Did you gouge your eyes out after watching the Cleveland Browns' fourth preseason game last night against the Chicago Bears? I don't care about the final score of the game. I know the final preseason games are usually boring, but sometimes there is an incentive to watching them, such as when we saw Colt McCoy get some good playing time last year. This year, the fourth preseason game might have been worse than watching paint dry. This week's game review will be very brief because most of the players who played will never be seen again, and there weren't many memorable plays.
| CLEVELAND BROWNS (1-3) | GAME #4 |
CHICAGO BEARS (2-2) |
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VS. |  |
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| 14 | 24 |
PRESEASON GAME 4 - CLEVELAND BROWNS VS. CHICAGO BEARS (COMPLETE GAME REVIEW)
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Snap Out of it, Wallace: Thank god we don't have to watch Seneca Wallace play another minute of unenthused football. I understand that he his upset that he be a starting quarterback in this league, but his uninspiring play this preseason and camp has frustrated me. Wallace was supposed to have all of this "experience" in the West Coast Offense, but I'd say Colt McCoy has run circles around him
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Robiskie Starts...Plays Late? Don't get me wrong, I have no problem seeing Brian Robiskie play in the fourth preseason game. It's not as if he is a person who would make or break out offense if he got injured. Still, with only two other starters playing on offense (rookies Jason Pinkston and Owen Marecic), it was surprising to see Robiskie get the start. He looked good out there against the backups, finishing with 3 catches for 39 yards.
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Armond Seems to be the Favorite: It looks like Armond Smith still has the edge to make the final roster over Quinn Porter at running back. Smith saw 11 carries and had 3 catches versus Porter's 5 carries. Smith also had a rushing touchdown and seemed to be extra cautious at times to ensure he secured the football while running. Porter did have a 30-yard punt return to set up a Jarrett Brown interception.
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McGee Passes His Final Test: I didn't see any shanks for punter Richmond McGee for the second week in a row, and his hang time really hasn't seemed too bad. I've probably been a little rough on McGee this camp, but I think I'm at least marginally comfortable heading into the regular season with him. I wouldn't be crushed if we signed a veteran punter to replace him still.
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English Shows Up Again: I don't want to overrate preseason sacks, but linebacker Auston English notched two more sacks against the Bears, bringing his preseason total to four. When a guy gets to the quarterback that many times in the preseason, it has to be a sign that they have at least some potential as a pass rusher, right? Defensive tackle Scott Paxson also had two sacks as he tried to make a late push on to the final roster.
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Dockery Stays Confident: There were a couple of fouls called on cornerback James Dockery, but I remained impressed with his confidence in playing tight coverage. His pass deflection (deemed interference) reminded me of a Joe Haden play.
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Sheard's Down Day: I think the expectations for Jabaal Sheard against second-stringers was somewhat high, and while he was in position to make several plays, he didn't. Whether it be drawing a penalty, or letting a ball carrier slip away, I wish we could erase this game from Sheard's resume. Instead, I'm a little bit worried about teams going after Sheard, especially after he failed to contain the run in past weeks.
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Special Teams Tackles: Only three special teams tackles for the whole game? One tackle each went to LS Ryan Pontbriand, LB Steve Octavien, and FB Tyler Clutts.
- Brownies: It was good to see third-stringer Jarrett Brown get a long touchdown pass in, but we don't need him on the final roster...Rod Windsor made a late push to make the practice squad...Owen Marecic had three carries that pretty much went no where...Bears quarterback Caleb Hanie made a beautiful throw to the end zone that went right by two of our defenders...safety Ray Ventrone should not play defense during the regular season, even if everyone gets hurt.