackle.
Brownies: It was a frustrating game defensively if you were watching on television, but you couldn't tell based on the box score...we held Steve Slaton to 3.5 yards a run, intercepted Rosenfels twice, and held the Texans to just 16 points, their third-lowest total of the season.

The game was a dud, plain and simple. I tried to avoid talking too much about Romeo Crennel's decisions in this game, because it's obvious that what he did was just as bad as what Andy Reid did with Donovan McNabb against the Baltimore Ravens.

Against Indianapolis, we'll be facing one of the hottest teams in the AFC. We've only won one game at home this year, but it's not time to throw the towel in. We defeated Peyton Manning's brother, Eli Manning, and the New York Giants earlier this year, proving that wonders can happen on any given Sunday (unless you're the Detroit Lions). Also, I haven't forgotten about last season. And neither should you have. What needs to be in store this Sunday for the Browns?

Revenge.

Quinn Out For Season

2008-11-26T03:27:51Z

As reported by Jay Glazier at Fox Sports:

There will be no more quarterback controversy in Cleveland this season.

Browns quarterback Brady Quinn is done for the year after doctors revealed that the break to his right index finger has gotten worse since he's tried to play through the injury, sources told FOXSports.com.

Team sources said that Quinn and the team made the decision together earlier today. Sources say that not only has the break in his right index finger worsened, but it is also starting to injure the tendons as well.

Derek Anderson will return as starter. Quinn met with renowned doctor James Andrews and the Browns brought in specialists as well.

A team source said that all agreed that Quinn needed to shut it down before the tendons tore from the bone.

Sound Off - Who Do You Hate?

2008-11-23T22:16:24Z

Yes, "hate" is a strong word. This is in a football sense as it relates to the Cleveland Browns, though.

Basically, this is your area to sound off following a pathetic 16-6 loss to the Houston Texans, in an attempt to prevent 50 threads being made about "why Crennel should be fired", "why Savage should be fired", etc.

Feel free to vent here, though I think we can refrain from the already tiresome Phil Savage e-mail jokes. What drove you nuts against the Texans? Romeo Crennel standing there on the sidelines? Thinking that Savage's picks haven't panned out? The constant drops of supposed Pro Bowl receiver Braylon Edwards? The two fumbles by Jamal Lewis? The ever-so-ineffective Andra Davis? I could go on and on, and so can you...so sound off.

Houston Texans vs. Cleveland Browns - Official Game Thread

2008-11-23T17:21:43Z

HOUSTON TEXANS (3-7)	WEEK 12	CLEVELAND BROWNS (4-6)
	VS.

Date:	November 23, 2008	Location:	Cleveland, OH
Time:	1:00 p.m. ET	Stadium:	Cleveland Browns Stadium
TV:	CBS	Favorite:	Browns by 3
Radio:	WMMS, 100.7 FM	Over/Under:	50
SBN Coverage:	Battle Red Blog	Announcers	Kevin Harlan & Rich Gannon

When a fellow SB Nation writer actually picks the Cleveland Browns to win, you know you're in good shape. Over at Battle Red Blog, our Houston Texans affiliate, Tim has picked the Browns to come away victorious, 30-24. The over/under is high for this game -- at 50 -- because both teams have major issues in the secondary. Besides hoping for a Browns win this week though, there are several other games we'll want to keep our eyes on in terms of playoff potential. Our division hopes are gone, but hope still remains for a wildcard, believe it or not. Without further adieu, here is a "best-case scenario" for Cleveland today:

Philadelphia vs. Baltimore: The Ravens are coming off a big loss against the New York Giants. I projected them to be swept by the NFC East during the second half of the season, and I'll bank on that trend continuing today. The Eagles were embarrassed last week by finishing in a tie against the Bengals, but they still know how to get after the quarterback. Joe Flacco will be rattled at the right time to allow the Eagles' defense to capitalize.
New England vs. Miami: We need...the Patriots to win this game. Why? Chances are, one of these two teams are going to take one of the wildcard spots. If Miami wins, I think the Patriots have enough experience to win the rest of the season, causing both wildcard spots to come out of the AFC East. But, if the Patriots take care of business today, I think Miami will fade off a little -- enough for the Browns to at least have a shot at catching them.
Indianapolis vs. San Diego: This is a real important game. We've already picked up wins against wildcard hopefuls in Jacksonville and Buffalo. The Colts are in a whole different league compared to those teams, but if the Colts lose to San Diego and we defeat Houston, we would control our own destiny in terms of owning a tiebreaker over them. One thing to note is that the Chargers have been a very good home team the past couple of seasons. I'm picking the Colts to win, but it's clear we need to cheer for San Diego.

Now that we know what else we need to pay attention to around the league, let's see what the Browns need to do against the Texans, starting off this week's preview with the overall team statistics thus far...

OFFENSE

Category	Texans	Browns
Points Scored	23.6 (11th)	20.1 (25th)
Passing	255.8 (5th)	180.0 (27th)
Rushing	114.3 (15th)	107.0 (22nd)
Total Offense (yards)	370.1 (5th)	287.0 (27th)

DEFENSE

Category	Texans	Browns
Points Scored	28.7 (30th)	22.1 (15th)
Passing	210.8 (17th)	219.0 (19th)
Rushing	132.5 (24th)	149.3 (28th)
Total Defense (yards)	343.3 (22nd)	368.3 (26th)

	Quarterback Sage Rosenfels can provide that spark when his team is behind, but as a starting quarterback, he is way too mistake prone. Rosenfels last played against the Browns in relief back in 2005 -- a game in which he was 5-of-10 for 14 yards and 2 interceptions. I'll pass on him and take Brady Quinn in a second. Quinn won his first career game last week against the Bills on the road, but he suffered a fracture on the tip of his index finger. The odds are suddenly higher for Derek Anderson to play in this week's game, but that shouldn't be a negative in terms of our chances of winning.
	Running Back This game will be a great gauge of Lewis' progress since last year (or lack thereof). Last year, Lewis ran all over the Texans at home for 139 yards and a touchdown. With Jerome Harrison and Jason Wright banged up after Monday's game against the Bills, Lewis' workload might reach the 20-carry mark for the first time in several weeks. Houston fans have been very pleased with rookie running back Steve Slaton, who is currently averaging 5.1 yards per carry on the year. Veteran Ahman Green has also returned the past few weeks in limited action and ran the ball successfully. The Browns will need to bring the same type of closing defense they had against the Jaguars earlier this season to have any shot at stopping Houston's ground game.
	Receiver Technically, both receiving groups should have field days today. On the Texans' side, Andre Johnson's production has dropped tremendously since Rosenfels took over for Matt Schaub. Johnson has only topped 66 yards in his past three games, with only one touchdown during that stretch. Last year, the Browns -- Brandon McDonald in particular -- held Johnson to 3 catches for 37 yards. The Texans aren't all about Johnson though, as receiver Kevin Walter and tight end Owen Daniels present much more of a threat than anybody the Bills had on their roster last week. Braylon Edwards, despite dropping a few passes last week, showed some solid chemistry with Brady Quinn and will be looking for redemption again this week. Kellen Winslow will play with a sprained shoulder.
	Offensive Line Whether it was Brady Quinn's fault, the running backs' fault, or Hank Fraley's fault, something needs to change this week to ensure that Quinn doesn't see free blitzers right up the middle several times. He cannot risk another "hit" on his finger. What was impressive last week was the offensive line's ability to clear out for Jerome Harrison's touchdown run. The Texans' offensive line has come a long way since the horrific days of David Carr being the most-sacked quarterback in the league. Still, the Browns have the favorable advantage of having Shaun Rogers creating pressure in the face of an erratic quarterback.
	Defensive Line It'll be another great matchup in Part II of Joe Thomas vs. Mario Williams. Williams is a better player this year than he was last year, but the part that will make him more dangerous is when the Texans line him up at other positions. The Texans will also see the return of second-year defensive lineman Amobi Okoye. Although he hasn't put up productive statistics, he helps the Texans' interior defense up front. The Browns will be without Shaun Smith this week, again limiting our depth. Maybe we'll get a further look at rookie Ahtyba Rubin, who had a decent game last week against Buffalo.
	Linebacker We'll say hello again to former Browns linebacker Kevin Bentley today. I don't really know if I'd take him over any of the guys we have now, but I don't imagine him having any special impact on the outcome of today's game. That might be a different story of linebacker DeMeco Ryans, who has started playing up to par again after being hampered by an ankle injury earlier this season. Chaun Thompson, mostly a special teams player, also plays for the Texans. The past several weeks, I've been a little more impressed by the effort that veteran Willie McGinest has been giving (though he is still having a difficult time, like the rest of our defense, at "finishing" a play). One interesting thing about today's game: Beau Bell is ACTIVE. Does that mean anything? We shall see...
	Secondary Texans fans have not been pleased with the performance of their secondary. For the Browns, Eric Wright has done a tremendous job most of the season -- he's not making as many "plays" over the past several weeks, but he has been keeping his man's receptions to a minimum.
	Special Teams Andre Davis hasn't presented many problems for opposing teams on kick returns this year. With that said, the Browns will need to watch out for Texans punt returner Jacoby Jones. He has two punt returns for touchdowns this season. Texans kicker Kris Brown is also 14-of-14 on field goals this year, including 5-of-5 on kicks between 40-49 yards. Phil Dawson has been as automatic as you can get as of late, especially on deep kicks from beyond 50 yards. Both teams have high explosiveness on special teams -- it'll be an interesting to see how much of an impact that has on today's game

FINAL PREDICTION: Cleveland Browns 34, Houston Texans 21.
We had the Ravens in position for this type of win at home. We had the Broncos in position for his type of win at home. This week, we'll have the Texans in position for this type of win, and hold on. Houston has been a horrible road team -- they haven't won on the road in over a year now.

This is the official gameday topic for the Cleveland Browns in Week 12 as they take on the Houston Texans. All comments regarding the game should be posted in this topic. Enjoy the game, and GO BROWNS!!!

Why I Love Our Offense Sometimes

2008-11-21T06:45:38Z

Sometimes Chudzinski is a genius. He knows how to use TEs and Fullbacks, and since we don't have a whole lot of WRs that are productive right now, we need to do more things like this.

We break the huddle with Charles Ali, Jamal Lewis, Kellen Winslow, Braylon Edwards, and Donte Stallworth at the skill positions. This means 2rb, 1te, 2wr, typical I-formation personnel, and a set of players that hints (but doesn't scream) that we are running the ball. Since defensive personnel is based on who we send in to the huddle, they bring in their base D, more geared to 1st down run stopping than 3rd down blitzing.

Instead of lining up in the I-formation, we appear to line up 3-wide:

Ali is in the slot to the high part of the screen, with Winslow in-line. I am guessing that when you play us, your defense knows where Kellen Winslow is on every down, and they know that he is more of a pass-catching threat than a threat to blow up DEs while run blocking. That means we are flashing potentially 4 pass catchers here, which is supposed to make the D nervous about the pass.

I was expecting Ali (who is really not known for catching balls) to motion in to the backfield and for us to run the ball, or play-action-fake off of the run. The threat of a 4-wide/3-wide+Winslow passing formation here is designed to have the defense thinking "they are trying to trick me, here, but I know what they are doing and I am 100% comfortable".

What I expected:

via farm4.static.flickr.com

Instead, Jamal Lewis motioned out of the backfield:

via farm4.static.flickr.com

Now, with absolutely no threat of a typical run, I had no idea what was going on. A defensive player had to be thinking about the possibilities of what we (the Browns) might be trying to do. Reverse? Screen? QB sneak? Furthermore, the defense tipped its hand as to what type of coverage they were playing. Whitner came down from his SS spot to man up on Winslow. Right after the snap it is easy to read one LB blitzing up the middle, one LB man-to-man on Lewis, and the last one playing man on Ali. This leaves the CBs man-to-man on our WRs with the FS (not pictured) in a deep zone: Man Cover-1 coverage.

via farm4.static.flickr.com

Because Winslow is dangerous enough that he can't be left 1-on-1 with a LB, and because both of our FBs can actually catch the ball--in other words because of our versatility--the defense had to not only tip their hand to Quinn before the snap, but also play a fairly easy coverage. Although Winslow isn't a dominant blocker, because he is at least decent, opposing teams can't bring in their Nickel packages when he is on the field in these types of situations and the types of players we have in he, Heiden, Vickers, even Harrison tip the scales in our favor on offense. Here, it resulted in a 12 yard gain to Ali on a slant.

via farm4.static.flickr.com

I don't buy the idea that we can't find ways to use our players. Get the people who can make positive plays on the field.

Brady Quinn Has Fracture on Finger

2008-11-20T17:09:07Z

Cleveland Browns QB Brady Quinn suffered a small fracture on the tip of his index finger, according to the Akron Beacon Journal and various other sources. The injury occurred during Monday's game against the Buffalo Bills, when Quinn's finger came into contact with the helmet of a Bills defender.

"The soreness will be the thing he has to deal with," Crennel said. "After this week probably the soreness will die down. We'll monitor him on a regular basis to make sure the soreness is not getting worse. He's going to play and he's going to practice."

So, the good news is that he will start this week against the Houston Texans. The bad news? If he takes a shot on his hand in the wrong spot again, we could see Derek Anderson come in the game in relief.

"If he gets hit again there's a possibility of more damage. We'll have to monitor it to see," Crennel said. "If it gets worse he may have to wear the splint all the time or we might have to sit him."

What's wrong? You knew there would never be an "end" to the quarterback dramas in Cleveland.

Poll

Does Quinn's injury concern you?

Yes, it concerns me

67 votes

No, it doesn't sound like too big of an issue

96 votes

163 votes | Poll has closed

Not a Blizzard, But Still a Win: Browns Beat Bills, 29-27

2008-11-20T15:09:14Z

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.

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.
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)

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.

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)

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.

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

"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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

Hit Me: Questions About The Houston Texans?

2008-11-20T02:22:09Z

Howdy, Dawgs By Nature. It's Tim, one of your friendly neighborhood bloggers from SB Nation's site for all things Houston Texan, Battle Red Blog. As my squad is headed up to Cleveland this weekend, I figured I'd stop by to see if I could answer any questions for you.

A season that was supposed to be about gaining respectability for the NFL's newest franchise has gone completely off the tracks, so please pardon any bitterness and despair that bleed through my answers. I'm hanging on by a very thin thread. In an effort to streamline the process, here are some preemptive strikes to a few questions you might pose:

1. No, I do not expect the Texans to beat the Browns. The next time the Texans win a game on the road will be the first time since 11/04/07. That is not a joke.

2. Matt Schaub will not be playing, which means that you're assured of a game-ending interception by Sage Rosenfels in the unlikely event the Texans keep it close.

3. Brady Quinn, Braylon Edwards, and whoever else you trot out in the passing game are going to have big days. The Houston secondary gives the word "porous" a bad name.

So hit me, fans of the Pound. I'm here to field your queries in between sobbing fits.

If Only They Had Listened Sooner...

2008-11-18T06:05:48Z

Jerome Harrison <3

For those who asked in the gameday thread, they were able to resuscitate me following the run. Isn't it fitting that my hero, Jerome Harrison, has finally broken my curse of predicting Browns football games?

It's not fair to give all the credit to Harrison though. Someone else deserves some love too:

Phil Dawson <3

From 56 yards in a swirling wind? Room to spare. Down the middle. Ball game.