SB Nation - Mike Adams

Jamal Lewis and Brodney Pool Placed on Injured Reserve by Browns

Chris Pokorny — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:55:39 -0000

More photos » by Amy Sancetta - AP

Is Jamal Lewis' career over?

We thought our team wasn't competitive last year when Ken Dorsey was operating our offense. Imagine what things will be like the rest of the way after the injuries the Browns suffered in last week's game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

After placing Shaun Rogers on the injured reserve earlier in the week, it was announced today that S Brodney Pool and RB Jamal Lewis were placed on the injured reserve. Pool going on the injured reserve wasn't too much of a surprise. It was revealed after Sunday's game that he suffered a head injury, which wasn't good news considering his history of concussions.

Lewis going on the injured reserve came out of left field. It is being reported that Lewis, like Pool, also suffered a head injury against the Bengals. Earlier in the offseason, Lewis told the media that this would be his final season in the NFL. If he holds true to his word, then his career will not have ended on a bright spot. The Browns are currently tied for the worst record in football at 1-10, and on the season Lewis was averaging a mere 3.5 yards per carry without a single touchdown. While our quarterbacks weren't efficient enough to give Lewis enough opportunities, Lewis never appeared to hit the hole very well this season.

With the three injuries, that means there will have to be some shifts in the starting lineup this week against the San Diego Chargers. Among my predictions...

Mike Adams will move from cornerback to safety, his original position.
Brandon McDonald will move back into the starting cornerback spot.
Athyba Rubin will start at nose tackle in place of Shaun Rogers.
Chris Jennings will start at running back but almost split carries with Jerome Harrison.

Ideally, I'd love to see Harrison receive the opportunity to start again, but based on the recent events of the past few weeks, I don't think that's what Eric Mangini has in mind.

The Browns have already claimed DB Ramzee Robinson off waivers from the Philadelphia Eagles. If the name sounds at all familiar to you, then perhaps you remember him as bring the Mr. Irrelevant of the 2007 NFL Draft when the Detroit Lions selected him. Yep, we can now brag that we have an irrelevant player. He only has 24 tackles in his NFL career, but drew some laughingstock criticism last season with the Lions:

Before we get to the particulars, let me make sure you know about the player of the day. I speak, of course, of Ramzee Robinson. In the second half at Green Bay, Robinson, a Lions defensive back, was penalized for taunting. The Lions at that point were 0-15 and within sight of attaining the designation they now hold, that of worst NFL team ever. After a Green Bay incompletion, Robinson danced around, pointing at himself and taunting Packers receiver James Jones. A player for the worst-ever NFL team was called for taunting in the game in which that team reached 0-16.

-ESPN (Link)

Suit him up!

Bengals are playing winning brand of football with powerful rushing offense and dominant defense

Kirkendall — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:45:57 -0000

More photos » by David Kohl - AP

17 days ago: Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Rey Maualuga holds up a sign to fans after his team defeated the Cleveland Browns 16-7 in their NFL football game in Cincinnati, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009. (AP Photo/David Kohl)

Browse more photos »

While watching Sunday's game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns, I had this feeling I've never felt before. By the second half I felt so confident that the Bengals were going to win this football game, that I stopped moaning about failed pass protection schemes or the play-calling. Oh, we're going to punt it so our defense can play? The same defense that hasn't allowed any team to gain 100 yards rushing in seven straight games? The same defense that's allowed a third down conversion rate of 22% in the three games leading up to Sunday? The same defense that's only allowed two touchdowns once in a game since losing to the Houston Texans?

Please, bring it.

There's no doubt that the offense is struggling to put up points. Since scoring 45 against the Chicago Bears, the Bengals offense has scored an average of 16.8 points per game. The ten points scored in the second quarter against the Browns is the first time the Bengals have scored double-digit points in any quarter since the 14 points in the first quarter against the Ravens on November 8. Carson Palmer went 12 quarters without throwing a touchdown pass before completing a four-yard pass to tight end J.P. Foschi in the second quarter against the Browns. Palmer's on pace to record 3,384 yards passing, which is only 500 yards more than his career low his first season as the team's starter (not including injury-filled 2008). Even then, he missed three games. His efficiency is down. His touchdowns are down. His yards-per-attempt is down (6.9).

And yet, the belief has always been that the Bengals have to rely on Palmer's arm to win. My cousin called me Sunday night and asked me, do we rely on Palmer anymore? If Palmer were to go down to injury for the season, how much would this team lose? We saw what happened last year. But as he observed, the team was built around Palmer and the passing game. It wasn't until late in the season that a Palmer-less offense started to become efficient by successfully rushing the football with a rising defense.

What if Palmer would go down this year? It would hurt, because defenses still gameplan the Bengals passing game; always a threat, always able to score from anywhere on the field. The truth is, this Bengals team is built to succeed without Palmer. This team is built to run the football. You can see that with the talent they have at running back. You can see that with an offensive line that's built to rush block first. How many Jumbo formations have we seen with at least one extra lineman? Did you see Dennis Roland going into motion against the Browns?

My point, as some may irrationally conclude, isn't anticipating an injury to Palmer. My point is that this team can win any football game, no matter who's playing. Carson Palmer is off? Well, the Bengals only have three running backs with 100-yard rushing games under their belt (how many teams can claim that?). The offense has no rhythm and can't pick up a first down? Oh, there's that defense again, who since allowing 28 points in the loss to the Houston Texans, have only allowed 11.2 points per game and, check this out, only 232.8 yards-per game.

As of this posting, the Bengals have the best scoring defense in the NFL.

I just checked that again.

The Bengals have the best scoring defense in the NFL, allowing 15.8 points per game. There's a chance that New England takes that lead after Monday Night Football. However, the Patriots will have to hold the Saints to ten points or less. Fat chance.

If this isn't the most complete team that the Bengals have fielded since the Sam Wyche era, then I'm afraid I'll never know what a complete team is. More people stand up on this team, contributing towards a winning brand of football than we've seen in ages. This team isn't built or about a single person. This isn't about how well Palmer does, or how he's supposed to put up 30 points a game. Sure, it would be nice if the offense exploded every week. What fan in this world in any sport wouldn't love that? But that's not the reality right now. They're not an explosive offense. They are an efficient offense that consumes the clock, converts third downs and wins field position.

And then there's the defense, whose scoring defense still ranks first in the NFL. I just checked again.

What do most people say about championship football? You win by running the football and stopping the run. Again, this defense hasn't allowed any team to gain 100 yards or more in seven straight games. The Bengals offense has rushed for 100 yards or more in eight of the season's 11 games. Furthermore, the Bengals rushing offense has recorded 150 yards or more five times and 200 yards or more twice.

Powerful rushing offense. Dominant defense. Isn't that championship football? If you're still not convinced, or have a Christmas list of concerns, let's go quickly gloss over some reminders. The Bengals are 8-3. The Bengals are 6-0 in the division. The Bengals have won 11 of the past 14 games. The Bengals have a three-game lead with five games left. The Bengals, as of now, would have the second seed in the playoffs, which means a bye during wild card weekend and hosting at least one home game. Furthermore, the Bengals are a fluke pass and a fumble away from being 10-1. It's that close.

Now, that is what we've been begging for for 20 years. Soak it in. Enjoy it.

Wait. You want Carson Palmer to throw more? With five games remaining, Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer is on pace to record 489 passing attempts. As disbelieving as this may sound, that's only 20 less pass attempts than he had during the 2005 season where the Bengals made the playoffs.

	2005	2009 *
Attempts	509	489
Completions	345	298
Completion %	67.8	61.0
Yards	3,836	3,384
Yards/Att	7.5	6.9
Touchdowns	32	22
Interceptions	12	11
* Projected

Admittedly, the issue isn't just Palmer, if one can even make that assessment. No. It's all the parts. It's the offensive line struggling on stunts and blitzes on the outside. It's receivers not catching passes, or penalties that negate 15-20 yard passing plays because someone was flagged for offensive holding.

Take Sunday's game. On the Bengals first play of the game, the situation is first-and-ten at their own 20-yard line. The offense lines up off-set I with Daniel Coats motioning right. Cleveland brings their front three with eight sitting in coverage. Andrew Whitworth latched onto Robaire Smith, who took an outside step while the left tackle was clipped by Bernard Scott going into his route, knocking Smith free. Palmer, barely completing a five-yard pass to Laveranues Coles, was knocked down by Smith. A few Bernard Scott runs and a first down later, the offense lines up off-set I, strong side left. Kamerion Wimbley lines up at left outside linebacker over Dennis Roland. Wimbley took an inside slant on Roland who clearly lost the battle within the first two steps. Bernard Scott tried to help, but in his mind, he had his own blitzer to worry about in Mike Adams. Wimbley tackled Palmer as the quarterback released the pass to Jeremi Johnson for a for a five-yard gain. Furthermore, Browns cornerback Eric Wright was called for defensive holding. First down.

Two drop backs. Twice Carson Palmer is on the ground. It wasn't that Palmer was on the ground all game -- NFL's Game Center shows he was knocked down six times. However, it shows that Palmer was pressured all game long, most of the time making throws he didn't want to make.

After Larry Johnson's consecutive first down runs (more on that later), Palmer takes the snap under center. Matt Roth sprinted from the outside linebacker spot and sacked Palmer for a four-yard loss. The problem here is miscommunication by the offensive line. Defensive end Kenyon Coleman slanted in, which caused Dennis Roland to move inward with the end. Typically, Roland should have handed Coleman off to Bobbie Williams and picked up Roth, the blitzing linebacker on the outside. Williams saw the problem and pulled out as quickly as he could from his guard position take out Roth on the edge. It was a split-second too late, as Roth sped rushed far enough that there was nothing Williams could do.

Sometimes the issue was miscommunication between Palmer and the receivers. On first-and-15 at Cleveland's 29 yard line, Palmer dropped back threw it to the right with no Bengals receiver in the picture frame. Coles' route went in while Palmer looked for Coles to go out.

But mostly, it was pressure -- whether it was really there or not.

On third-and-17 at the Browns 31-yard line, Palmer takes the shotgun snap, feels pressured on the edges and scrambles up the middle. The Browns only rushed three guys. Wimbley took a wide angle around Roland, who locked up with the defensive end six yards behind the line of scrimmage. Wimbley used his upper body strength to make continued progress -- it was like Roland really wasn't there -- showing up in Palmer's peripheral vision. That was enough for Palmer, who ran for 12 yards, finished with a terribly uncomfortable dive into the turf, setting up the game's first score of the day.

And sometimes you can only say, it was a bad throw.On third-and-five at Cleveland's 47-yard line with 14:02 left in the second quarter, Palmer takes the shotgun snap. With a great pocket, Palmer overthrows Coles, nearly picked by Brodney Poole. Bengals punt. On first-and-ten at the Bengals 34-yard line, Palmer drops back and feels pressure that wasn't there. He rushed the throw to Coles running a crossing pattern, which also fell incomplete.

And sometimes you just take the hit. With 9:12 left in the first half, the Bengals lined up first-and-ten at Cleveland's 42-yard line. Palmer faked the handoff to Larry Johnson. Dennis Roland locked up with Matt Roth, who bull-rushed Roland into the pocket. Palmer saw the pressure, moved up and sidestepped behind Roland. Kamerion Wimbley lined up at the right outside linebacker spot, latched onto Daniel Coats. Once he saw the play-action, Wimbley shrugged off Coats, readjusted to Palmer stepping up and leveled him. Palmer tried to make a throw to the left in an area without any Bengals receivers -- except for Chad Ochocinco about eight yards away. Intentional grounding. On the next play, Palmer watched defensive back Mike Adams come off the edge, unblocked. Palmer let go of the football well before he was ready, forcing a terribly underthrown football to skip to a waiting Laveranues Coles. On third-and-20, Palmer drops back. Protection was very good. He had time. However, being knocked around that much that early in the game causes one to have alarm bells violently ringing in ones head well before they should. Palmer takes off, reaching the line of scrimmage and throwing across the field to Coles in the middle of the field. Incomplete. Drive comes to a merciful end. Thank the lord. Bengals punt.

And sometimes there's nothing left to do. With 11:43 left in the third quarter, Palmer completed a third-and-six pass to Chad Ochocinco for a 15-yard gain. Wimbley came off the right side, using his speed to put Whitworth in a predicament. Either hold the hell out of the defensive end, or let him crush Carson Palmer. Whitworth held, negating a 15-yard pass and a first down. Cincinnati would punt after a six-yard screen pass to Brian Leonard.

As mostly everyone else, I would love for this offense to explode. However, sometimes you have to take what you're given. And the Bengals have been given a powerful rushing offense that's working nearly every week, whereas the passing offense is struggling mightily. So the question shouldn't be why aren't the Bengals throwing the football more. We already know why. It's because it's just not working right now and forcing it to work would be -- in the great words of Mr. Mackey -- "bad, mmmkay?"

Carson Palmer said it best after the game.

“We came in with the game plan that we wanted to take some shots, but they were going to play a certain way and against two shells and have two high safeties. We had a couple plays where we were going to take some shots, but on one of them I scrambled on for seven or eight yards, and the other we took a check-down. They weren’t going to come out of what they were doing defensively. They weren’t going to give us single high looks and let us throw the ball over their heads. They let us run for 200 yards. We stuck with the game plan once we figured out what their game plan was and kept pushing the ball.”

Where the passing offense struggles, the rushing offense flourishes. Let's realize a few things. Cedric Benson has missed back-to-back games and the last 10 quarters. He's still in the top ten with 859 yards rushing. Benson's getting healthy again and when he returns, he's going to run with very, very fresh legs. If that's not scary exciting, then I don't know what scary exciting means. Actually, I don't know what scary exciting means anyway.

Benson has missed the previous two games. What have the Bengals done in Benson's absence? They've averaged 193.5 yards rushing -- which is the best two-game stretch all season. Let me put that further perspective. Before Oakland, the Bengals had the league's 11th best rushing offense, averaging 122.3 yards-per-game. With a Monday Night Football game left, the Bengals are now ranked seventh, averaging 135.3 yards-per-game. They've jumped four points in the rankings, and added 13 yards to their average.

All without Cedric Benson. In the great words of Cleveland, "that's nasty."

But as impressive as Bernard Scott was last week, Larry Johnson's performance against the Cleveland Browns was great. And guess what? It wouldn't have happened with the great effort by the Bengals offensive line.

On third-and-one at the Bengals 44-yard line with 8:34 left in the first quarter, Cincinnati lines up double tight end single back formation. Palmer does his funky right-handed exchange to Larry Johnson. Within the first frame after the ball is snapped, the Bengals offensive line had opened a hole at the point of attack. Daniel Coats and Andrew Whitworth sealed the right side. Bobbie Williams turned Shaun Rogers. Kyle Cook neutralized Cleveland's inside linebacker and the left side of the offensive line eliminated any trailing defenders protecting cutback lanes. Johnson squeezed through the hole between Williams and Whitworth on the right, dodged a tackle by Abram Elam and fell forward for a ten-yard gain and the first down.

On the next play, Johnson gets the handoff. Andrew Whitworth sealed the inside linebacker. Bobbie Williams and Kyle Cook slowed the defensive end and tackle respectively while Jeremi Johnson punishes the outside linebacker for the gull of trying to make a play in the backfield. Johnson sidestepped behind Jeremi, cut back to the right behind Williams' block and ran down the right hashmark for another 12 yard gain.

On second-and-ten at the Bengals 34-yard line with 10:59 left in the second quarter, Palmer hands the football off to Johnson. Cincinnati lined up big-formation with Andrew Whitworth outside of Dennis Roland at right tackle and Anthony Collins at left tackle. Every offensive lineman had a hat on a defensive player. The secondary made first contact on Johnson about eight yards past the line of scrimmage. On the next play, Johnson picked up another seven yards thanks to a kick out block on Wimbley by fullback Jeremi Johnson.

Even Bernard Scott had his moments. After Nate Livings was called for offensive holding, the Bengals were pushed back to their own 27-yard line with first-and-twenty. Every offensive linemen had a hat on a Browns defender. Not just that, the line was pushing back the Browns defense and not allowing the defender to shrug off the block. And it was Jeremi Johnson, once again, who made the initial block that kicked out an outside linebacker looking for glory on a stop in the backfield. Scott fought off a Mike Adams attempted tackle for ten yards, picking up 21 yards and a first down in the process.

When stargazing, you finally find the star named Andre Smith. The problem with watching the offensive line during a live game, is that you don't always know who is in the game before the snap. More than any team, the Bengals employ a rotation with their offensive tackles that no two plays will have the same personnel on the line. On the first play of the second quarter, the Bengals lined up at Cincinnati's 48 yard-line on first down. Andre Smith made his first appearance (that we could tell) at right tackle with Andrew Whitworth on Smith's outside shoulder. Kenyon Coleman was Smith's guy. At the snap, Smith rose and sat in pass protection, ready to receive Coleman, who was very slow off the ball. Smith allowed Coleman an outside move, keeping pace with the defensive end, who even resorted to a spin move. Good job, ol' rook. The play, however, did break down after outside linebacker David Bowens blitzed up the middle. Bobbie Williams did pick him up, but Bowens had already won the battle simply with a quicker step to the outside. Palmer sprinted down the right sidelines for a five-yard gain.

Smith would make sporadic appearances throughout the game. While not noticeable, he made quality blocks.

On first-and-ten at Cleveland's 32 yard-line, Smith lined up at right tackle with Whitworth on his outside shoulder. Smith attacked Robaire Smith with Bernard Scott coming from behind. While Andre didn't move Robaire, the Browns defender wasn't able to make a move on the runner either. Scott picked up 11 yards on the play. On the next play, the Bengals called a sweep to the left away from Andre Smith, who slowed Robaire's progress down the line of scrimmage, looking at the second level for any unsuspecting linebacker to break in half. Good day, ol' rook.

It's my firm belief that this is the most complete Bengals squad that Marvin Lewis has ever put together. It might be the best squad in 20 years of Bengals football. They are winning with a strong rushing offense and a powerful defense. There's things to fix. There always is. But I believe that this Bengals squad can beat any team in the NFL this year because their strengths always dictates championship football. Perhaps I'm banging the homer drum. I've done that before and I'm not afraid to show how proud I am of this squad. So I'm enjoying it. It hasn't happened a lot in my lifetime.

Kamerion Wimbley and Browns Defense Play With Fire Despite 30-6 Loss to Bears

Chris Pokorny — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:49:25 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

about 1 month ago: Chicago Bears safety Danieal Manning (38) picks up the loose ball after a fumble by Cleveland Browns tight end Steve Heiden in the third quarter of an NFL football game in Chicago, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009. At left is Bears linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer (92), who forced the fumble. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Browse more photos »

CLEVELAND BROWNS (1-7)	WEEK 8	CHICAGO BEARS (4-3)
	VS.
6		30

As far as I'm concerned, the Chicago Bears played no better against the Cleveland Browns than they did against the Cincinnati Bengals two weeks ago when they lost 45-10. QB Jay Cutler supported my point that he's a tad overrated, but he was rewarded nonetheless with a rather easy 30-6 victory over the Browns.

Has a Browns team ever been so helpless on offense? I guess you could technically say we're at the same level as the Oakland Raiders, but that's not the type of competitive comparison I want to be making on gameday. The funny thing is that if our offense would've just taken a knee on every series this week, we probably only would have lost by a score of 10-3 (note: I realize that is not a reality, since the space-time continuum obviously would've resulted in different production for the Bears). Our defense played much better than last week and weren't rewarded for it; as far as the rest of the league is concerned, our defense is still a joke.

Let's get to the sad review of the game...

WEEK 8 - CLEVELAND BROWNS VS. CHICAGO BEARS (COMPLETE GAME REVIEW)

GOAT OF THE GAME:

Steve Heiden & Mohamed Massaquoi: Obviously QB Derek Anderson could go here every week, but it's only fair to spread the wealth. In the second half, when the Browns were actually showing some form of a threat, there were two cases in which Anderson made some of his best throws of the game -- one on a small pass to Steve Heiden, and another on a timing pattern to Mohamed Massaquoi.

For whatever reason, both players coughed up the football. It wasn't even like they were hit by a blindsided poke at the football either; Heiden even seemed to wrap both arms tightly around the ball and it just...fell out. That's extremely frustrating, because Heiden is supposed to be our only "Mr. Reliable" left on offense. He also dropped a pass earlier in the game. For as in-sync as Massaquoi and Anderson looked against Cincinnati, that "chemistry" no longer exists.

AWARDING GAME BALLS:

Kamerion Wimbley: Credit to defensive coordinator Rob Ryan for helping turn Kamerion Wimbley around. He's no DeMarcus Ware, but he's getting to the quarterback a lot more than his last two years under Crennel. With his sack Sunday, he surpassed his sack total from last season. He also delivered a punishing shot on QB Jay Cutler as he released a pass, resulting in a bloody mouth for Cutler (and probably a fine).

GENERAL THOUGHTS

Bears QB Jay Cutler was hit hard all day by the Browns defense, including here by LB Kamerion Wimbley.

In Stride: (Marks calendar) We are 8 games into the 2009-2010 NFL season, and for the first time this season, we finally saw a smart play design for Joshua Cribbs as a receiver (although the execution of it could have been accidental). Derek Anderson was pressured and then stepped up in the pocket.

Before he got to the line of scrimmage, he turned and threw a route nearly parallel to the line of scrimmage at Cribbs, who had motioned out of the backfield and into the flat. Cribbs caught the pass in stride and ran up the sideline for a gain of 23 yards.
By the Numbers: The final line for Anderson is as follows: 6-of-17 for 76 yards and 2 interceptions. His QB rating was a lowly 10.5. Anderson's production level is getting worse and worse by the week. At this point, I think I'd be content going back to watching Quinn get sacked every play.
Applaud the Play Call, Hate the Statistic: The Browns scored their only touchdown of the game near the start of the second half. Taking advantage of a horrible punt by the Bears, Jamal Lewis pounded his way down to the one-yard line. The Browns failed to punch it in on 1st-and-goal from the one, so on second down, Anderson sneaked forward and used his tall frame to stretch the ball over the goal line for the score.

I like the call on second down because we won't lose yardage on it, and if we fail to get in, we'd still have two downs remaining to go back to Lewis or do a small pass play. Afterward though, I was a little sick knowing that I'd still have to hear all of the play-by-play announcers say "the Browns do not have a single rushing touchdown from their running backs this season!"
Injuries Galore: There has to be a correlation between a losing season and the number of injuries that start piling on. After already losing LB D'Qwell Jackson for the season, LB Eric Barton and DB Eric Wright suffered shoulder injuries. Wright returned, but Barton will likely undergo tests to determine the extent of his injury.
Rob Ryan Fired Up: I appreciate the enthusiasm that Rob Ryan shows each week, and unlike our offensive coordinator, Ryan seems to know how to make adjustments after a letdown. Whereas the defense was brutal in giving up 31 points to the Packers, they had one of my favorite performances of the season in giving up 30 points to the Bears (23 when you don't include Anderson's pick six). After the Browns stopped Cutler on a 4th-and-1 from the 1-yard line, Ryan was out on the field jawing at Jay Cutler. I believe the defense is still playing hard because of him.
Wimbley's Knockdown: When Wimbley knocked down Cutler's fourth-down pass at the goal line, it was obviously a bad decision because an interception would've brought the ball out to the 20-yard line. Then, our offense wouldn't have been backed up into seeing Anderson throw a pick six from his own goal line. Granted, it's better that he knocked the ball down than let the receiver catch it, but he knocked it down as if it was a Hail Mary pass attempted from mid-field.
A Little Scared? I think punter Brad Maynard was a little scared of Joshua Cribbs. On 5 punts, Maynard averaged a quite pathetic 30.4 yard average. On the other side of the field, props to punter Dave Zastudil for recording a touchdown-saving tackle on punt returner Devin Hester early on.
Staying With the Play: Kudos to DL Kenyon Coleman for staying home when the Bears tried a reverse with Devin Hester. As Hester was handed the ball, Coleman shot at him like a cannon and took him down. How many times have we seen our defensive players be in position for a play like that, but end up whiffing?

When you see this on TV, chances are the pass is going to be picked.

Francies Sees Action: Finally, we got to see a little bit of Coye Francies. He was subbed in after Eric Wright went down with an injury. On Francies' first play (I think), the Bears ran the ball with Matt Forte, who sprinted to the edge for a 10-yard touchdown. Soon after that, Francies left with an injury of his own, forcing Hank Poteat into the game. (Sigh).
It's About Time: One-third of our payoff for the Braylon Edwards trade finally showed up today, as WR Chansi Stuckey made his first catch of the season as a member of the Browns. He made a few nice moves after the catch to stretch the play to an 11-yard gain.
The Other Third: With the more exotic blitz packages thrown at Cutler, the other third of the Edwards deal was more productive this week. Jason Trusnik sacked Cutler once and also led the team with 7 tackles.
Should've Been a Fumble: When Jay Cutler was hit and the ball came loose for about a 15+ yard loss, the play should've stood. I didn't see any indication that Cutler's arm was moving forward; it was moving laterally at best. His arm was angled that way due to a hit from a Browns defender too. Even with the overturn, who was Cutler throwing the ball to? It might have even hit his offensive lineman, which would be an illegal touch. In the end, the Bears had a comfortable 2nd-and-10 to work with.
Adams and Pool: Whatever the combination was, it seemed to work this week. It seemed like Mike Adams was in mostly on first- and second-downs, with Brodney Pool coming in on obvious passing downs. Pool recorded an interception when he dove to the ground after a tipped pass. As he tried to get up, he was rewarded by being drilled by two or three Bear linemen.
Inserting Quinn Late: The decision is still baffling to put Brady Quinn into the game when he did. We had literally no chance of coming back, and the substitution was made in a half where several offensive players had fumbled the ball. Why not make the change at half-time when Anderson was awful as usual?
Evaluating "the Other Guy": There's not much to fo on. His first pass was located well. He had the right idea on the second play -- getting rid of the ball quickly when they brought the house. A week ago, that's the similar adjustment that Aaron Rodgers made to Donald Driver for a long touchdown. The third down play was another dropped pass. Then, we punted. Booooooooo.
Lerner's Staredowns: I think fans would've rather watched Randy Lerner stare down and scold the players and coaches all game than watch the actual game. If someone has footage of Lerner doing this, it must be seen!
Bad Timing of Wildcat Plays: Yeah, let's run the Wildcat on a 3rd-and-19 play. There just doesn't seem to be a "method to the madness" of running the Wildcat formation. I agree with running it, but we never build off of it or use the formation to our advantage the following play.
Brownies: Welcome back Phil Dawson; you get to join the sad state of the team by having your extra point blocked...Joe Thomas registered two tackles in the game...safety Ray Ventrone had two special teams tackles...former Glenville High School and Ohio State product Ted Ginn Jr. had two kick returns for touchdowns to beat Braylon Edwards and the New York Jets.

Up next, the Browns have a Bye week before coming back home the following week against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football. It should be an interesting two weeks though; let's hope that Randy Lerner comes through with some form of positive news, whether it be the firing of Brian Daboll or the hiring of a team president.

San Francisco 49ers vs. Indianapolis Colts: A Prospector's Guide

Fooch — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:00:37 -0000

Well, as some of you pointed out, we've truly come full circle. Alex Smith makes his first start in two years, but more interesting is the fact that he made his first career start in the last matchup between these two teams. Smith was 9/23 for 74 yards, 0 TDs and 4 interceptions in that start. Let's hope for something just a little bit better than that.

The 49ers travel to Indianapolis to face the Colts in what will be the 42nd meeting between the two teams, dating back to 1953. The last time San Francisco traveled to Indianapolis was in 2001, when they defeated the Colts, 40-21. QB Alex Smith made his first NFL start the last time the two teams squared off in San Francisco, in 2005.

The 49ers look to snap a two-game losing streak after falling to the Texans, 24-21, in Houston last week. After trailing 21-0 heading into the second half, Smith entered the game and sparked the 49ers offense in what was his first action in 28 regular season games. He completed 15 of 22 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns, all of which were
caught by TE Vernon Davis, who set a career-high with the three scores and became the first 49ers tight end to record 3 receiving scores in a game. Davis now leads the NFL in touchdown receptions with six.

The 49ers have a perfect 3-0 record against division opponents this season and enter this week’s game having won 8 of its past 13 contests, dating back to 2008.

49ers-Colts Connections
Coaching Connections
• 49ers offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye coached alongside Colts defensive line coach John Teerlinck with the Los Angeles Rams in 1991.
• Colts Senior OL Coach Howard Mudd was OL Coach for San Francisco in 1977 while Raye was WR coach. Mudd played for San Francisco from 1964-69.
• Special Teams Coordinator Ray Rychleski served as the position coach for TE Vernon Davis at Maryland (2003-05).

Players
FORMER COLTS - Offensive line coach Chris Foerster served as tight ends coach for the Colts from 2002-03 ... Secondary coach Vance Joseph played with the Colts during the 1996 season ... Director of college scouting David McCloughan was drafted in 1991 by the Colts with the 69th pick overall in the NFL Draft ... Director of Pro Personnel Tom Gamble was a college scout for the Colts from 1998 - 2004.

FORMER 49ERS - Colts DB Terrail Lambert spent training camp with San Francisco after being signed as an undrafted free agent in 2009.

INDIANA TIES – 49ers WR coach Jerry Sullivan served in the same capacity at the Indiana University in 1983 ... 49ers tight ends coach Pete Hoener was an offensive coordinator at Indiana State from 1978 –1984. Hoener also served as offensive line coach at Purdue University from 1989 – 1991 ... 49ers QB Nate Davis played at Ball State in Muncie, IN.
from 2006-08.

CALIFORNIA TIES – Colts DB T.J. Rushing played for Stanford University from 2002–05.

TARHEEL BRED – 49ers CB Dre’ Bly played and Colts C Jeff Saturday were teammates for two seasons at the University of North Carolina (1996-97).

TROJAN TIES - 49ers G Chilo Rachal and Colts DT Fili Voala were teammates at Southern California from 2005-07.

PANTHER PRIDE - 49ers LB Scott McKillop played with Colts LB Clint Session at Pittsburgh from 2004-06.

Series Highlights
Matchups: 41
Series Record: Colts lead series 23-18
49ers Away Record vs. Colts: Colts Lead Series 1
First Meeting: 11/29/53, 49ers win, 38-21
Last Meeting: 10/9/05, Colts win, 28-3
Current Streak: Lost 1
Longest 49ers Win Streak: 5 (10/26/69-9/10/89)
Longest Colts Win Streak: 13 (11/4/62-10/13/68)
Most 49ers Points: 45 (12/13/53), 45-14, at San Francisco
Most Colts Points: 45 (11/22/59), 45-14, at Baltimore
49ers Shutouts: None
Colts Shutouts: None

INDIANAPOLIS 28, SAN FRANCISCO 3
At San Francisco, CA, October 9, 2005

The San Francisco 49ers stayed on par with Indianapolis for three quarters of the game before a 14-point 4th quarter pulled the Colts to a 28-3 victory. Rookie QB Alex Smith made his first start, finishing with 9 completions and 4 INTs. He was also sacked 5 times and lost a fumble on one of the sacks in the 4th quarter. The first of his three 1st half INTs was returned 24 yds. for a TD by LB Cato June early in the 2nd quarter. Head Coach Mike Nolan did credit Smith’s mobility as a factor in the 49ers ability to open up the running game. RB Kevan Barlow paced the 49ers with 99 of the team’s 133 yds. on the ground.

Indianapolis took its first possession and marched 72 yds. in 7 plays before RB Dominic Rhodes scored on a 6-yd. run for a 7-0 lead. The Colts had a chance to go up 14-0 early in the 2nd quarter, but LB Jeff Ulbrich forced Rhodes to fumble at the 1-yd. line. The ball rolled into the end zone where S Mike Adams recovered for a touchback. Smith was intercepted on the 49ers next three series, including June’s 24-yd. TD return. Down 14-0 with just over two minutes to play in the 1st half, LB Derek Smith intercepted a QB Peyton Manning pass to give the 49ers a first down at the Indianapolis 47-yd. line. The 49ers scoring threat ended when Smith was intercepted by the Colts when he attempted to hit WR Arnaz Battle at the Colts 15-yd. line.

The 49ers tried to swing the momentum in the 2nd half with a successful onsides kick that was recovered by RB Terry Jackson at the San Francisco 41-yd. line. A 2-yd. run by RB Frank Gore on a 4th-and-1 play from the 50-yd. line, combined with a 20-yd. run by Barlow, helped set up a 30-yd. FG by K Joe Nedney for the 49ers only points of the day. The 49ers failed to convert their second attempt at an onsides kick on the kickoff following the FG, allowing the Colts a first down at the San Francisco 39-yd. line. CB Bruce Thornton stayed step-in-step with WR Marvin Harrison on the next play and intercepted a pass in the end zone to prevent a TD. Alex Smith threw his 4th INT of the game on the next series after the 49ers reached the Indianapolis 37-yd. line. The Colts scored 14 points in the 4th quarter to put the game out of reach. RB Edgerrin James scored on a 4-yd. run to start the 4th quarter, and then Manning connected with WR Troy Walters on an 18-yd. TD pass to make it 28-3.

2009 Statistics

49ERS (rank)		COLTS (rank)
3-3 (2nd NFCW)	Record	6-0 (1st AFCS)
22.2 (t-17th)	Points per game	29.8 (2nd)
272.0 (29th)	Total Offense	402.5 (4th)
98.3 (22nd)	Rushing Offense	91.7 (27th)
173.7 (24th)	Passing Offense	310.8 (1st)
29:32 (18th)	Possession Avg	28:57 (22nd)
20.3 (15th)	Points allowed/gm	12.8 (2nd)
291.7 (14th)	Total Defense	324.8 (9th)
88.8 (6th)	Rushing Defense	111.8 (19th)
179.8 (21st)	Passing Defense	236.0 (6th)
13 (t-20th)	Sacks	16 (t-8th)
47.6 (5th)	Punting Avg (Gross)	44.5 (17th)
+4 (t-8th)	Turnover Differential	+4 (t-7th)

San Francisco 49ers vs. Houston Texans: A Prospector's Guide

Fooch — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:00:22 -0000

Hallelujah, we've made it through the bye week and we can finally bring you another edition of the "Prospector's Guide." The 49ers face one heck of a challenge coming out of the bye, heading down deep int he heart of Texas to take on the Houston Texans. It's been a rather eventful bye week for the 49ers as they've made multiple lineup changes, potentially culminating in the starting debut of Michael Crabtree. Even if Crabtree doesn't start the game, he'll still get to make his playing debut in his home state. The Texans on the other hand remain a bit of an enigma this season. They're coming off a bit win over the surprising Bengals, but up to this point, the Texans have alternated wins and losses.

The 49ers travel to Houston to face the Texans in what will be the second meeting between the two teams, dating back to 2005. In the only contest played in the series, the 49ers defetated the Texans 20-17 in overtime at Candlestick Park in the 2005 season finale. Prior to 2005, the last time the 49ers had played a regular season game in Houston was in 1996 against the Houston Oilers.

While Houston might not be a familiar place to many current 49ers, Mike Singletary knows the city very well. The 49ers head coach was born there and has a large contingent of family and friends in the area. The 49ers will look to make Singletary’s homecoming a special one after coming off a bye week. San Francisco went 3-0 in the division to start the season and maintains a 3-2 overall record. In each of the past two years, the 49ers have gone 2-2 against AFC opponents. San Francisco enters this week’s game with a current streak of seven consecutive games with at least one interception and has won 8 of its past 12 games, dating back to 2008.

49ers-Texans Connections
Coaching Connections
• 49ers offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye coached alongside Texans assistant head coach/offense Alex Gibbs with the Kansas City Chiefs for two seasons (1993-94).
• 49ers QB coach Mike Johnson coached Texans QB Matt Schaub for two seasons (2004-05) with the Atlanta Falcons.
• Texans head coach Gary Kubiak started his coaching in career in the NFL as a QB coach with the 49ers in 1994.
• Texans WR coach Larry Kirksey served in the same capacity with the 49ers from 1994 – 99.
• Texans TE coach Brian Pariani was a 49ers scouting assistant in 1990 and then a offensive coaches assistant from 1991-94.
• Texans senior defensive assistant Ray Rhodes was an assistant secondary coach with the 49ers from 1981-82 before being promoted DBs coach from 1983 - 91. Rhodes also served as defensive coordinator for the 49ers 1994 World Championship team.
• Texans Assistant OL Coach Frank Pollack was a 6th-round pick by the 49ers in 1990 and played for SF from 1990-91, 1994-98

Players
FORMER TEXANS - 49ers FB Moran Norris played with the Texans from 2002-05.

FORMER 49ERS - Texans Director of Pro Personnel Brian Gardner spent 10 seasons as a scout with the 49ers from 1995-05.

HOUSTON TIES – 49ers head coach Mike Singletary, S Michael Lewis and FB Moran Norris are originally from Houston, TX.

RE "U" NITED – 49ers RB Frank Gore ran behind lanes cleared by Texans T Rashad Butler, C Chris Myers, and T Eric Winston when they were all teammates at The University of Miami (Fla.) from 2002-04.

Series Highlights
The 49ers and Texans have only played once. The 49ers lead the series 1-0, with a recap below.

SAN FRANCISCO 20, ST. LOUIS 17 (OT)
At San Francisco, CA, January 1, 2006

The San Francisco 49ers rallied from a 10-0 1st quarter deficit for a 20-17 overtime victory over the Houston Texans to close out the 2005 campaign with two consecutive wins for a 4-12 record. The 49ers dominated the line of scrimmage, gaining 182 rushing yds. and controlling the clock for 44:03. The 49ers used a combination of RB Frank Gore (108 yds.) and RB Maurice Hicks (64 yds.) to take control on the ground.

S Mike Adams was the star of the game on defense after finishing with 2 INTs, one that was returned for a TD and the other that led to the game-winning FG in overtime. Adams, who made his first NFL start at cornerback, intercepted QB Tony Banks at the end of the 3rd quarter and returned it 40 yds. for a TD to tie the game at 17-17. Then in overtime, Banks went deep, but Adams intercepted the pass and lateraled to S Ben Emanuel, who ran 35 yds. to the Houston 21-yd. line. After two short runs, K Joe Nedney nailed a 33-yard FG to give the 49ers a 20-17 victory.

QB Alex Smith helped lead the 49ers to a TD at the end of the 1st half by converting a key 3rd-and-13 situation with a 14-yd. strike to WR Brandon Lloyd, and then three plays later ,threw his first NFL TD pass when he rolled to his right and found Lloyd in the back of the end zone for a 14-yard score. The 49ers took the 2nd half kick and went on a 14-play, 56-yd. drive that ended with a 42-yard FG by Nedney to tie the game at 10-10. Houston responded when Banks fired a 31-yd. pass to WR Corey Bradford to get into San Francisco territory followed by a 25-yd. TD pass to Bradford to retake the lead at 17-10. Houston took advantage of good field position in the 1st quarter to take the 10-0 lead. P Andy Lee struggled in the 30-mile per hour winds, shanking a punt that allowed Houston to start a drive at the San Francisco 21-yd. line to set up a FG. The 49ers next drive ended when Lee’s punt from his own 25-yd. line was blocked, allowing Houston to begin a drive at the 49ers 17-yd. line. Houston responded with a 3-yard TD run by RB Vernand Morency.

2009 Statistics

49ERS (rank)		TEXANS (rank)
3-2 (t-1st NFCW)	Record	3-3 (t-2nd AFCS)
22.4 (t-15th)	Points per game	23.8 (t-12th)
267.0 (29th)	Total Offense	369.5 (8th)
106.2 (16th)	Rushing Offense	77.3 (30th)
160.8 (28th)	Passing Offense	292.2 (3rd)
29:32 (18th)	Possession Avg	31:23 (8th)
19.6 (t-12th)	Points allowed/gm	22.8 (22nd)
322.6 (15th)	Total Defense	351.8 (20th)
88.6 (7th)	Rushing Defense	125.0 (24th)
234.0 (20th)	Passing Defense	226.8 (19th)
11 (t-21st)	Sacks	7 (t-29th)
47.5 (5th)	Punting Avg (Gross)	41.5 (28th)
+4 (t-8th)	Turnover Differential	+2 (t-11th)

Defense and Special Teams: All You Need to Win a Football Game as Browns Prevail 6-3

Chris Pokorny — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:09:09 -0000

More photos » by Don Heupel - AP

2 months ago: Cleveland Browns kicker Billy Cundiff, right, is congratulated by Browns punter Dave Zastudil after his winning field goal against the Buffalo Bills late in the fourth quarter of the NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009. (AP Photo/Don Heupel)

Browse more photos »

CLEVELAND BROWNS (1-4)	WEEK 5	BUFFALO BILLS (1-4)
	VS.
6		3

Who says you need an offense to win a football game? That in itself is not necessarily a true statement, as the Cleveland Browns did have a fairly good day on the ground with Jamal Lewis in their 6-3 victory over the Buffalo Bills.

Around the league, the media made a joke of this game, but I think the joke was more so on the state of the Buffalo Bills. After how dismal the first three weeks of the season were, the fact is that the Browns challenged a now 4-1 Bengals team two weeks ago and took care of business against the Bills on the road. Let's get to the review of the game...

WEEK 5 - CLEVELAND BROWNS VS. BUFFALO BILLS (COMPLETE GAME REVIEW)

AWARDING GAME BALLS:

Dave Zastudil: I probably sound like a broken record since everyone is well aware that Zastudil had a fantastic game en route to being the Special Teams Player of the Week. As bad as Trent Edwards is, we probably couldn't have come away with a victory had we not dominated the field position game.

Zastudil had seven punts downed inside the 20, with three of them being at the 1-, 1-, and 4-yard lines. Zastudil gave credit to players like Mike Adams for helping to stop those balls from going into the end zone, but the punts were so beautifully placed that it made the gunners' jobs a lot easier.
~~Derek Anderson:~~ Sike.
Eric Wright: After Derek Anderson threw an interception, the Bills had an opportunity at gaining some momentum. The Browns were able to move Trent Edwards out of the pocket, but with a lot of time to throw, I believe it was Terrell Owens who became open deep. Edwards' throw was terribly underthrown, and Eric Wright took advantage by intercepting it at the same time he turned himself around. Wright's pick canceled out Anderson's pick, allowing the game to continue being a special teams battle.

GOATS OF THE GAME:

Robert Royal: The Browns had an opportunity to put the game away when Derek Anderson lofted his only good throw and one of his few deeper throws of the game over the left middle of the field to Royal. Without a defender near him and playing in the stadium he had been in for several years, Royal simply dropped the ball. Please give these reps to Steve Heiden, as Royal, as a receiver, is starting to make me miss Darnell Dinkins. DINKINS!
Derek Anderson: There are a lot of valid excuses that can be made for Anderson's 2-of-17 completion rate. With that said, there are also a lot of things that Anderson clearly could've done better. Anderson rarely throws the ball into a receiver's comfort zone, especially with the running backs.

GENERAL THOUGHTS

The running of Jamal Lewis set the Browns up for a game-winning field goal.

Give it Up to the Defense: I thought the Bills were going to run the ball all over the Browns, but we clearly made an improvement Sunday. The run defense has shown signs of brilliance in which they'll give up nothing, but then give up several consecutive big runs late in the game. If the Bills ripped a decent-sized run on Sunday, the Browns usually followed it up with a stuff.
Stopping the Duo: A big key was holding Fred Jackson, a key contributor to the Bills the first four weeks of the season, to just 30 yards on 13 carries. That killed the "dynamic duo" threat the Bills tried to present us with.
One Big Problem Remains: All of a sudden, we can't stop the quarterbacks from running with the football -- and I'm talking about quarterbacks who usually do not take off and run. Edwards had an unacceptable 40 yards rushing on 4 attempts against the Browns. Surely, the Browns will be more aware of Ben Roethlisberger this Sunday, but how will that hinder the other aspects of our defense in exchange?
Established an Identity: I had a lot of problems with Brian Daboll's inability to call a passing play on first- and second-downs. With so many running plays, where was the playaction fake too? I don't even know if I saw one playfake in the game from Cleveland. I do give credit to Daboll for at least having a comprehensible gameplan though, which was clearly to run the ball down the Bills' throat no matter what the situation.
Lewis Returns: For those of you who thought Jamal Lewis was done (in terms of playing time), think again. A week after Jerome Harrison had over 30 carries, this week it was Lewis' turn, who touched the ball 31 times for 117 yards (a 3.8 average). Overall, there were some plays where I thought a better running back would've gotten more, but he still made the proper moves to get the maximum yardage he could. And, I can't complain when the guy is hurdling over defenders in the fourth quarter.
Harrison's Line is Low: It was a rather uneventful game for Jerome Harrison, who had 8 runs for 21 yards. Props to the coaching staff for giving Harrison more than the regulated four-carries-or-less he's been accustomed to with Lewis in the lineup. Keep giving the ball to Harrison, because eventually, he'll make the defense pay. More of an effort should've been made to get the ball to Harrison on some of Anderson's 17 pass attempts though.
An Update Look as Massaquoi: So, how did Mohamed Massaquoi handle his first game as the No. 1 receiver? Not too well, with about three passes that he should've been able to haul in. I'm going to give all of the receivers somewhat of a "bye" for the Bills game though since everyone seemed to struggle. If those struggles continue, then I'll re-evaluate.
Looks to RoBo: I saw the jersey of Brian Robiskie in motion a few times, but I don't recall any passes being thrown his way. Maybe next week against Pittsburgh? Chansi Stuckey just needs some more with with Anderson. Where was Mike Furrey throughout the game?
Costanzo Rules Again: I think Blake Costanzo is going to set a special teams record or something with the amount of fumbles he is recovering. When most players dive at a loose football, the ball bounces elsewhere. When Costanzo dives at it, it's like the ball gravitates right to him. Does he have some secret type of magnetic attraction device planted?
Bigger Plans for Trusnik: It was certainly a surprise to see Alex Hall on the inactive list and new special teamer Jason Trusnik seeing pretty important reps at linebacker. I guess Mangini has bigger plans for Trusnik than we originally envisioned. Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer says that one of the reasons Hall was inactive was because the team wants him to learn his assignments better. Maybe that's true, because Hall has been a disappointment this season with his lack of impact.

The interception by Eric Wright kept the Bills' offense silent.

Good Game for Corey Williams: Before the game, I pleaded for a defensive lineman besides Shaun Rogers to step up. That player was Williams, who even received props from Rogers after the game. Rogers was his usual self, pushing offensive linemen into Edwards throughout the game. I also thought Kenyon Coleman stepped it up a notch.
Roughing the Passer: Give me a break. Corey Williams made a great hit on Edwards, a clean one in my book, and it nearly cost us the game because the Bills had several big plays afterwards. The officials have lost the concept of "roughing the passer" league-wide.
Motioning Cribbs: Part of the commitment to the running game? The number of pre-snap motions/fake handoffs we did to Cribbs the whole game. Cribbs didn't get many opportunities to return kicks, but he had to of been tired after the game trying to sell the fake on almost every play. The one time we did hand it off to him? A 31-yard burst that led to a field goal. I think we can get away with giving it to him a few more times too.
Fair Job to Cundiff: I don't know how much more of Billy Cundiff we'll be seeing, as Phil Dawson's return has to be on the horizon. Cundiff has made all five of his kicks since joining the team, with his only blemish being the kick out of bounds near the end of the game. It could've been costly, but with Edwards at quarterback, I real wasn't sweating it. Interesting note to read that Matt Stover originally turned down an offer to join the Browns once Dawson got hurt.
Wimbley Matches: Through five games, LB Kamerion Wimbley has four sacks. That equals the total number of sacks he had all of last season. He doesn't look like a Pro Bowler by any means, but the Rob Ryan has done a better job with timing the blitzes, and bringing pressure from more than just Wimbley's side to keep the offensive line off-guard.
Ugly Penalties: Dick Jauron should be fired. There is no excuse for that many penalties, especially that many false starts in your own stadium!
Brownies: How cool would it have been to see the Browns snap the ball before the Bills' timeout on the punt to end the third quarter...despite being doubtful, D'Qwell Jackson played and led the team in tackles...Mike Adams continues to be a great utility player...Trent Edwards is no Carson Palmer.

Up next, the Browns have the Pittsburgh Steelers. The rivalry doesn't seem as strong with our current losing streak against them, but I think all it will take is one win over them to finally get the blood boiling again. Who knows -- maybe a win against the Steelers will help define the "legacy" of Eric Mangini in Cleveland.

Previewing the Kansas City Chiefs 2009 Schedule: Week 15

Chris Thorman — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 20:12:05 -0000

More photos » by Tony Dejak - AP

3 months ago: Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn (10) passes the ball to Josh Cribbs for a first down under pressure from Tennessee Titans defensive end Dave Ball (98) during a preseason NFL football game at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

Browse more photos »

Week 15 brings the Cleveland Browns to Arrowhead Stadium. At this point in the season, and at this point in our predictions, we have the Kansas City Chiefs sitting on a record of 7-6.

Crazy? Yeah, it is a little crazy. But we are after all Chiefs fans, no?

If you're a casual follower of the Browns like I am, you know about Dante Stallworth and his legal issues. You've heard about the Brady Quinn v. Derek Anderson debate. And I'm assuming you know that Eric Mangini is now the head coach.

But beyond that I don't know that much. After the jump, SB Nation's Browns blogger Chris answers some of our questions about the Browns. I've also added the Browns' depth chart as of now for more reference.

Make sure you check out Dawgs by Nature for all things Cleveland Browns.

Pos	1st String (Starter)	2nd String (Backup)	3rd String
QB
RB	Jamal Lewis	Jerome Harrison	James Davis Cedric Peerman
FB	Lawrence Vickers
WR1	Braylon Edwards	Mohamed Massaquoi
WR2	Joshua Cribbs	Mike Furrey	Brian Robiskie
TE	Robert Royal	Steve Heiden	Martin Rucker
LT	Joe Thomas
LG	Eric Steinbach
C	Hank Fraley	Alex Mack
RG	Floyd Womack	Rex Hadnot
RT	John St. Clair	Phil Trautwein
Pos	1st String (Starter)	2nd String (Backup)	3ird String
DE	Kenyon Coleman	C.J. Mosley
NT	Shaun Rogers	Ahtyba Rubin
DE	Robaire Smith	Corey Williams
LOLB	Kamerion Wimbley
ILB	D'Qwell Jackson	David Veikune
ILB	Eric Barton	Kaluka Maiava	Blake Costanzo
ROLB	David Bowens	Alex Hall	Leon Williams
LCB	Eric Wright	Hank Poteat	Marquis Floyd
RCB	Brandon McDonald	Coye Francies	Gerard Lawson
FS	Brodney Pool	Mike Adams	DeAngelo Smith
SS	Abram Elam	Nick Sorensen
Pos	1st String (Starter)	2nd String (Backup)	3rd String
K	Phil Dawson
P	Dave Zastudil
H	Dave Zastudil
LS	Ryan Pontbriand
KR	Joshua Cribbs	Gerard Lawson	Jerome Harrison
PR	Joshua Cribbs	Gerard Lawson	Jerome Harrison

What do the Chiefs have to worry the most about...Jamal Lewis and the running game or Braylon Edwards and the passing game?

This question is tough to answer since our game isn't until Week 15, so I'll try to base my answer as if the Chiefs were facing the Browns earlier in the year. I'd definitely pick Braylon Edwards and the passing game. The media has automatically written off the Browns, but there is still some potency on the offensive side of the ball. Just two years ago, Derek Anderson and Edwards were Pro Bowlers. Sure, last season's struggles "might" have shown their true colors, but how can anyone guarantee that Edwards won't go back to having the same type of season he had in 2007? Brady Quinn will probably be the starting quarterback. Although he doesn't sling it as much as Anderson, Brian Daboll (the Browns offensive coordinator) would be foolish to leave out the deep patterns to Edwards.

On the other hand, the running game appears bound to struggle as long as Jamal Lewis is in the lineup. He had a down season last year and has not shown the same power he used to have throughout this year's training camp. Lewis claims he's just "holding back" for the regular season, but I think it comes down to him not having very much left in the tank anymore. Fans in Cleveland like our sixth-round draft pick James Davis at running back, but I'm not going to sit here and say that he's going to be awesome. He was great in the preseason, but the real evaluation will come when he's against first stringers in the regular season. This lack of assurance in the running game almost makes Edwards and the passing game more of a threat by default.

Will the Browns use Josh Cribbs as a WR more often? The Chiefs did that with Dante Hall and it seemed to ruin him in the return game. Any thoughts/concerns on that?

Not only should the Browns use Cribbs as a receiver more often, he should and will be starting opposite Edwards (according to our depth chart). He started in the preseason and did very well. I don't think you can compare Cribbs to Dante Hall or Devin Hester in their transitions to wide receiver because they have different styles. Hall and Hester rely more on elusiveness, whereas Cribbs finds the hole, powers through it and keeps on going. During the preseason, we saw several plays against first-stringers in which Cribbs caught the ball on a quick pattern towards the sideline and then stiff-armed the first cornerback he met before being taken down a little bit later by another defender. I know the Browns took Brian Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoi in round two this year, but if it were up to me, I'd shelve their growth and give Cribbs the starting opportunity -- I'm that intrigued by him.

The Chiefs are just transitioning to the 3-4 defense. Can you talk a little bit about what the Browns transition to the 3-4 was like a few years ago and how it stands now?

The transition was exciting at first. All we could think about is how our defense was going to be nasty like the Ravens defense. And then, something bad happened -- we saw Romeo Crennel's 3-4 defense in action. Ever since then, it's been a nightmare. We never generated any pressure. We never stopped the run. We never stood out from any other defense in the NFL. Most importantly, we barely had any of the type of players we needed for the system. Last year we acquired Shaun Rogers, but one man can only do so much. I think Mangini and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan have done a better job finding players that are comfortable with the 3-4 alignment, but we're several years into the defense and aren't even half as good as the Ravens' defense.

Many thanks to Chris for stopping by and giving us his answers! Read more about the Browns at Dawgs by Nature.

My prediction for this game is, let's say....17 to 13 in favor of our Chiefs. I don't think we'll have faith in this offense very often this year. Current record at this point: 8-6.

Check out all of our season game previews at this link.

Cleveland Browns Training Camp Report: Day 24 - Pool Absent, Foster Waived

Chris Pokorny — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:50:10 -0000

It doesn't really feel like training camp anymore, but a few sessions still remain. The team hit the field Monday for one of their final three public sessions; after that, everything will be closed off and geared especially towards preparing for the regular season. Rapid Reports indicates that only about 300 fans attended practice on Monday.

TRAINING CAMP REPORT - DAY 24 (8/24/09)

Pool's Injury: If you recall, S Brodney Pool left Saturday's exhibition game after getting dinged. Let's hope it wasn't a concussion, but it wasn't a good sign that he was no where to be found on the practice field Monday. The team did not offer any comment on his absence either. Veteran S Mike Adams took Pool's place on Monday. Safety Hamza Abdullah has a broken finger and sat out of practice too, so the roster odds of S Bret Lockett just shot up.
Getting Some Depth Soon: It was good news to hear that OL Rex Hadnot was out on the field again. He wasn't practicing, but him being on the stationary bike is an encouraging sign that he's on schedule to return from his MCL injury within the first few weeks of the season.
Goodbye Foster: The Browns waived offensive tackle George Foster after he had a disappointing camp. It was clearly evident why the former high draft pick could not stick around with other teams. This past Saturday, he completely failed to block a rusher that caused Brett Ratliff to get drilled and fumble the football.
Purcell Gone Too: After suffering an injury, DL Melila Purcell was waived/injured. If he clears waivers, he'll revert to the injured reserve. The team also released TE John Madsen, who rarely appeared in training camp reports.
Roster Replacements: With three people gone, three people were signed, presumably only to be waived in a few weeks too. They are OT Corey Hilliard, TE Nate Jackson, and S Tra Battle.
Massaquoi's Role: He got early reps in Saturday's preseason game, and rookie Mohamed Massaquoi was lined up opposite Braylon Edwards as the No. 2 receiver Monday. The race continues between him and Joshua Cribbs, with Mike Furrey likely seeing consistent action at No. 2 and No. 3.
QB Edge to Anderson: For Monday's session, Brady Quinn had some struggles while Derek Anderson was fine. On Quinn's first attempt in a game simulation, he was intercepted by S Mike Adams on a pass intended for TE Robert Royal. Later on, he had a pass batted away from DB Rod Hood. Anderson, on the other hand, was able to roll out and fire a touchdown pass to Mohamed Massaquoi. Later on, on perhaps the play of the day, he completed a 50-yard pass to Brian Robiskie. Robiskie laid out on the play to make the reception.
Bubble Watch: As Jerome Harrison continues to sit out with injuries, RB Noah Herron is doing well, seeing some action near the goal line in drills.

Monday's Links/Camp Sources

Pool absent, Hadnot spotted (Akron Beacon Journal, Ridenour)
QB leader in the clubhouse? None yet. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Cabot)

Browns Dominate Lions 20-0 in First Quarter, Go on to Win 27-10

Chris Pokorny — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 22:20:06 -0000

More photos » by David Richard - AP

3 months ago: Cleveland Browns' Josh Cribbs (16) heads for the end zone on a punt return for a touchdown against the Detroit Lions in the first quarter of an NFL preseason football game Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Browse more photos »

DETROIT LIONS (1-1)	GAME #2	CLEVELAND BROWNS (1-1)
	VS.
10		27

For once, I felt bad for the opposition. They don't know who their quarterback will be, they are turning the ball over, they can't stop the run very well, and they really don't have a great running back. They are last year's 0-16 Detroit Lions.

What I saw from the first overall pick in the draft, Matthew Stafford, was a complete mess. He was confused by our coverages numerous times, making it easy to bait him into dangerous throws. When our defense did leave a few players wide open, Stafford horribly overthrew them. You expect a rookie to take some time to adjust to the league, but no where near as bad as Stafford was.

That was good news for the Browns' defense though, because it gave our players the opportunity to build some confidence and quickly get the ball back into the hands of our offense. In the end, the result was almost a complete 180 from last week's debacle against the Green Bay Packers.

PRESEASON GAME 2 - LIONS VS. BROWNS (GENERAL THOUGHTS)

Preseason Game Ball - It's Time to Pay Up: Besides making progress as a wide receiver, Joshua Cribbs is just too good in the return game. If Eric Mangini wanted Cribbs to prove to him that he was worthy of a raise, then Cribbs is doing a heck of a job showing off his abilities. On the first play of the game, Cribbs returned the kickoff for a touchdown, disproving my theory that returners would have a tougher time this season without a wedge.

The play was brought back due to a phantom holding call on Abram Elam, but I'll live with that in the preseason since it gave our offense an early look on the field. In his next opportunity, coming on a punt return, Cribbs shifted through the defense and was off for an 84-yard touchdown.
The Truth on Derek Anderson: Did we learn anything new on Derek Anderson? Not really. He definitely played better than he did the previous week, and part of that had to do with making quicker decisions. Anderson was assisted by the playcalling of offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who tailored the playbook to Anderson's strengths. This was Anderson, for the most part, at his best -- but we already knew he could make these plays.
The Struggles of Derek Anderson: If you're a new reader, don't get me wrong -- I like Anderson and wouldn't be ticked off if he was the opening day starter. But you can't call his performance perfect when he missed a wide open Braylon Edwards down the sideline. A better throw would've resulted in a long touchdown, and would've prevented the need for a long third down play (which Anderson did convert on).

Then during the two-minute drill, Anderson could only find RB James Davis on some dumpoffs. His lack of touch on short throws proved to be a weakness when his extra-high pass to Davis was tipped and intercepted by the Lions, allowing them to kick a field goal just before half-time. Anderson also had a play earlier in which he had no touch, firing a quick slant to Edwards either into the ground, or low and behind him for an incompletion.
Quinn - Fine From What We Saw: At least Brady Quinn didn't tank during his limited action at quarterback. I did not agree with Quinn being inserted on a 3rd-and-1 play to start the second quarter. Anderson started that drive, and at the very least, Anderson should have stayed in until the chains were moved. He started with a nice 24-yard completion to Brian Robiskie, but then the play-calling became much more conservative with an emphasis on the run and throwing short passes on third down.

John St. Clair didn't help Quinn's cause with a few penalties to set the drive back. Quinn was OK, but in no way can you look at this game and saw that Quinn lost his shot at the starting role. At best, you can say that Anderson did enough not to have Quinn be named the starter immediately following the game.
Lewis on the Ground: Looking at the stat sheet, Jamal Lewis had another low-carry average, having 3.3 yards per carry on seven attempts. I don't see this as him struggling though; that is Jamal Lewis. Remember that throughout his career, minus the times he just obliterated the Browns as a member of the Ravens, he made his mark by pounding away and staying strong during the second half of the game.
Davis' Stock Back Up: It's been about two weeks now since the James Davis show has had some highlights, but his 81-yard touchdown run changed that. It was a simple give-up call on 3rd-and-12 just before the end of the fourth-quarter -- a quick pump fake by Brett Ratliff, followed by the delayed draw handoff to Davis.

Davis shot through the line and the safeties overcommitted to the inside, allowing Davis to make a nice juke move to the outside where he then had the help of blocking from two Browns receivers. Davis then kicked it into another gear, outracing everyone to the end zone. Davis claims that it was the longest run he's had in his football career.

Rookie RB James Davis runs for an 81-yard touchdown.

Taking Advantage: DB Eric Wright took advantage of Stafford's inexperience and of the Lions' lack of healthy receivers when he intercepted the Lions' first pass of the game. His return went for about 5 yards on the stat sheet, but ended up taking him a whole football field to get that. I hate the pesky celebration penalty after the fact, but I guess a rule is a rule.
Ivy, Poteat, Francies: It was a great day to be a Browns cornerback, that's for sure. Between the three players listed in the subtitle, Corey Ivy had the most notable plays. He lit up one of the Lions' receivers on a third-and-short pass, and was also in on the tackle that caused a fumble at the start of the third quarter (Mike Adams had the recovery).

Hank Poteat had several nice plays, notably an interception near the sideline that didn't count after his hip fell just a bit out of bounds. Coye Francies, the rookie, had some tight coverage again. He left for a play or two with a hip injury, and returned on a play where he wasn't in press coverage and gave up a first down.
Quiet Night for Tight Ends: I'm not going to complain here, because I'd rather see our backs and receivers in the preseason over our tight ends. It was nice to see Steve Heiden back for his first game, catching a 20-yard pass from Derek Anderson. To see him in on a double tight end set with the first-string unit provides hope that he won't be a roster casualty.
Vickers With the Assist: I saw more of our fullbacks tonight, particularly Lawrence Vickers early on. He hit several of his blocks very well, paving some lanes open for Lewis, including on his touchdown run in the first quarter. We haven't heard much about Vickers this camp, but I believe he's still an intregal part of our running attack.

QB Derek Anderson celebrates in belief that he has won the quarterback competition (in reality, this was him celebrating Davis' TD run)

Backup QB's: I'm still not very impressed with Brett Ratliff, although our second-string offensive line is not very good in protection. Richard Bartel had his opportunity, but blew his chance when he just barely overthrew an open Lance Leggett deep down the field. I didn't get to see enough of Bartel this camp to have an opinion of him, but he'll probably be cut after the third preseason game when rosters are trimmed to 75.
Furrey & Edwards: You can just tell that our third-down offense is going to be built around Mike Furrey after these first two preseason games. Even when we're in third-and-long situations, we're throwing the ball to him on short routes to see if he can break them open. he's not that type of player, but I'd imagine that for the preseason, those are really practice situations to focus on getting him the ball on "3rd-and-7", even if it's really a "3rd-and-15". Braylon Edwards had a catch -- nothing special, but at least the talk of the drop from Green Bay can die down for another week.
Ticket Sales? The Browns are doing their 4 hot dogs, 4 drinks, 4 tickets for $99 deal again for this weekend's game against the Titans. I bet the Browns sell a few more of those packages than they did for the Lions game. A good outing at home can do that.
Bernie Ripping on Brown: Announcer Bernie Kosar really ripped on Lions sixth-round RB Aaron Brown. Once a year, there is always a player on the opposing team in the preseason that gets on Kosar's nerves. I look forward to who that player is, and boy did Kosar rip into Brown. It started after Brown took a handoff on 3rd-and-6 out of bounds for a gain of four, rather than staying in bounds to fight for the extra yardage.

A few plays later on a pass play, Brown scurried out of bounds to avoid contact. (roughly transcribed) "This Brown just doesn't appear to like contact. That is not going to show up well for him in the film room or for when any teams in the league are looking for a free agent running back." Then on the Browns' series, Kosar notes that veteran Ryan Tucker is still in the game. "13 years Ryan has been in this league, and he's one of the toughest guys I know...definitely Aaron Brown on the other side of the spectrum from TCU...he's not even close to that type of toughness the way he runs out of bounds." I might be snoozing in the second half of preseason games if it weren't for Bernie.
Special Teams & Kaluka Maiava: I'll give him this own category this week because I'm running out of fresh sub-titles. Maiava had two early special teams tackles and made some positive plays defensively. Also having a good play on special teams was veteran LB Blake Costanzo. I know Gerard Lawson is backing up Cribbs as a returner, but I can't see him making the team again.
This Week's Marcus Benard: ...is DB Bret Lockett. Lockett saw some action with the first-string defense and made several individual one-on-one tackles. That ability intrigues me, even to the point where I now might change my mind and want to keep him over backup S Nick Sorensen (who did have a nice block on Cribbs' punt return TD). I had no idea where LB Marcus Benard was this week, as I didn't hear his name mentioned once. I have to imagine he didn't even play.
Down on Foster: I'm not at all impressed by the play of George Foster. He's even rivaling Isaac Sowells when it comes to down performances. Foster was responsible for Ratliff's fumble in the third quarter, a play that led to Lions QB Drew Stanton throwing a touchdown on his first play.
Cleaning Up the Penalties: On special teams, the Browns had one too many penalties, negating a few nice punts by Dave Zastudil and Cribbs' first touchdown return. As good as the game was as a whole, we'll have a few players running laps for their mistakes.
Brownies: LB Kamerion Wimbley played well early, as did MLB Eric Barton, who made a nice play on the ball dropping back into coverage and drilled Stafford on a free blitz...RB Chris Jennings came close to blocking a punt on two consecutive possessions.
Final Word: Thanks for being a footnote, Shaun Smith.

Eric Mangini has a decision to make. Starting quarterbacks are usually named by the third preseason game, but based on our first two games, you can't really say one player outplayed the other. It should really come down to how the quarterbacks have done overall in training camp, and most importantly, who Mangini has more faith in to lead the type of offense he wants the Browns to run. If he wants mistake-free football, Quinn should be the guy. If he wants the high risk/high reward route, maybe it's Anderson.

NOTE: To all fantasy football DBN players, remember that the draft is at 9 PM EST tonight!

Here is the roll call of who participated in the game thread, with rufio and myself having the most to say...

Roll Call: kjc, doggrad87, dergru, Roger Dorn, BradyQuinnisBeast, rufio, gahnki, skipkirk, rockybrown, ChrisPokorny, irish1083, nickjs21, woodsmeister, danzig, dohior, JustBob, aufrank, BrownDawg1409, Bernie19Kosar, Juannieboy
Total Users: 20
Total Posts: 294
Total Threads: 1

Name	# of Posts
rufio	59
ChrisPokorny	59
Roger Dorn	35
JustBob	23
woodsmeister	19
gahnki	17
BradyQuinnisBeast	17
BrownDawg1409	13
rockybrown	10
skipkirk	10
Juannieboy	8
irish1083	6
aufrank	5
nickjs21	4
dergru	3
kjc	2
doggrad87	1
Bernie19Kosar	1
dohior	1
danzig	1

Cleveland Browns Training Camp Report: Day 18 (Morning) - Alex Mack Plays Some Guard

Chris Pokorny — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 22:16:31 -0000

More photos » by Mark Duncan - AP

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Braylon Edwards makes a great catch over defensive back Corey Ivy during practice Tuesday morning.

Browse more photos »

Thank you WKYC and the Cleveland Browns. With a possible blackout looming in the Cleveland area for this weekend's Great Lakes Classic, WKYC and the Browns came to an agreement to eat the cost of the 4,500 or so unsold tickets.

Two practices were scheduled for the Browns today. There was a threat of rain in the morning, but the drops never came. Let's get to the recap...

TRAINING CAMP REPORT - DAY 18 [MORNING] (8/18/09)

Get Out of ~~Jail~~ Practice Free Card: It was unusual to see Joe Thomas absent from the field this morning. No worries for our star left tackle though -- apparently he received a non-transferable "day off from practice" card for exceptional work in offseason conditioning programs. Thomas cashed in this morning. It actually gave Mangini the opportunity to move some players around for experience purposes. Eric Steinbach worked at left tackle while Alex Mack worked at left guard and Hank Fraley worked at center for the first team.
New RB, LB Waived: The Browns waived LB Phillip Hunt. Taking his place is RB Chris Jennings, who is 5-10, 218 pounds from the University of Arizona. He has spent some time in the CFL. Jennings had some reps in practice, showing some effectiveness.
Cribbs' Stock Stays High: Continuing to make plays, Joshua Cribbs caught a 45-yard touchdown pass against CB Eric Wright. Credit to QB Brett Ratliff on the play too though, because he needed a perfect pass to beat Wright's near-perfect coverage. Cribbs also ran a nice route to fool DB Gerard Lawson.
Anderson Struggles in No Huddle: It wasn't a good no huddle 11-on-11 drill for Derek Anderson, who went 0-for-4 in his attempt. Part of the problem, according to Dawg Scooper, is that Anderson failed to read two cornerback blitzes pre-snap. He was sacked in both instances -- once by Hank Poteat and once by Brandon McDonald. Quinn fared better, going 6-of-6 for 51 yards.
Mangini Upset at Quinn: To end practice, a drill was put in place where 50 seconds were on the clock and the quarterbacks started at their own 25-yard line. In the situation, the score was supposed to be a tie score, 17-17. On Quinn's first pass, he threw an interception to CB Brandon McDonald who took it for a pick six. The pass was intended for Braylon Edwards, but it was no where near him. After the play, Edwards and Quinn deemed that there was a miscommunication between the two.
Same Drill With Anderson: The drill didn't go any better for Anderson. With 50 seconds to work with, the first play was an in-bounds, 8-yard completion to Brian Robiskie that drained the clock. After a few penalties on the drive, it ended with a punt.
Play of the Day: WR Braylon Edwards made a nice 30-yard catch over CB Corey Ivy near the sideline, able to keep his feet in bounds.
Onside Kick Executed...Somewhat: K Phil Dawson executed an onside kick, as it went the proper distance and was grabbed on one bounce by S Mike Adams. However, it wouldn't have counted since a member of the kicking team was offsides.
Injury Notes: DL Shaun Rogers, LB David Bowens, OL Ryan Tucker, RB Jerome Harrison and WR David Patten rode the exercise bikes.

The Browns will hit the field later tonight for an evening session.

Tuesday Morning's Links/Camp Sources

Tuesday 8/18 Practice (Dawg Scooper, Wolf)
Tuesday AM: Mangini lets loose (Akron Beacon Journal, Ridenour)
Tuesday camp notes (Orange and Brown Report, Greetham)
Browns game will be televised this weekend (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Grossi)