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

Hope In Believeland

Heading into the fourth quarter I was beginning to get that sick feeling again. The Oakland Raiders had scored and were now trailing the Cleveland Browns 13-10. The Browns had pretty much dominated the game but had to settle for field goals as opposed to touchdowns and had a field goal blocked. The Raiders were poised to score the go ahead touchdown as Carson Palmer was moving his team in for a score when he attempted a pass in the direction of Sheldon Brown. The veteran positioned himself perfectly and made the interception at the Browns 6 yard line. Could the Browns finish this one out??

A 94 yard drive, highlighted by a fourth and one conversion and capped off by a Trent Richardson touchdown, put the Browns ahead 20-10 and secured a rare road victory over the Raiders 20-17. The win snapped a 12 game road losing streak and gave the Browns a two game winning streak. More than the win, what has me excited is that for the first time in a long time there is reason for hope that this team is moving in the right direction. Youth does that (Are you listening Boy Wonder Brian Cashman).

The Browns are the youngest team in the NFL. Their defense is rounding into a very formidable unit as for the third week in a row they have held their opponent to under 100 yards on the ground. Their strength is in their front seven and with Joe Haden and TJ Ward in the defensive backfield, they have some good building blocks.

The offense appears to be coming around. While it is true that Brandon Weeden made some bad throws yesterday, he also made plays when he had to particularly in that last 94 yard scoring drive. That is what you are looking for from your quarterback. The running game is in capable hands with Trent Richardson. The rookie from Alabama is the real deal. He is a tough, punishing runner and a threat every time he has his hands on the ball. The other pleasant surprise is Montario Hardesty who has become an excellent change of pace back and has excelled when he has been given carries.

The O-line has been solid, much better than last season as rookie Mitchell Schwartz has fit in well at right guard. But the group that has really improved over last year is the receiving corp. Josh Gordon appears to be the receiving threat that the Browns have lacked for years. The kid has great speed and the ability to make big plays. Greg Little has improved over last year, limiting the number of drops and made a great block yesterday that sprung Mohammad Massquoi for a long gain. Benjamin Watson provides veteran leadership at tight end and Jordan Cameron looks like a keeper at that position behind Watson.

It is unclear whether Tom Heckert and Pat Shurmur will remain with the club after this season. In my opinion, the jury is still out on Shurmur. I still have some doubts about his play-calling. But Heckert is a different story. He has overturned this roster with some talented young players who seem to be progressing in the right direction. As I have stated many times on this blog, all I'm looking for is some reason to believe that my team is getting better. Hope that there are better days ahead. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. But at least there is hope and for that Heckert should be kept within the organization.

The Browns have 4 games left: 2 at home against KC and Washington and 2 on the road against Denver and Pittsburgh. The road games will be tough and this will be another step along the learning curve for this young team. As a Browns fan there is reason for optimism and its been a long time that we have had that in Believeland.