On this Thanksgiving Day, the players of the Cleveland Browns are probably sitting with their families, enjoying a nice meal before this week's game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Thanksgiving is a day to give thanks, and although the Browns haven't played as well as we hoped this season, there are several things I'm thankful for...
 I'm thankful for Brian Russell for delivering the best hit on Chad Johnson possible. The hit was perfectly clean, despite what Braylon Edwards may think, and Johnson was busted open from it. Heck, even Johnson himself declared that the hit was clean. Russell has always been known for giving big hits on receivers, and his coverage has been part of the reason our pass defense has survived despite the injuries in our secondary. |
 I'm thankful for Kellen Winslow Jr being healthy this season. He's played hard every single time he's been on the field and has made an impact in every single game, despite the fact that we're not throwing him the football enough. Also, his stiffarm to Joey Porter last week was beautiful, and something we could cherish coming out of the loss. Winslow is among the lead leaders for tight ends, and deserves to go to the Pro Bowl. |
 I'm thankful for the Oakland Raiders having one of the worst teams in the National Football League. At a time when the Browns were in need of their first win of the season, it almost seemed as if we would be embarrassed by the Raiders on the road. However, our offense and defense stepped their games up for one of the biggest comeback in team history. Of course, it never hurts that Randy Moss dropped several passes because he has no desire to play for the Raiders. |
 I'm thankful for Daven Holly stepping his game up as our top cornerback after we had doubts on whether or not he would even make the team heading into the season. With Gary Baxter, Daylon McCutcheon, and Leigh Bodden injured for most of the season, Holly's coverage has been above average. Granted, he is not Pro Bowl caliber, but his development is a lot like Bodden's surprise effort last season. Holly would fit very well as a nickel back next year, and wouldn't come at a heavy price either. |
 I'm thankful for Kamerion Wimbley not being a bust. With so much disappointment in players like Gerard Warren, Courtney Brown, William Green, and Jeff Faine not living up to expectations, Wimbley is already among the league leaders in sacks for rookies. His outside move is usually good to reach the quarterback once a game, but he definitely needs to develop a better inside move next season so that he's not forced into being too one-dimensional. |
| I'm thankful for Joshua Cribbs making every kick return an exciting one. However, I'm not thankful for that period of time where he also made every punt return a painstaking one. |
 And last, but not least, I'm thankful for safety Sean Jones being the best player on our football team. Jones leads his position in interceptions and has caused a few other turnovers by breaking passes up. He has been a solid tackler for the most part and is often in position to prevent a big play from happening. Brodney Pool also deserves credit for what he's done, but Jones being the starter was the best decision that Romeo Crennel and Todd Grantham made this season. The only negative for Jones is that he could have actually had more interceptions, because he could've picked off passes on at least three other occasions. Sadly, if he would've made the play on two of those occasions, the Browns would be 5-5 right now. |
In the coming days, a closer look at this week's game against the Cincinnati Bengals!
