tonytalkssports My Take on Sports, particularly the Yankees, Maple Leafs and Browns

Browns Pull Out 17-16 Win

For almost 4 quarters, the Cleveland Browns offense was flat out terrible. Colt McCoy may have been having his worst game of his young professional career. With just over 3 minutes left in the game and his team down by 6, McCoy had to go 80 yards to give his team a victory. The way he had played up to that point, it semmed hardly possible. But given the opportunity with the game on the line, the kid quarterback came through.

14 passes and the Browns went 80 yards capped off by a 14 yard touchdown pass to Mohammad Massaquoi as McCoy had put his team in the lead with 43 seconds left to play. The drive should give Browns fans some hope, not only because the Browns came back to win the game but because of who were the vital contributors. Greg Little, Montario Hardesty, Massaquoi and McCoy: all youngsters who stepped up when the game was on the line.

While the offense came through at the end, it was the defense that saved the Browns all day. Without a doubt, this year's edition of the Browns D-line is the best one they have had since they came back in 1999. Rookies Jabaal Sheard and Phil Taylor continue to improve each week. It seemed like Sheard was in the Dolphin backfield all day and Taylor was a force up the middle. Jayme Mitchell and Ahytba Rubin teamed up with the 2 rookies to pressure Chad Henne all day long. Joe Haden took Brandon Marshall out of the game and TJ Ward dished out some tough hits.

But while the offense came through with a great final drive to give the Browns the lead, it was the defense that once again had to make a stand. After two penalties against the Browns after the Massaquoi touchdown, the Dolphins got the ball on the Cleveland 47 yard line. It seemed like once again Browns fans were going to suffer another heartbreaking defeat. But the defense stood tall again forcing 3 straight incomplete passes and ending the Dolphin chances on 4th down with a Mike Adams interception.

The win was big as the Browns improved to 2-1 and are tied with the Ravens and Steelers. Tennessee is up next and this will not be an easy game. The Titans usually play tough defense and Matt Hasselback has been playing well. Kenny Britt could be out which would be a positive for the Brownies. But one thing is clear, the offense needs to come to play in the 1st quarter. They have not played well in the opening frame in any of the 3 games this year. Hopefully, Peyton Hillis is back and Evan Moore and Josh Cribbs can play at 100%. Going 3-1 into the bye week would certainly be a confidence builder for this young team. If they can build on this win, the Brownies will give their fans reason to believe in a place called Believeland!!

Browns Need To Win Today

The Cleveland Browns take on the Miami Dolphins today at Cleveland Browns Stadium where the Browns have had limited success. This is another winnable game for Cleveland however it won't be easy. The Dolphins are 0-2 having lost to the Patriots and Texans at home. Both those teams are AFC playoff contenders. I'm sure the Dolphins are thinking this is a game that they can get their first win.

The Browns offense needs to make good on scoring opportunities. In the season opener, they had a chance to go up 21-13 but had to settle for a field goal. Going up by eight could have changed the complexion of the game and given them an opening day win, something that has been a rare occurence.

Defensively, the Browns face Chad Henne who likes to take off when under pressure and has the ability to move the ball if given time. The Brown D-line needs to pressure Henne but they also need to have someone mindful of Henne's scrambling tendencies. If the Browns can control Henne they can be successful.

I'm still not sold on this team. The victory over the Colts was a good one but beating a Kerry Collins-led team is hardly inspiring. The Browns need to put on an impressive show particularly in front of the hometown crowd. The offense needs to be more creative. The defense needs to continue to improve. And the Brownies need to give their fans hope to believe in Believeland.

Browns Play Is Better In 27-19 Win

The Cleveland Browns came into Indianapolis stinging from a disappointing loss in their home opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. Well, the Browns played much better and earned a 27-19 win over the Colts taking some of the sting out of that opening day loss.

Colt McCoy played very well, looking very mobile and improvising when necessary as evidenced by the touchdown pass to Evan Moore which gave the Browns a 7-6 lead. McCoy was 22-32 for 211 yards, 1 TD and no interceptions. 8 different receivers caught passes from McCoy, which is a positive sign for a team implementing the West Coast offense. The Browns were more committed to the run as Peyton Hillis carried the ball 27 times for 94 yards and 2 TDs. Hillis did lose a fumble but was his usual workhorse self. And when looking at the positives it would be hard not to talk about Josh Cribbs. A 52 yard kickoff return and a 43 yard punt return set up Cleveland scoring drives, the punt return leading to a Hillis 24 yard touchdown run in the 4th quarter that put the game away.

The defense had a very good game yesterday as the defensive line pressured Kerry Collins throughout the day. The rookie linemen, Phil Taylor and Jabaal Sheard, continue to impress. Sheard had a sack and a forced fumble which he recovered. Ahytba Rubin had another solid game with a sack and teaming up with Taylor to make a formidable middle of the defensive line. Usama Young contributed with an interception as the Browns defense prevented the Colts from scoring a touchdown until the waning seconds of the game.

There is still room for improvement. The offense needs to build on yesterday's win. It needs to incorporate Josh Cribbs more in the game plan. Yesterday, there were a couple of plays where they had Cribbs out in the flat and he made Colt defenders miss for some nice gains. There needs to be more of this. I'd also like to see more of Evan Moore particularly down in the red zone. He is a big target and it appears he and McCoy have developed a feel for each other. We also need to see more of Montario Hardesty. It was extremely puzzling as to why Hardesty was brought in on a goal line situation in the 2nd half while Hillis was on the bench. The Browns spent a high draft pick on Hardesty and he could provide a nice change of pace to the bulldozing style of Hillis. But if you are going to run down near the goal line, it needs to be Hillis.

Before we make Super Bowl reservations, we have to realize that this Colt team is reeling right now, particularly on offense. That's not to say that they didn't play well. However, it was a game that they should have won and needed to win. But there is room for improvement. The Dolphins come into Cleveland this Sunday and its a game the Browns can win. But it will not be easy. The Dolphins are winless but have had to play New England and Houston. Cleveland is not a team that can take anything for granted. Hopefully, they will be ready to take it to the Dolphins in front of their long suffering fans.

What Will The Browns Do Today??

The Cleveland Browns head into Indianapolis to face the Peyton Manning-less Colts this afternoon. Last week's loss to the Bengals was extremely disappointing. The offense looked good in the 2nd quarter but that was it. And that was most disappointing which makes today difficult to predict.

The Colts were buried last week against Houston. Kerry Collins looked awful as the Colts were unable to mount any type of comeback as they fell behind early. One would imagine that they will try to establish the run and take some heat off of Collins. The Browns will need to be able to run the ball also as Dwight Freeney and Company will try to pressure Colt McCoy into mistakes.

A Browns loss today puts them at 0-2 and in an immediate hole. Moreover, depending how the offense looks, one will begin to wonder about McCoy and Coach Pat Shurmur's implementation of the West Coast offense. The Browns have to show something today on offense. They need to determine if McCoy is the guy. Hopefully, he will. If not, another long season is in store and the continual hunt for a quarterback begins again!!!!

Owner Initiated Lock-out Ending & The Browns May Be Suffer

Reports yesterday indicate that the NFL players will vote to approve the settlement agreement with the owners today which will lead to league training facilities being opened to players later this week. Let's be clear about one thing: this lock-out did not need to happen. And let me be more clear: the owners caused the lock-out. At the end of the day, the players were willing to do a rookie salary cap and scale back their end of the revenue shift. The owners wanted more and were hoping that when players missed game checks that the union would crumble. That strategy fell apart when the courts ruled that their insurance policy on televison rights was a sham and when the union decertified. So now Roger Goodell would have you believe that everything is hunky-dorey and all the talking heads will be foaming at the mouth about the free agent frenzy that will take place. Great!!!

But it's a commonly held opinion on the part of many that this lock-out will really hurt young teams and especially young teams with new coaching staffs. And my Cleveland Browns fall into that category. All the enthusiasm from the emergence of Colt McCoy, the end of the Eric Mangini era, bringing in an offensive guy like Pat Shurmur and this year's draft may all be for naught once the season begins. Mike Holmgren has already said that the Browns may have to scale back the playbook because there won't be enough time to fully implement it. The defense will be going from a 3-4 alignment to a 4-3. That will take some time to gel.

When free agency begins it will be interesting to see what the Browns will do. They have plenty of cap space. What's frustrating is that this season could be a major step to respectability. With the Steelers and Ravens getting older, the 2011 season could be the base for a Browns renaissance in the future. But that all could be on hold because the owners had to flex their muscles. And I'm suppose to be happy that the NFL is back. Please!!!

Browns Draft: So Far So Good!!!

The Cleveland Browns made a steal with the trade that saw them get 4 extra picks from Atlanta, including the Falcons 2012 1st and 2nd round picks.  So far the Browns have used their first three picks to address needs, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.

The selection of Phil Taylor in the first round came out of nowhere as I really had not heard much about Taylor in 1st round mock drafts.  However, it makes sense to have a big body in the middle of the line.  With Shawn Rogers gone, Taylor should be able to team up with Rubin to provide a difficult interior to run against.

Their first pick on Day 2 was an excellent one.  The selection of the Big East Defensive Player of the Year, Jabaal Sheard, fills a need that the Browns have had forever: a legitimate pass rusher.  I recall seeing a couple of Pitt games this past season and Sheard did make an impression.  If Sheard can play to his potential and Taylor can be a run stopping force, the Browns have the making of an very good defensive line, again something they haven't had in years.  In order to compete in the AFC North, you need a physical, tough defense. Add Sheard and Taylor with T.J. Ward, Rubin, Joe Haden and Scott Fujita and the Browns slowly begin to get playmakers on the defensive side of the ball.

With their second pick in the 2nd round, that they received from Atlanta, the Browns took wide receiver Greg Little from North Carolina.  In reading mock drafts, Little's name was often mentioned as a second round pick and the Browns were at some points tied to him. Little is big, quick and excellent running after the catch.  He played in a west coast offense at North Carolina so the system in Cleveland should be easy for him to pick up.  The concern is that he missed the entire season last year as he was suspended for taking gifts. (Hmmmm.....Pryor and company get 5 games??)

As we all now there are no guarantees with draft picks.  At this time of year, each team believes that they have helped themselves.  None of these 3 Brown picks come without some concerns, mainly character issues.  But I'm optimistic based on Tom Heckert's track record in Philadelphia and last year in Cleveland.  I also think its clear that he gets the message that the defense needs to be tough and since they've been back, the Browns defense has been far from it.  It certainly would have been real sexy to take Julio Jones, but Jones would not have made a difference next year.  The added picks set the Browns up nicely as they potentially have 3 starters already selected and are set up nicely for the rest of the draft and more next year.  2012: 2 1st rounders and 2 2nd rounders.

The future looks bright.  Finally, there is hope in Believeland!!!!

Who Will The Browns Take in Round One??

The other day I was watching Sportstime Ohio's "All Bets Are Off", and Andre Knott was subbing for Bruce Drennan and the discussion was about who the Browns should pick in the 1st round of the NFL Draft.  Unbelieveably almost an hour was spent on whether the Browns should take Cam Newton.  Are you kidding me???

With the team going to a 4-3 defense and a lack of D-lineman, why in the world would the Browns take a quarterback.  What makes it more unbelievable is that Mike Holmgren has indicated that Colt McCoy will be the starter.  Do we really need a quarterback controversy again???

Holmgren indicated that he would take a QB in the draft and right away everyone assumed that the Browns might take Newton if he is there at the 6th pick.  What people seem to forget is that last year Holmgren indicated that he always takes a QB in the draft.  That doesn't mean it will be in the 1st round.

The most recent mock drafts have Nick Fairley being there at number six.  That should be the pick.  This kid is a big run-stopper and can cause havoc up the middle with the other teams' QB.

The Browns need to strengthen their defense.  The talk about drafting a WR with their first pick is also foolish.  Historically, wide receivers taken in the first round are more trouble than their worth.  While its true that the Browns can use a playmaker at wide out, their can be one taken in the second round like Jonathan Baldwin of Pittsburgh.

In a division with Rothlisberger and Flacco, Ray Rice, Mendenhall and Cedric Benson, the Browns need to strengthen their front seven.  Go defense in round one.  Get that defensive playmaker that's badly needed.  Turn the reins over to McCoy and let Shurmur and Holmgren work with this kid.  We don't need another QB controversy.  Just like there is a need for stability at the head coaching position, there is the need for stability at QB.  Mike Holmgren knows something about quarterbacks.  He obviously saw something in Colt McCoy.  We saw glimpses of what this kid could be but not enough to truly evaluate him.

Let's all take a chill pill and let Holmgren figure this out the right way.  Taking a QB in the 1st round is going down the same old path of QB Controversy Lane.  And I for one am tired of that road.