Box Score
Place	1	2	3	4	Final
	3	14	7	3	27
	14	3	3	0	20

Last Sunday, the Browns built a two-game winning streak for the first time in four years. While it took a mid-season stretch of facing two winless teams in order to accomplish that, it has gotten the city of Cleveland excited and has gotten the team to believe in themselves. No longer is there a quarterback controversy, attitude-ridden receivers, or a head coach to worry about. The defense is still forcing gray hairs, but it's better to have flaws on one side of the ball rather than on both sides.

Due to a busy schedule during the week, I'll only be able to touch on a few points here in order to catch up and be ready for tomorrow's game against the Seattle Seahawks...

General Thoughts (Random Tidbits on the Game)

1. Player of the Game: Braylon Edwards. Ignoring two flaws closer to the end of the game, Edwards had his best day in the NFL in my opinion. His highlights included an amazing toe-drag deep down the left sideline, an unbelievable turnaround catch down near the red zone, and a pair of touchdown receptions when there wasn't a lot of open space. Derek Anderson put those balls exactly where they needed to be too, but the Edwards of last year may have only made half of those "Superstar-like" catches.
2. Goat of the Game: Offensive line. Leigh Bodden was a close second, but for the amount of penalties the offensive line had against the Rams, there is no way we should've come away with a victory. Thanks to a certain someone though, we were bailed out a few times...
3. Jumping for Jurevicius: Just like I felt Edwards had the best game of his career, I believe the same can be said for Joe Jurevicius. He came away with two clutch receptions on third down in situations that were about twenty yards away from the first down. Jurevicius is a third-down receiver, unlike the infamous Kevin Johnson, whose third-down receptions always left us a yard short.
4. First DL Sack: When Ethan Kelley bull-rushed the Rams' center and sacked Marc Bulger, it marked the first sack for the defensive line this season. It's a shame how a sack only shines more light on the line's weaknesses.
5. Veteran Approval: After seeing Willie McGinest bat down two of Bulger's passes in a row, it makes it more disappointing that Gary Baxter wasn't able to come back to help the secondary this year. The veteran players may not be there all game, but a couple of plays here and there and suddenly force a team to punt.
6. Harrison Roles On: After all of the weeks we've called for Jerome Harrison to receive some playing time, the Browns are 2-for-2 in victories since he's starting carrying the ball. Coincidence? Chudzinski's offense has been brilliant, and I think they see they've found another nifty toy to play with the rest of the season.
7. Lewis in Fine Form: Despite the fact that he wasn't as dominating as I'd hoped for at the end of the game, Lewis had several punishing carries in the second- and third-quarters. It's amazing that he's only cracked the 100+ yard mark once this season, but this is a pass-first team. It's working 100% for us, so I'm pretty sure Lewis doesn't mind much.
8. Dawson is GOOD: Or is it Foley that is good? Never mind that; Dawson has quietly been silencing his critics by hitting all of his field goals from just beyond the 40-yard mark. Still, it's a little surprising that the Browns haven't even really been in position to attempt a 50+ yard field goal this year.
9. Stopping the Run: For the first time this season, the Browns held the opposing team's top rusher to below 100 yards rushing. On top of that, we held the Rams to only 79 yards rushing, with a 3.3 yards-per-carry average. While a healthy Steven Jackson probably would've changed the overall number, it's an accomplishment nonetheless.
10. Cribbs' Tuning Up: I said it last year, and it didn't happen. I'll say it again this year though: are the Browns not using a Cribbs pass play so that they can break it out against the Pittsburgh Steelers? I was very pleased to see two trick plays against the Rams: a double fake reverse screen pass to Jason Wright, and then a nice wide receiver reverse to Joshua Cribbs.
11. Bodden's Pick: It seems like a down season coverage-wise overall for Bodden, but chalk up another big-time game-ending interception for Leigh Bodden. Perhaps this shows that if our guys up front could actually place pressure on a quarterback, the guys in the secondary could have more freedom.
12. Brownies: I was frightened when Lennie Friedman tried to run a kickoff back just before halftime. Kellen Winslow had a quiet, yet still effective two-catch game. Our defense didn't deliver turnover wise, but two fourth-down stuffs on Brian Leonard proved to be the difference.

Now that the review is over, it's time to turn all attention to this week's Seahawks vs. Browns contest.

Box Score
Place	1	2	3	4	Final
	3	7	14	7	31
	14	13	0	14	41

In general, the Browns finished their six-game opening stretch of the season better than expected with a 3-3 record and a blazing offense. As has been the case in all of the games this season though, our defense nearly let the game slip away. In the Browns' victories over the Bengals and the Ravens, I was thrilled because it's great to beat any division team considering what we've been through. After our 41-31 victory over the Dolphins though, I was more frustrated than joyous over our victory. Our offense played so well again, but one stretch of the game involving our defense almost negated everything they had done. And Cleo Lemon was at quarterback.

Before I get further into that though, it's time to start with this week's gameballs and gamegoats, brought to you by Dawgs By Nature...

Awarding Game Balls (You Know It's Not the Defense)

1. 
2. Derek Anderson: Another marvelous game by Derek Anderson can only make you smile. Anderson completed 72% of his passes, which was a season high. Many of his incompletions came on plays that were positive -- he would throw the ball away when everyone was covered. Anderson also seems to have a knack for knowing when to take off and run. With some young quarterbacks who lack mobility, I see them take off and either get stripped from behind or get stopped short of a first down. When Anderson takes off, he usually gets just past the marker, or into the end zone, as was the case this Sunday. Anderson's four-touchdown performance was crisp in every aspect of the game.
3. Braylon Edwards: Edwards had his lowest yardage total since Anderson became the starting quarterback, but that didn't stop him from having three of his five catches go for touchdowns -- a career high for Edwards. After a couple of drops by Edwards early in the game, the "veteran" receiver continued his tear this season, particularly on his final two catches. Edwards used his body to his advantage, once shielding his back to the defender in tight coverages, and the other time establishing position before grabbing the ball out of the air.

Goats of the Game (Nearly Cost Us the Game)

1. Sean Jones: Everyone knows that the defensive line's production is nearly impossible to fix this season. Jones has contributed to the second-biggest concern on the team this year: the safety position. For the past several weeks, Jones has been dominated by tight ends, mainly because he stumbles or loses sight of the football while it is in the air. Jones allowed Dolphins tight end David Martin to have his only production of the season with two relatively easy touchdowns.
2. Dave Zastudil: In his first game back, both of Zastudil's punts were horrible compared to what we're used to. Thankfully, he'll have had two weeks to recover from this and shake off any jitters or rust that he may have attained during his time off.

General Thoughts (Random Tidbits on the Game)

1. 
2. Where Have You Been?: Yes, call him my "man-crush" if you must. Jerome Harrison saw his first action of the season with the Browns due to Jamal Lewis' absence. Harrison ran the ball eight times for 57 yards and caught one pass for 15 yards. Despite the fact that Miami's run defense is still ranked near the bottom of the league, Jason Wright really didn't get established as well as we had hoped against them, and the Houston Texans really didn't break anything against them the week before. Harrison did a fantastic job of cutting quickly to a hole when he saw a defender coming from a certain direction. My only issue is that with the way he carried the football on a carry or two, I swear that it would've been so easy to poke it out from behind him.
3. So Close: Not that it means much, but the Browns came very close to not allowing over 100 yards rushing to the opposing team's running back for the first time this season. Brown had 102 yards rushing, but also had 9 catches for 69 yards. That guy is going to be a special back when the Dolphins get good enough to sit on a lead.
4. Substitution Continues: For the second week in a row, Crennel decided to substitute Ryan Tucker for Kevin Shaffer during portions of the second and third quarters. I'm all for team play, and I understand that Tucker is a veteran, but I still understand why Shaffer would be upset by this. The guy has played the right tackle position very well after accepting the fact that Joe Thomas would take left tackle away from him, and yet he's still having playing time taken away from him. It's a tough decision all around, because putting Tucker in does have its pros, such as reducing the risk of injury and keeping Shaffer fresh for the fourth quarter of a game.
5. Early Pressure: The Browns' defense was actually making me proud near the beginning of the game. Lemon was sacked on the first play of the game by Kamerion Wimbley, and an interception by Leigh Bodden led to a quick-strike touchdown to Edwards. But then, it happened...the defense fell apart.
6. Defensive Collapse: The defense did everything in their power to give up the 24-3 lead the Browns' offense had put together to start off the game. It started with 6:04 left in the second quarter, as Lemon led an 11-play drive for 80 yards in five minutes. That drive included an instance where we allowed Miami to get a first down after being stuck in 1st-and-30. The Browns only had time to get a field goal before the half came to an end. After the half, Miami got the ball first and put together a 14-play, 75-yard drive that lasted nearly seven minutes. The Browns' offense had about its only lackluster drive of the game after this, giving the ball right back to Miami. Lemon led the Dolphins' third consecutive touchdown drive, closing Miami's deficit to three points at 27-24. The Browns were outscored 21-3 during that span, and in reality, the Browns' offense only had one chance at an offensive possession. If we allow Cleo Lemon of all people to do this, imagine the problems this will pose for the remainder of the season.
7. 
8. Stop the Praise: I like Ian Eagle and Soloman Wilcots, but please, spare me the praise for Cleo Lemon. The guy played pretty bad for most of the game. How many times did his receivers have a step on our defenders, only for him to overthrow the receiver by about ten feet? That seemed to happen at least five times. In a case where Ted Ginn Jr. was running free later in the game across the field, Lemon's pass was way behind him, killing Miami's chances of catching up with our offensive surge.
9. No Hugs for Porter: He may have needed a hug after the Dolphins' sixth loss in a row, but Joey Porter wasn't going to get one from anybody. Winslow caught 5 passes for 90 yards, and at least twice got the better of Porter on passing routes by far. During the two-minute drill in the first half, Winslow initiated contact to Porter and sent him flying. After the game, Porter still tried to take cheap shots verbally at Winslow, but no one cares - even his own fans are sick and tired of him not doing a damn thing on the field. I honestly regret suggesting that the Browns should have made a run at signing him back in the offseason.
10. Unusual, Isn't It?: Maybe it's just me, but does anyone else find it unusual that whenever a Browns' drive stalls this year, we haven't been forced to decide if Phil Dawson should kick a 50-yard field goal? Most of Dawson's kicks are from around 40 yards in distance, including his game-long against the Dolphins.
11. Vickers Hand-Off Works: Slowly, the handoffs to Lawrence Vickers are beginning to work in our favor. I'd still question giving it to him if Lewis was in the backfield, but with two undersized backs this past Sunday, I couldn't disagree with it.
12. Trickery to Cribbs: Chalk it up: six games played, and six trick plays attempted with Joshua Cribbs (with none of them including a pass attempt). Against Miami, Cribbs was fed the ball as he was running in motion prior to the snap.
13. Motivation, Perhaps?: Overall, I think Eric Wright had another solid game for being a rookie, and he recorded his first interception of the season in the fourth quarter at the hands of Lemon. Wright wanted desperately to run his pick back, but hesitated and decided against it. I thought it was a wise decision at first, but on the replay, it seemed like nobody on Miami's team would have been on that side of the field besides offensive linemen and Lemon.
14. Brownies: You can count on Antwaan Peek being amongst the higher-ranked players in my power rankings this weekend. Despite his injuries, he's had the most memorable defensive plays in my opinion this season. At first, I yelled at Jerome Harrison for fumbling after Wright's interception, only to be stunned to see it was really Jason Wright. I would've hated it if Ted Ginn's first career touchdown came against the Browns. D'Qwell Jackson had nine tackles, and if it means much, continues to look better than Andra Davis. Where has Chaun Thompson gone?

For once, it's a relief to head into the bye without saying "with the way we're injured and struggling, the bye couldn't have come at a better time." Derek Anderson, Braylon Edwards, and Kellen Winslow have made the first stretch of the season an enjoyable one. Now, it's time for the defense to straighten up. We won't be able to do it with different personnel, so it'll have to come through improved schemes and greater experience.

Box Score
Place	1	2	3	4	Final
	0	0	3	14	17
	10	10	0	14	34

I can't say that I expected more, because my prediction for the game was only three points off for both teams. The encouraging (while discouraging at the same time) factors of the game made this loss harder to swallow though, because it was no where near the "garbage" we saw Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Browns went in to New England and gave the Patriots a "respectable" effort in the sense that the Browns were the team that shot themselves in the foot. It started right on the team's first offensive drive of the game, one that certainly could have changed the entire tempo of the game.

Another road loss brings out the goats that made the final score possible, followed by a couple of stars that shined...

Goats of the Game (Crawl to the Corner and Hide)

1. 
2. Derek Anderson: Believe me, the love fest for Mr. Anderson still exists here, and he kept the Browns competitive in the second half. However, as we found out against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2, if you're going to play in a shootout, you have to be flawless. Anderson made a Charlie Frye-like decision on the first offensive possession of the game, throwing an interception into triple coverage from the one-yard line. Anderson's aggressive throws will result in some great touchdowns, but it can also change the entire tempo of the game as it did in this case. Believe it or not, had we scored instead, a better decision could've kept us even with New England until the end of the game.
3. Leigh Bodden: With Anderson, I stressed how one play will change the complexion of the game. In the second half though, the Browns still had a slight chance to rally back due to some uncharacteristic misthrows from Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. On a crucial third-down play late in the game, Bodden came up and quickly hit Patriots receiver Wes Welker for what appeared to be a minimal gain, short of the first down. After a remarkable effort from Welker, he was able to stay off the ground and dive close to the first-down marker, making the decision easier for the Patriots to go for it on fourth-down. Credit Welker for the great effort, and credit Bodden for making the initial hit, but we desperately needed Bodden to finish what he started.

Awarding Game Balls (Showing Up in Defeat)

1. Jason Wright: I think it's quite ridiculous when after Wright broke a couple of nice plays against the Patriots, a few people actually started to say that he was doing a better job that Jamal Lewis had been doing. Lewis has been a significant upgrade over Reuben Droughns and has been a major contributor in both of our victories. Backup running backs are expected to fill in well if the blocking schemes and play calling are well, and that's what happened with Wright. My only knock on him at the moment is that he does not look fluent on screen plays.
2. Tim Carter: It wasn't a big day for Carter, but it was definitely his best game since coming to the Browns. He saw a few more throws come his way due to the injury to Joe Jurevicius, and he took advantage with 3 catches for 50 yards and 1 touchdown. His touchdown grab came on a 21-yard diving catch in the final quarter of play.

General Thoughts (Random Tidbits on the Game)

1. 
2. "5 Mississippi...6 Miss...": Any quarterback in the league was kill for the amount of protection that Brady had against the Browns' pathetic defensive rush. Good blocking teams are supposed to prevent teams from getting sacks or a big hit on their quarterback. Any good blocking team is still vulnerable to allowing some pressures to the quarterback though, because it's nearly impossible to keep the opposing team's defensive linemen and linebackers in check for four quarters. That wasn't true for the Browns. None of our guys even came close to Brady, who had at least five seconds to throw the ball on every pass of the game in which he chose to hang onto the ball that long.
3. What Do You Expect?: (Continuation from first bullet) It seems that Todd Grantham minimizes the blitzing in his playcalling to ensure that the young secondary isn't forced into man-to-man coverage on a regular basis. However, if you give a quarterback more than five seconds in the pocket without any pressure, the damage is actually worse for the secondary. That was the case on Donte Stallworth's touchdown at the end of the first quarter. Brady finally found Stallworth across the field after several seconds, and by then, the veteran receiver was able to find the lane that could defeat our secondary.
4. Worse Than Pool: The Browns were completely burned by Patriots tight end Ben Watson, as he rumbled for two touchdowns. A big one came after safety Brodney Pool was taken off the field due to injury in the fourth quarter. New England attacked backup safety Mike Adams for pretty much the clinching touchdown. Any chance we can bring Justin Hamilton back instead of signing a Louis Leonard? Maybe we won't have to worry about that much longer if Gary Baxter's health improves.
5. 
6. Cracking Winslow: After Sunday's loss, I saw a few complaints about Winslow's "performance" on gameday. There were three "mis-executed" plays in which Winslow were involved in: a pass earlier in the game where he couldn't hang onto the ball; a pass that missed Winslow's hands completely by about a foot later in the game, and Winslow's fumble near the end. In my opinion, the only one in which he can be blamed for is the fumble. Anderson's pass was high in the first case, and the Patriots' defender tipped the ball before Winslow could secure it. On the second case, Anderson's pass had an ugly spin on it, which seemed to confuse Winslow's sense of perception of where the ball was heading.
7. Fullback-esque: Did anyone get the annoying feeling when the Browns passed the ball in the flat to tight end Steve Heiden twice during the game? Heiden clearly is not a stop-and-go receiver, and both times his number was called, the plays reminded me of the painful throws we would see last year to fullback Terrelle Smith in the flat. Those plays should be thrown out of the playbook for Heiden, unless the play is second-and-short or something and he is merely an extra option for Anderson.
8. Missing Lewis: I made Anderson a "goat", mainly due to his costly interception on the first drive. Anderson may not have been forced into any tough decision if Jamal Lewis hadn't hurt his foot though. Does anyone doubt that the Browns would've run the ball twice in a row with him, and executed on at least one of the plays? While Wright was good, he lacks the power game that Lewis provides.
9. Welcome Back, Tucker: What was the point of putting Ryan Tucker in for a few series against the Patriots if Kevin Shaffer was fine? Shaffer has been doing a very good job at right tackle this year, and wasn't showing many signs of weakness this past Sunday. Crennel wanted to give Tucker some work, but that should only happen if the Browns are in full command of a game or if someone goes out with an injury. The move didn't pay off either, as Tucker was the reasoning for Anderson's arm being hit on his third interception of the first half.
10. One-Handed Stab: Everything has changed with Braylon Edwards this year. He's making normal catches. He's making elite catches. He's saying positive things to the media. Dare I say it, the third-year receiver has matured into a leader on the Browns. His highlight against the Patriots came on a great one-handed pull-in near the sidelines. With the Browns losing by more than one possession at the time though, I had no clue why Romeo Crennel was smiling big time after Bill Belichick's challenge failed to hold up.
11. Thanks, Scott: Everyone calls him Player, but where's the love for his first name, "Scott"? In what was probably his last game as a Cleveland Brown, Scott had another consistent outing punting the ball, although he didn't do a great job of preventing touchbacks in a few cases.
12. Moss in Check: For the third time in a row, the Browns kept receiver Randy Moss in check. In the end, that means absolutely nothing when Brady simply used Stallworth and Watson instead.
13. Defensive Positioning: I don't get it. Week after week, I see quarterbacks from around the league make some bad decisions at times where they try to find a receiver amidst three defenders. However, when a quarterback faces the Browns, it seems like we not only have only one defender near a receiver, but they are providing them with a significant cushion. Call it "bend but don't break", but it's beginning to annoy the hell out of me. I want to see some game-changing plays from our defense; if they can't do it by rushing the quarterback, they need to do it through interceptions.
14. Brownies: At least the Browns weren't tarnished by the media after Sunday's loss in which we failed to cover the 16-point spread. In fact, most of the media seemed to re-iterate the fact that the Browns are still a team to be reckoned with. That's the payoff for not rolling over in the second half. The Browns gave up a 100 yards to the opposing team's starting running back for the fifth straight week this season. Defensive linemen Robaire Smith continues to make big short-yardage plays by stuffing the opposing team's running back. Finally, what was with Junior Seau's odd stretch of the football after his second interception?

The Cleveland Indians have put smiles on the faces of many multi-sports fans in Cleveland, and the Browns have the chance to so the same thing this weekend against the Miami Dolphins. Miami is winless, and we need to show that we mean business against all of the "poor" teams. The New York Jets did that last year and sneaked into the postseason. If the Browns head into the bye week at 3-3, look at our schedule the second half of the season. I actually have reason to believe that we may have the easiest schedule in football. This team has the talent, and has shown signs of executing - consistency is now the key.

Box Score
Place	1	2	3	4	Final
	0	6	0	7	13
	14	10	3	0	27

It's a miracle everyone: the Browns have put together a football team. A week after suffering a heart-breaking defeat to the Oakland Raiders, the Browns stood up to the challenge against the feisty Ravens defense, failing to look the least bit intimidated. Jamal Lewis ran for 64 yards against his former team, but the statistic that matters is the fact that he had 23 carries. The Browns would not run the ball so many times if we weren't competitive early on. The Browns were more than competitive in the first half, because at one point, the Browns were leading 24-3 in the first half. A three possession lead is unheard of with this team. How did all of this come about, especially considering the Ravens had 418 total yards to the Browns' 303 total yards?

A win warrants the game balls first again, so let's get started with this, followed by a couple of nuisances that still remained...

Awarding Game Balls (Standout Contributions in Victory)

1. 
2. Kellen Winslow: Separated shoulder and all, Winslow again managed to perform like the best tight end in the NFL, recording 4 catches for 96 yards. He had two big catches in particular: a 25-yard reception on third down in the first quarter, and a career-long 46-yard reception towards the end of the third quarter to set up a field goal. On both instances, Winslow caught the ball on the right side of the field, made defenders miss, and took the Browns deep into the red zone.
3. Derek Anderson: Again at the mercy of fans if he falters, Anderson showed no fear against the Ravens defense. For the third week in a row, he got rid of the ball at the right time for four quarters, resulting in him not being sacked once. Clearly, getting Anderson off to an accurate start is critical for the Browns to be competitive early. What Anderson was able to do against the Raiders in the second half over a week ago, he was able to do in the first several drives against Baltimore. The most important throw came when he hit a wide-open Braylon Edwards in stride - a vast improvement over missing Joe Jurevicius several times against the Raiders.

Goats of the Game (Put Bags Over Their Heads)

1. Not Applicable: I don't feel this is a copout, simply because it's the first time in a review in which I haven't listed at least two goats of the week. The Browns still gave up a lot of yards defensively, but there wasn't one particular individual player that stood out. For me to pick one person as a "goat" would mean that I was trying to dig deep just to find the slightest thing that was wrong, which is not the purpose of this category. For those of you wondering who I considered the most, it was Tim Carter because he is almost non-existent.

General Thoughts (Random Tidbits on the Game)

1. 
2. Minimal Attempts: Anderson is known for having erratic throws that spontaneously occur, such as his lone interception to Ravens safety Ed Reed at the end of the first quarter. When the Browns had a large lead heading into the second half, Rob Chudzinski called it smart with his playcalling. Anderson wasn't forced to make any unnecessary throws, but was still able to deliver when he was called upon (the 46-yard pass to Winslow in the third quarter).
3. Shifts and Motions: Doesn't it get a little old when people say things like "if Jamal Lewis didn't have that 28-yard carry, his average would've been around 1.8"? If you look at a lot of running backs stats around the league, the reason their averages are so high during any particular game is due to the fact that they break out for one or two carries of 20-40 yards. The critical thing Lewis and the offensive line was able to do against Baltimore was get a push forward on the defensive line, rather than backwards. Lewis had many carries of two yards, and in the end, those 2nd-and-8 plays set Anderson up for a better passing situation.
4. Off Track: When I titled the above bullet "shifts and motions", I sort of got off track. I meant to touch on how much I adored the constant shifting and counters that the Browns were doing. Of course I'd react differently if they didn't work, but it seems that any time there were shifts and motions, the Browns had a good carry. That was especially evident on both of the carries by Jason Wright, who had 2 touches for 27 yards. I've been calling for Jerome Harrison for awhile, but bursts like that by Wright tend to sway my opinion.
5. Cribbs' Daily Play: The Browns have included a special play for Cribbs in each of the first four games now. The real question is this: when will he actually sit in the pocket, or roll out, and throw the ball down the field? I'd like to say it'd be against the Patriots, but I get the feeling that Bill Belichick would discipline his troops to watch out for such a play. Perhaps a wacky play the Browns could run would involve Cribbs throwing a screen pass to a running back.
6. 
7. Sudden Pressure: I know that it was very obvious that the Ravens were going to pass the ball in the final few minutes of the fourth quarter, but McNair had been passing the ball all game (53 attempts) without being pressured. So, why is it that in those final minutes of the game, McNair was getting hit nearly every play? The Browns failed to record a sack, but McNair took quite a few hits.
8. McGinest Noticed: He wasn't on the field every play, but it was freshening to see Willie McGinest back on the field. The Browns gave up too high of an average on the ground to Willie McGahee, but giving Antwaan Peek extra rest will help his status in the long run.
9. Cardinal Sin: I don't care what team it is: a defense in the National Football League should never allow a running back to be trapped on one sideline, only to turn around and run all the way to the other sideline, eventually turning a five-yard loss into a 28-yard gain. When I first saw McGahee trying to do what he did, I was ready to jump with joy because I figured someone would come through and stop him for an even greater loss - perhaps a loss of ten yards. Props to Eric Wright for coming all the way back to make the saving tackle.
10. Bend, But Don't Break: The Browns' defense looked more like it did last season, based on the unpopular "bend, but don't break" philosophy. Instead of allowing touchdowns, we allowed Matt Stover to have four field goal attempts, two of which he shockingly missed pretty badly. Plays like Daven Holly being right on top of his man before he gets a first down, and Brodney Pool diving all out to tip a pass intended for Todd Heap are the things this defense will need to do the rest of the year to overcome all of the flaws.
11. Defensive Changes: Although part of it was due to fatigue and injury, I was glad to see Ethan Kelley, Shaun Smith, and Leon Williams all get starts. Most of the defensive players on our team aren't good enough yet to make an impact by staying in there for four quarters, so establishing a rotation is proving to be the best route to go.
12. Quinn's First Touchdown: Quinn had the first NFL touchdown of his career on Sunday. Of course, I'm referring to Ravens' tight end Quinn Sypniewski, who had to come in and replace the injured Todd Heap and Daniel Wilcox. What, who did you think I was referring to?
13. 
14. Underrated Stat: Something that we should definitely be proud of: Ravens' backup running back Musa Smith had five carries for five yards. In previous weeks, we had given up 43 yards to Najeh Davenport and 50 yards to Justin Fargas. Holding the backup running back to a minimal average prevented Baltimore from building momentum when they spelled McGahee.
15. Brownies: All things aside, the Browns had two things go our way Sunday that stood out Sunday. First, Dawson's missed field goal resulted in new life for the drive after the Ravens jumped offside. Second, Lewis' leaping touchdown was way too dangerous considering the circumstances, and the ball never crossed the goal line. Thankfully, Brian Billick threw the flag too late, and it was an extra bonus to see him furious on the sidelines. Scott Player should find a job elsewhere as a starter if the Browns let him go in favor of Ryan Tucker. Eric Steinbach's stinger didn't last too long; he was fine following halftime. The Browns are now 2-1 in the division. Ignoring the bye weeks for the Jaguars and the Titans, the Browns are in a four-five-way tie for the fifth and sixth playoff spots in the AFC, depending on how you look at it. Officially, we would not be in right now since the Jaguars and Titans have played one less game than us, and only have one loss.

Things couldn't have gotten better against the Ravens, a positive sign heading into what should be the team's toughest test of the season against the New England Patriots.

Box Score
Team	1	2	3	4	Final
	0	10	7	7	24
	3	13	7	3	26

Week 1 was disgust. Week 2 was joy. Week 3 was agony. After the Browns were on the verge of staging a comeback for the second consecutive season in the second half against the Oakland Raiders, "karma" came back to help out Lane Kiffin. A week after the Denver Broncos were scrutinized for calling a timeout at the last possible second before the Raiders attempted their game winning field goal, Kiffin used the same strategy against the Browns. Although we never will know what the final outcome of the first kick would have been, the fact is that we saw it go through the uprights, and the kick after the timeout was blocked by the Raiders. The excuse that states "we only have ourselves to blame for even being in that position" does not apply. Dawson had never missed a game-winning field goal attempt, and we only needed a 40-yard field goal to win it. That sounds like we put ourselves in a good enough of a position to win the game, things just didn't go our way.

After another Browns loss, I'm obligated to start off with the goats of the game, followed by the game balls...

Goats of the Game (Put Bags Over Their Heads)

1. 
2. Eric Wright: It certainly took Romeo Crennel long enough to figure out that Wright may need some extra help. Many of us overestimated Wright's ability to jump right in and neglected to believe that he would have the same growing pains that many rookies have. Those pains are being exploited by all of our opponents, as Wright was victimized by a wide open Ronald Curry for a touchdown pass from Josh McCown. Wright's constantly being picked on, although it doesn't help that Brodney Pool isn't covering well on his side of the field either.
3. Nat Dorsey/Seth McKinney: The Raiders' Tommy Kelly is the person who blocked Dawson's game-winning attempt. He was able to split Nat Dorsey and Seth McKinney on our offensive line. When it's the final play of the game and two guys can't muster enough energy to ensure the Raiders don't get a significant push, they deserve to take the heat.

Awarding Game Balls (The Few That Stood Out)

1. 
2. Kellen Winslow: I don't know how many times the announcers were constantly mentioning that they were surprised that Kellen Winslow wasn't being used to exploit the matchup against safety Michael Huff. When the game was on the line, starting down at the 9-yard line, Winslow answered when his name was called on several tremendous catches. It really is a shame that one of those catches is the reason he bruised his shoulder, and in the end it only resulted in a denied victory.
3. Joshua Cribbs: Aren't you starting to get the sense that if Joshua Cribbs doesn't get a big return in a game, you'll start saying "what the hell is wrong with you!?!" This guy is truly amazing in his decision making on kickoff returns, as he returned a kick 99 yards against the Raiders to provide the team's first spark of the game just before halftime. Without that spark, it's very possible that the Browns would not have had a chance at winning the game in the end. Cribbs was also fairly successful on his third gadget play in as many weeks, lining up at quarterback and running it straight up the middle.

General Thoughts (Random Tidbits on the Game)

1. Progress Report: After Derek Anderson's five-touchdown performance in Week 2, how did Anderson compare in Week 3? Of course he wasn't as good, but overall, Anderson wasn't bad. We have to understand that very few quarterbacks are going to light it up on any given Sunday. When you look at the horrible games Drew Brees, Donovan McNabb, and Rex Grossman have had this year, it'd be extremely unfair to expect Anderson to be Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. Anderson missed a wide-open Joe Jurevicius a few times, but if we're going to give Anderson confidence as a city until Brady Quinn comes in, we have to look at the big picture. Anderson continued getting rid of the ball quickly, as he was sacked only once. He also worked the hurry-up offense very well in the second half, and did what he needed to do to win the game.
2. 
3. BALLGAME!: The Browns may have lost, but the Cleveland Indians clinched the American League Central Division for the first time since 2001 about three minutes before the game began. To the people that are fans of all Cleveland sports, that had to be an extreme emotional high heading into the Browns game, and was definitely a great therapeutic treatment after the crushing blocked field goal. Congrats to the Tribe, and be sure to head over to Let's Go Tribe for all of the remaining games and postseason action to come.
4. Check Mark for Edwards: I'd have to give Braylon Edwards a check mark for the second week in a row for a solid game. Edwards had two big catches - the post route on the touchdown that gave us the lead, and a leaping catch in the fourth quarter that set up Anderson's rollout touchdown. Edwards' only miscue came on a drop on a quick slant in which a defender appeared to have distorted his vision.
5. Lack of Carries: Last year, the offensive line was often the unit to blame for our running backs having no room to run. This year, I'd blame it on the defense as a hole. Lewis ran for a 3.7 average on 15 carries and caught 2 passes for 22 yards, but unlike last week, he wasn't able to get carries later in the game because we were behind. Our defense was methodically taken apart by the Raiders' running game, and when you're down by two possessions, the running game is pretty much neutralized.
6. Finally, a Catch: Tim Carter made his first reception of the season, shielding his body to the defender for a first down. I still don't have too much faith in Carter though after drops in the first couple of games, and the fact that he's listed on the injury report again. I know we wanted to get something for Reuben Droughns, but it'd probably be worth it to ditch Carter at some point and either sign a veteran or give that playing time to Travis Wilson.
7. Player Who Thrived: Who was the player who thrived? Player. Scott Player. He put fans at ease with his punts a whole heck of a lot more than Paul Ernster did, and his 'stach has created a buzz amongst the city of Cleveland. I'm all for letting Dave Zastudil sit and make a full recovery now, even if it means keeping him out several weeks.
8. "Cut Them All": In the past, I've often been against comments after games such as "fire them all, I don't care" or "he @$&#ing sucks, cut him!". Those statements are often an overreaction, but it's definitely starting to apply to our defensive line. Robaire Smith has had some "average" games, but we must literally have the worst defensive line in football. When called upon, they are never able to come close to collapsing a pocket. And, when the Raiders run the ball 13 times en route to a nine+ minute drive in the third quarter after we took a 17-16 lead, we didn't come close to stopping the run. The defensive line has been put off for years now in order to continuously fix other positions. This offseason, I don't care about our receivers, our secondary, or our running backs. The defensive line needs to be overhauled from top to bottom if we're going to become a legitimate football team.
9. 
10. Outside Men: Kamerion Wimbley is getting to the quarterback purely based on his nice moves, while Antwaan Peek has his moments where he'll give someone on our defense a chance to come up and intercept a tipped ball. Besides those occasional individual plays though, is Wimbley making a difference elsewhere? Is he defending the run or the pass well enough? Maybe if our inside linebackers were half-way decent, we could tell what his full potential is.
11. Mike Williams: I know that this isn't related to the Browns, but take a good look at how bad Mike Williams played against the Browns. THAT is called a first round bust. Williams dropped a pass in the end zone, failed to catch a rather simple over the shoulder pass near the sidelines later in the game, and was stripped of the football after a decent catch and run. Anyone who ever compares Braylon Edwards to a first round bust is now officially insane.
12. Clock Management: It ended up working out since we got the ball back, but I really did not understand why Romeo Crennel failed to call a timeout before the two-minute warning when he could have. Instead of possible heading into the two minute warning facing a third-down situation, the Raiders were only in second down. In the end, that probably accounts for at least six seconds of game clock wasted.
13. Forgotten Man: Over the first several games, there is one player on the roster that I feel has been under utilized: Steve Heiden. While I'm thrilled at the success Edwards, Jurevicius, and Winslow are having, Heiden should be the open man on certain plays in which Winslow or Edwards are double covered.
14. Hurry Up: Next week, it's time for the Browns to do something that the Colts, Patriots, or Bengals would do: run the hurry up offense at least once in the first half. It could throw the defense off, and because Anderson seems to thrive in that role, it could get him into rhythm a little faster.

It was not pleasant to be the victim of the Raiders ending their long losing streak dating back to last season. We weren't out of the game though, and the Browns still have a rather positive reputation steaming from our offensive explosion two weeks ago. Crennel has stressed defense this week, but I'll have to see results on the field before I believe anything changed. A division win over the Ravens this week would mean the Browns would hold sole possession of second place in the AFC North. If the Browns are able to rally behind the home crowd, anything can happen. Remember, we defeated the Bengals team that defeated the Ravens in Week 1. Jurevicius said it right when he stated that the Browns are better this year - we'll find out if that translates into contention after this Sunday.

Box Score
Place	1	2	3	4	Final
	7	14	17	7	45
	6	21	14	10	51

On the popular CBS reality game show Big Brother, a common phrase states to "expect the unexpected". Over the first two weeks of the NFL season, that phrase seems to coincide with the Cleveland Browns. One week after fans were stunned at the embarrassing product that was showcased on the field against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and after the team had traded starting quarterback Charlie Frye to the Seattle Seahawks, the Browns scored a miraculous 51 points. Although we only won by six points, which is a negative notation for our defense, the fact is that not only did the Browns put themselves in the positive side of the spotlight for once, we actually won a game versus a team in our division. One solid performance by the offense collectively has immediately subsided all of the discussion of bringing Brady Quinn in as soon as possible, and that includes myself. Granted, I'm not overly optimistic that Anderson will suddenly be a manageable quarterback for the rest of the season, but he definitely earned several more looks.

When the Browns win, I don't really feel like putting "goats of the game" down, but it's still necessary to provide. Let's start with the positives though, considering we're coming off of a victory...

Awarding Game Balls (The Ones That Stood Out)

1. 
2. Braylon Edwards: Now that look like a former third overall pick of the draft. Without question, this was the best game of Edwards' career, and hopefully a sign of things to come. The only drop  Edwards had that I can recall came early in the game, when he leaped in the air and was flipped over on the tackle. Besides that, everyone was done to perfection, highlighted by four catches especially. First, on Edwards' first touchdown, he did a nice job getting behind the coverage with hit route running. Second, Edwards made an incredible catch with a toe drag near the sidelines, something that you see Marvin Harrison do each and every week. Third, Edwards made a fantastic diving catch after the Bengals had a blown coverage, and then rolled into the end zone. Finally, with the game on the line, Edwards caught a quick hitter and took a hard hit, muscling his way for a first down. Granted, I don't believe he had the first down and it was nervous to see him lose the ball, but the refs made the right call in terms of saying his forward progress had ceased.
3. Derek Anderson: This could have easily gone to Jamal Lewis or the entire offensive line, but at least for this week, it's going to Anderson. We saw just how much of a difference it makes when a quarterback gets rid of the ball as soon as possible. The offensive line did a fantastic job blocking for Anderson, but without his quick throws and proper decision making, the units eventually would have responded in the same way they did during the first half of last week's Steelers' game. Many of Anderson's throws were bad still, but in the end, only one of them resulted in an interception in comparison to the five nice touchdown throws he had. Where Charlie Frye choked with the pressure on, Anderson thrived.

Goats of the Game (The Ones That Made it Hard)

1. 
2. Lawrence Vickers: Sure, I liked the spin move he had at one point of the game on a reception, and he did play a role in lead blocking for Jamal Lewis. However, Vickers was stopped short on fourth-and-short at a critical juncture of the game. A little bit later, Vickers dropped a wide open pass that many feel would have sealed the game. Just imagine: if Edwards had two mistakes during the game, we probably would've lost. We were fortunate that Vickers wasn't counted on for plays down the field, but he still dropped the ball big time.
3. Leigh Bodden: I commend him for a tremendous game-ending interception, but Chad Johnson finally got the best of Bodden in a major way. Johnson had two touchdowns and over 200 yards receiving, something that nobody has ever done to our beloved cornerback. Our defense as a whole deserves a portion of Bodden's negative spotlight here.

General Thoughts (Random Tidbits on the Game)

1. Palmer Worked Harder: Was it just me, or did it seem like Carson Palmer had to work harder than Derek Anderson did in the game? Any time Anderson was under center, the middle of the field was wide open. When Palmer was under center, our defense wasn't very good, but he still had to methodically pick apart our coverages. Basically, I'm saying that if it means anything, our "horrible" defense on gameday was leaps and bounds better than the Bengals "atrocious" defense on gameday.
2. Peek Performance Again: Linebacker Antwaan Peek started off big again, stripping Bengals running back Rudi Johnson of the football early on in the game. Peek never gave up on the play, and because of it, the Browns were able to have a short field en route to taking our first lead of the game at 13-7. He only had one tackle in the game, which seems surprising considering the impact he appears to make.
3. Bow Down to Cribbs: On the first play of the game, the Browns ran a play in which Cribbs came in motion and then ran backwards on the snap. However, the Browns simply handed the ball off to Jamal Lewis. Later in the quarter, the Browns ran the same exact play, except they gave the ball to Cribbs instead, who gained 11 yards and a first down. That's the second week in a row that he's been used at least once on offense in a role that suits him well. On kickoffs, he was simply amazing. It's a shame that his second one didn't count, because I don't think anybody could've stopped him whether there were holds or not.
4. 
5. Taking it Up A Notch: After hearing several times that Jamal Lewis should be healthier than his last two years in Baltimore, it only took two weeks of the regular season to see it. Lewis hit the left side of the line without being touched for awhile on several occasions, including his 66-yard burst past all of the defenders. Credit offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski for sticking with what worked, rather than trying to run the ball on the right side of the line to "throw the Bengals off". The only thing Lewis did wrong was when he bobbled the pitch play, which was a shame since it looked like it could've gone for a good amount of yardage.
6. Finding the Hometown Hero: It was critical for Anderson to make sure he had a third target besides Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards, and that man turned out to be Joe Jurevicius. Like Anderson stated after the game, Jurevicius is his security blanket - he's always where he's supposed to be. The way in which Jurevicius was used against the Bengals is the same way the Seattle Seahawks used him in their NFC Championship season a few years ago.
7. Staying Aggressive: Backed up in our own territory? No problem, Anderson guns a 27-yard strike over the middle to Steve Heiden. Sometimes, playing cautious is the right way to go, but Chudzinski understood the situation the Browns were in. Our defense couldn't stop Palmer, and playing it safe would likely result in a quick touchdown by the Bengals.
8. Don't Forget Phil: Amidst all of the scoring, one of the most underrated aspects of the game involved kicker Phil Dawson. Although his 18-yarder was a chip shot, he drilled two 39-yarders in the first quarter of the game to cut the 7-0 deficit to one point. I realize that it's his job to make those type of field goals, but after some of the struggles he's had dating back to last season, we couldn't have won this game without him.
9. Gutting it Out: Despite being in pain, Dave Zastudil hung in there after not punting since the first quarter. He was able to get a punt downed inside the ten yard line on the Bengals final drive, making it impossible for Palmer to bring the Bengals back one more time.
10. What Else to Say?: I'm really trying to think of something to say about our defense beyond what I mentioned with Cribbs, but there's really nothing noteworthy. Palmer picked us apart just like Roethlisberger picked us apart a week ago. Sitting here and trying to find one or two plays that an individual person made is not worth it if they were dominated on every other play of the game. Instead, I'll highlight the team's goal line stand and the defensive stop after Vickers failed to convert on fourth down as the bright spots.
11. Kickoff Coverage: I don't think I've ever seen our kickoff coverage be so good yet so bad in the same game. One second we're forcing the Bengals' returner to nearly lose the ball down near the ten yard line, and the next second we were almost giving up a touchdown. As much as Cribbs' returns excited us, Bengals fans had to be almost just as excited about the returns they were pulling off against us.
12. 
13. No Luck Romeo?: The annoyance of seeing Romeo Crennel lose another challenge continues. Crennel challenged a touchdown catch from T.J. Houshmandzadeh, a decision that I don't blame him for. A lot of people have blamed the referees for not overturning that call, but I believe they made the right decision. During live action, it was called a touchdown. On replay, there appeared to be a chance that he did not get both feet down at the time he had possession of the ball. Based on the camera angles though, I don't see how anyone could tell me that there was even 90% conclusive evidence that would define him as being out of bounds or catching the touchdown. Therefore, the call on the field stands.
14. Dawg Pound Leap: Chad Johnson didn't get to do it the first time, but he scored another touchdown in the final quarter on the opposite side of the field to hop in. It was a joy to see a fan pour beer on him, and several other fans flip him the middle finger. However, I still think it would've been a little funnier had the fans dragged him into the Dawg Pound, never allowing him to come out. For those of you that do not like Johnson's antics, I'm sure you enjoyed the fact that Edwards celebrated the old fashion way with his teammates after his pair of scores.
15. No Sacks: The Bengals have the worst defense in the NFL, but for the Browns now to allow any sacks against any professional team, that's a huge step in the right direction. In terms of the passing game next week against the Raiders, the Browns would be foolish to think they'll have the middle of the field open as often as they did this past Sunday. I'm sure we'll gameplan accordingly.
16. Brownies: I think it'd be beneficial to have Jerome Harrison active on gameday for screen plays. Tim Carter didn't even come close to being able to fight for a ball that Braylon Edwards would have had. It looked like the type of pass Dennis Northcutt was not able to catch throughout his career. Ideally, it'd be great to see Travis Wilson develop into a player that can make those catches. I'd like to say the same for Cribbs, but I think that he'd probably have too many of those plays bounce off his hands due to his overaggressive nature at times.

The season is a whole lot brighter now, but we haven't achieved anything yet. A sign of an improved team is when you can string multiple wins together, and that's the opportunity Crennel will have their Sunday when the Browns have their first road game against the 0-2 Raiders.

Box Score
Team	1	2	3	4	Final
	17	0	14	3	34
	0	0	7	0	7

If seeing the Cleveland Browns play in Week 1 wasn't hell, then I don't know what is. After another offseason of build-up, including several key additions adding through free agency and the draft, we were presented a 34-7 embarrassment for four quarters. I'm getting sick and tired of having to dispute the analysts from ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and all of the other national media outlets that rank the Browns as one of the cellar teams in the NFL prior to the season starting. While most of them still don't actually have a clue what they're talking about half of the time, a loss like this only adds to their belief that they were right. And, quite frankly, now there's not a damn thing fans can legitimately complain about until the Browns start winning football games again. I'm not talking about the future yet: we've still got 15 games left this season. Romeo Crennel needs to make a decision not only to save his job, but to save this team's chances of contending this season. Whether or not we're bound to make the playoffs isn't the point - if you don't play people that give you the best chance of winning as soon as possible, then you're literally throwing the season away. I think most of you should know what I'm driving at already, but I will touch more on that later.

For now, let's review the game, in somewhat of a different format than last year. The new features include the highlighting of two goats of the game and two players that I'm awarding game balls. Each category will feature one offensive and one defensive player. If a special teams player overshadows someone, they will be substitute one of those sides of the ball. Then, I'll cap things off with the general thoughts from the game.

Goats of the Game (Why We Lost the Game)

1. 
2. Charlie Frye: Frye will have his better days if he continues to play, but this was just pathetic. Sometimes, defenses do come up with some very nice schemes that force quarterbacks into mistakes. The Steelers did have some nice schemes, but Frye's gameplay was not reflective of simply being against a tough scheme. Frye was a deer in the headlights from the second he stepped onto the field. The offensive line gave him some pretty good protection, yet he would step up right into the offensive line and almost try to throw the ball while a defender was taking him down. His timing to his receivers was off in a major way. On his interception, he appeared clueless when the defensive back was clearly standing there the whole time. This could very well have been Frye's last opportunity to start a game in the NFL, and he blew it big time.
3. Brodney Pool: If you read my season preview and gameday preview, I was very concerned about Brodney Pool at the free safety position. Pool had some starting experience last year, but he worked more so in a "floating around/nickel back" type of scheme. Instead, Pool appeared to be the person responsible for letting Santonio Holmes get behind him down the middle of the field, and he also had poor positioning when rookie tight end Matt Spaeth caught his first career touchdown. While Leigh Bodden and Sean Jones held things together on their side, Pool failed to do the same on his side.

Awarding Game Balls (The Few That Stood Out)

1. 
2. Kellen Winslow: What a surprise: Kellen Winslow was once again our only bright spot on offense. Although I do recall him dropping one pass that he tried to stretch his hands out for, Winslow made some nice snags all over the field, including one that was out of bounds but he still gave maximum effort for. And, although some people are saying that he was telling Lawrence Vickers, "The ball was intended for me" on the touchdown pass, it looked to me like he was telling Vickers to get back on the sideline and not make a fool of himself when they were losing by such a big margin.
3. Antwaan Peek: He only recorded two tackles, but Peek was the best newcomer to the Browns in Week 1. He was involved on the only sack of Ben Roethlisberger along with veteran Chaun Thompson. Peek also seemed to pressure Big Ben throughout the game, and even had an instance in which he almost intercepted the a short pass that he got in the way of. Peek also recovered a fumble from Willie Parker that was forced by safety Sean Jones.

General Thoughts (Random Tidbits on the Game)

1. Quinn Should Start: Now that I have all of that jargon out of the way, let's get to the main point: Brady Quinn needs to start this week against the Cincinnati Bengals for the reasons I stated in my introduction. Frye blew it, and Derek Anderson should realistically be our backup quarterback. Last night, Peter King stated that he talked to Phil Savage who basically stated that the team did not want to do to Quinn what Chris Palmer did to Tim Couch back in 1999. To me, the situations aren't even close to comparable. We should technically have an average NFL football team at the very least, whereas the squad in 1999 was a team that was an expansion team. Alex Smith, Vince Young, and Matt Leinart all received significant playing time last year, and all three of those teams have fluent offenses heading into this year. Quinn gives us a better chance to win now than anyone else.
2. Holding Onto the Ball: Another thing that frustrates me is that the offensive line received way too much criticism from several sources. Everyone in the league knows that the Steelers blitz, except for maybe Frye and Crennel it seems. Like last year, as soon as Derek Anderson got into the game, he was only sacked once, which came on a play where he failed to hit a quick hitter on third down. I'm confident that if Quinn had been in the game, he would've gotten the ball off faster than Frye, and about the same as Anderson throughout the game. That would've heavily reduced the number of sacks the Steelers would've recorded, and he would have been knocked down as often as any other quarterback in the league would've been knocked down. This is football, after all.
3. 
4. Goodbye Mr. Ernster: We can only hope. Although the coaching staff should be held 100% responsible for not signing a punter sooner, it should be automatic for any NFL punter to catch a clean snap. Ernster's nerves may have been acceptable with other teams, but not one like the Browns in which field position is all that we can depend on anymore. Besides the first punt, Ernster didn't do anything special throughout the game, and I'm hoping that Dave Zastudil will be ready to go against the Bengals.
5. No Shot for Returns: Punting and returns were two of our biggest assets coming into the game, and we couldn't utilize either of them. For god knows what reason, Steelers kicker Jeff Reed started kicking the ball into the end zone for the first time in his career, preventing Joshua Cribbs from being able to provide a spark. Cribbs didn't have any luck returning the ball on punt returns either.
6. Stop the Drops: When I'm looking at team's like the Dallas Cowboys, they have guys like "Sam Hurd", a fourth receiver, catching 55-yard touchdown passes in the closing moments of a game. Meanwhile, we have guys like Tim Carter, and surprisingly Joe Jurevicius, dropping passes. The Steelers had just as many drops yesterday though and still killed us.
7. Gloomy Day for Rookies: In terms of our rookies that started the game, there wasn't anything special in Week 1. Joe Thomas was getting his mechanics down ok; he didn't dominate but he didn't create havoc for the blind side of the quarterback. Meanwhile, cornerback Eric Wright was picked on twice in the opening moments of the game, although that touchdown pass to Hines Ward would've been difficult for anyone to defend. I'm not too sure why Wright is covering Ward in his first game though - shouldn't that be Bodden's job?
8. Never Got Started: Before the season started, I knew that the Browns offense this year would have to be based on key runs by Jamal Lewis. Well, by the time the first quarter was over, we were already losing 17-0, virtually eliminating Lewis and the running game from our gameplan. That is the last thing the Browns can afford, because we can't just sit back in the pocket and trust our receivers to hang onto the ball for the next three quarters. Lewis' average was fairly low, but it was exactly where I expected it to be against a team like the Steelers.
9. Needing Gary Baxter: I know this may be a bit premature, but could Gary Baxter be groomed quickly for a starting free safety position if Pool continues to struggle? It's certainly a possibility I'd suppose, although this is purely me speculating here.
10. Defending Screens: My favorite part about the Browns defense is that we are completely shutting down any and every screen play that opposing teams try to run.
11. Pick Those Tips: How is it that we seemed to intercept every tipped ball in the preseason, but we couldn't even come close to intercepting the five or six dropped balls that the Steelers' receivers had? We turned what should've been an average day for Ben Roethlisberger into a career day, as he threw for four touchdowns. Now, all of the national analysts are saying that our secondary is horrible. Give me a break.
12. Fire Them Up: At least defensive coordinator Todd Grantham knows how to get fired up. When you look at Crennel, he's either staring at his coloring book, reaching for the red flag on the wrong plays, or not showing any emotion whatsoever. The only time he shows any emotion is during press conferences, but that's more so buffoon-like emotions.
13. Browns Offense: I have an idea for the Browns offense that can't go wrong. Crennel reaches into a bag that gives him three choices on any given down: run the ball left side with Jamal Lewis, throw the ball down the field to Kellen Winslow, or run a gadget play with Joshua Cribbs. The pass to Cribbs out of the backfield was effective.
14. Brownies: Congrats to fullback Lawrence Vickers for coming through on third-and-short and the touchdown pass. Kamerion Wimbley's pass rush was nice, and the linebackers all around did a swell job. Four penalties on one play is a joke, but hey, in the end only one of them is applied. To all of the announcers/analysts saying "Man, Brady Quinn's probably thinking, 'Don't put me in there, I don't want any part of that!'," give me a break. That's the biggest load of crap I've ever heard. I wish I could hear Bernie Kosar call the regular season games too.

Once again, it's important to reiterate that this was only one game, as painful as it was. Next up for the Browns is the Cincinnati Bengals, who just defeated the Baltimore Ravens. I think it is very important to note that the Bengals kick and punt coverage was extremely poor against the Ravens. B.J. Sams nearly broke two returns, and Ed Reed had a punt return that went for a touchdown. Ensuring that we play field position early on, even if our offense struggles, will play a major factor in how the final score turns out. Until then,...
 
(Credit Image to "Dan V", DBN Reader!)