Dawgs By Nature

Box Score
Team	1	2	3	4	Final
	0	0	7	7	14
	0	19	0	0	19

The Bengals didn't do a whole lot to beat the Browns 19-14. In fact, just about the only thing they did was not drop the interceptions Derek Anderson threw in the two-minute drill to close out the first half. This game was all about Anderson making questionable decisions all game long. Whether it be because of the flu, the windy conditions, or a psychological issue, Anderson didn't bring his "A-game" when the Browns needed it most. Now, we are at the mercy of the outcome of the Tennessee Titans vs. Indianapolis Colts contest this Sunday to determine whether or not the players on our 53-man roster will need to bother suiting up again at the beginning of 2008.

The goats of the game were clear this time around...

Goats of the Game (Cost Us The Clincher)

1. Derek Anderson: This one hurt, and was a step backwards for all of the progress Anderson has made this year. Don't get the wrong impression; by no means am I calling for Brady Quinn. Anderson's constant throws into zone coverage reminded me of the throws he was making against the Oakland Raiders earlier this season. After that game, Anderson improved on his decision-making in regards to throwing over the middle. I guess it's hard to erase those tendencies completely in one season, because they came back to haunt him again against the Bengals. The ones that hurt even more came down near the red zone in the second half when we could've rallied to win. Twice on first down plays, he tried to force a ball into the end zone rather than remaining patient.
2. Dave Zastudil: In the first quarter, the Browns were set to attempt a long field goal with wild winds swirling in Paul Brown Stadium. Dawson and Zastudil were waiting until the last possible second for the wind to die down, but that moment never came. When the ball was snapped, Zastudil lost the handle on it, and the red-hot Dawson couldn't even get an attempt off. If Dawson had drilled the kick, you never know if we would've been in position to kick a game-winner at the end.

Awarding Game Balls (Fighting Until The End)

1.  
2. Leigh Bodden: Maybe the only thing Bodden needed heading into another matchup was for people not to talk about him. The last several times the Bengals and Browns have squared off, a big deal has been made about the battle between Bodden and Chad Johnson. This time around, I hardly heard a word about it, and Bodden played perhaps the best game of his career. He recorded two interceptions, both of them requiring nifty adjustments at the last second, and also broke up a would-be touchdown to Johnson in the first half.
3. Braylon Edwards: Edwards' 14th touchdown of the season broke the team record, and his 15th of the season extended his record a step further. It's a shame that Edwards' 40+ yard catch on the final drive of the game was brought back due to a push off penalty, because it could've set the Browns up for a victory. Anderson has maintained his ability to use Edwards' body to his advantage; now he needs to go back to doing the same for Kellen Winslow and Joe Jurevicius.

General Thoughts (Random Tidbits on the Game)

1. 
2. Two Minutes in Hell: There has never been a more frustrating first-half two-minute span than the one Anderson had against the Bengals. A claim can be made on both occasions that he was trying to throw to a receiver that was fairly open deeper or shorter down the field, but the throws were so off that it's impossible to figure out exactly what he was looking at. His ineffectiveness in the drill was surprising, because if there's an area where Anderson has been 100% money this season, it has been during the two-minute drill. After his first pick though, I don't agree with Anderson attempting a pass on a similar play -- either go deep down the field, or go into the locker room and regroup.
3. Too Cute: I wasn't very happy with the timing of a lot of offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski's playcalling. It wasn't necessarily the plays that were being called, but the fact that he kept calling for Anderson to throw the ball in the first half when Jamal Lewis was running the ball effectively seemed to spell out that we were trying to be too cute with the playcalling. The Bengals were waiting for Anderson to throw the ball on too many occasions, and Chudzinski -- by virtue of giving Lewis 21 carries instead of something closer to 30 carries -- failed to capitalize.
4. Quiet But Clutch: I was prepared to call it a failed effort for linebacker Andra Davis in terms of making an impact for two straight games, but he stripped Bengals running back Kenny Watson of the football with just under two minutes to play in the game. Had the Browns won, Davis' strip would've meant more of course, but the fact remains that his noteworthy plays the past two weeks have been a step forward.
5. 
6. Chinedum Ndukwe: Is it really possible that a rookie safety, Chinedum Ndukwe, played a major role in the Browns failing to clinch a playoff spot? Too many times a big deal is made when a team is without their starting safeties, but this is already the second time this season that backup defensive backs have actually plagued Anderson. Anderson had trouble finding success early a few weeks ago against the Arizona Cardinals, who were without Antrel Rolle. This week, Ndukwe intercepted two passes, nearly taking one of them the distance.
7. Medicine Tasted Bitter: I suppose Shayne Graham's two successful field goals can be looked at as giving the Browns a test of our own medicine in terms of how the Buffalo Bills felt last week. Last week, Dawson's first field goal was good despite a big wind, and his second field goal was from longer distance and hit off a portion of the post (although, it was cleanly through). Graham's first kick was good despite a big wind, and his second kick ricochet off the top of the right goalpost and through the right side.
8. Durability On D-Line: Already twice this season I've heard that the Browns were down to four defensive linemen in a game, and against the Bengals we only had three down linemen to work with. Of course the coaching staff can't expect injuries to occur, when they keep happening to guys like Ethan Kelley and Orpheus Roye on a weekly basis, it makes you question why we're activating an extra linebacker on gameday instead of an extra defensive lineman. The lack of a rotation helped pave the way for Watson's 130 yards on 30 carries against us.
9. Cover It Up: Aggressiveness is part of Joshua Cribbs' nature on returns and the reason he was named to the Pro Bowl for the AFC. However, when you have five guys trying to take you down on a punt return in weather like this, you'd better have both arms wrapped around the football rather than trying to stiff arm somebody. Luckily, Cribbs' magical season continued, as he was able to reach out and grab his own fumble despite several defenders sitting on his back.
10. Change of Pace: The one thing Chudzinski did do well was insert Jason Wright into the game after he had already established Lewis on certain drives. Wright found the holes quickly, as he scampered for 38 yards on 3 carries and also had 3 catches for 34 yards.
11. 
12. Statistically Better, Impactually Not: While Kellen Winslow's seven catches for 73 yards look fair ok paper, this was far from a standout game for Winslow because of the plays he was involved with that Anderson couldn't connect with him on. On the Browns' first drive of the second half, Anderson's low throw to Winslow in the back corner of the end zone prevented him from coming up with the ball, resulting in an interception. On Anderson's final interception of the game, Anderson fired a pass near the left side of the field by the end zone towards Winslow. I know Winslow wasn't at fault for the play, but if the defender was standing their so long, I have to wonder if Winslow could've done a better job breaking the play up rather than acting like the ball would drop into his arms. Lastly, on the final play of the game, Anderson could not hook up with a rather open Winslow sprinting down the middle of the field. Again, not necessarily the fault of Winslow, but the "impact connections" to him weren't successful.
13. You're a Monster: It was a scary sight to see defensive tackle Shaun Smith screaming at the Bengals' sideline -- he had me intimidated just watching at home. I'm not saying I condone crazy behavior, but at least it was someone showing some emotion on the Browns' defense for a change. I still think the Browns need to pursue a big-time nose tackle in the offseason, but Smith is definitely a keeper either as a backup or a temporary defensive end.
14. It Always Works: Doesn't it seem like the plays involving Joshua Cribbs on offense always work, even when it's quite obvious he's going to get the ball? The Browns have been successful on offense, but surely there's a way we can use Cribbs' ability more to our advantage? If teams aren't stopping the plays designed for him, keep running them. And, if they start pursuing him, shouldn't that create more opportunities for Edwards, Winslow, or Lewis? I'm sure Cribbs would be far more capable of drawing a crowd than Tim Carter.
15. Now, We Wait: This loss was on the Browns, because the Bengals did not do close to enough in my book to warrant an NFL victory. Now, we've put ourselves in position to hope for the Indianapolis Colts to build an early lead against the Tennessee Titans this Sunday night. Vince Young and the Titans' offense have struggled often this year, and it'd be great to see some of the Colts' talented backups make some plays.
16. Brownies: Why did the Bengals run DeDe Dorsey on the first play of the game, but not at all after that? Eric Wright had one of his quiet, but solid games again. If you don't create turnovers and your name isn't mentioned much, it usually means you had sound coverage. Did Derek Anderson have the flu? I say even if he did have it, it'd be too tough to name Brady Quinn the starter all of a sudden for one week unless Anderson was so weak that he couldn't even lift his arm up. I believe if the Browns would've recovered Glenn Holt's fumble on the kickoff to start the game, we would've probably blown Cincinnati out of the water.

Last week, I stated that the game against the Bengals was a must win if the Browns wanted to make things easy in terms of clinching a playoff spot. They lost though, ruining the hopes and holiday spirits of Cleveland Browns fans across the country. I've been anxious all week for Sunday to come -- not to watch the Browns play, but to watch the Colts take down the Titans. For the first time in a regular season game this year, it doesn't matter if the Browns win 50-0 or get blown out of the water by Shaun Hill and the 49ers. Our fate rests in the hands of how long Tony Dungy plays his starters and how well the Colts' backup defensive players handle Vince Young. GO COLTS!!!

Box Score
Team	1	2	3	4	Final
	0	0	0	0	0
	3	5	0	0	8

The last game with blizzard-like conditions in Cleveland came two years ago, when the Browns were shut out by the San Diego Chargers 21-0. That was a game where it was fun to watch the teams play in the snow for a quarter or two, but the feeling of being blown out deflated the excitement after halftime. Last week against the Buffalo Bills, things were different. In a game where only eight points were scored, the Browns kept us on the edge of our seats for four quarters as our road to the playoffs got a little bit closer.

Who were the shining stars in the snow? Or the goats of the game? Let's find out...

Awarding Game Balls (Flourishing in the Snow)

1. 
2. Phil Dawson: For the second straight week in a row, Dawson is receiving a game ball. His 35-yard field goal was difficult enough with a swirling wind in the stadium. As soon as he made that kick, you could hear Cleveland Browns Stadium going crazy, and I'm sure thousands of households in Cleveland and around the country (to all of you Browns Backers) sensed that the momentum was with the Browns. When Romeo Crennel sent Dawson out for a 49-yard kick, I thought he was a little crazy to think that he could make it. However, since the Bills were struggling to do anything offensively, I was pretty confident that the Bills wouldn't have been able to capitalize on good field position. Dawson drove his kick the way a high-school kid would on a mere 30-yard field goal attempt. Whether it be by a miracle or simply by pure talent, Dawson's kick went through and hit the "Dawson Bar" on the way. Peter King called his kick "Vinatieri-esque". If the Browns go far this season, that'll be on the highlight reels before he attempts a game-winning/tying kick in the postseason.
3. Jamal Lewis: This game wasn't about touchdowns -- it was about Lewis making another statement to opposing defenses around the NFL. Lewis carried the ball 33 times for 163 yards, continuing to look like a man that has never been bothered by any form of leg injuries. It was a slow start for Lewis this week, but with an offensive coordinator that is not afraid to keep feeding him, the former Baltimore Raven is determined to continue alleviating pressure off of Derek Anderson and our defense. With the weight of the world on his shoulders, Lewis has stepped up to the challenge this year.

Goats of the Game (What Are You Doing?)

1. Kellen Winslow: As much as I like Winslow, he had his third consecutive below average game with only two catches for 28 yards. Derek Anderson's throws could have been better in some cases, but "K2" is supposed to be an exceptional threat on any given down. Lewis and Braylon Edwards are making their impacts on games down the stretch; it's time for Winslow to make his.
2. Jason Wright: I couldn't really think of another player with a significant negative, so I chose Wright because I can twist one of his plays in a way that makes it seem significant. When the Browns were driving in the first quarter, Anderson was being pressured on third down. He pumped once to Wright in the flat, and then was forced to throw it at his back in the flat. In those type of weather conditions, Wright took too long to get his head around and recognize the situation. Perhaps if he had caught it and ran a little, we could've gone in for an eventual touchdown instead of a field goal.

General Thoughts (Random Tidbits on the Game)

1. 
2. First Time for Everything: Andra Davis had his best game as a Brown in years. Tying for the team lead with six tackles, Davis was noted for making all of the plays in the backfield for once. It started early on in the game with a delayed blitz hit on Bills quarterback Trent Edwards. In a game where everyone seemed to be moving at a slower pace, Davis, for whatever reason, was running like he was on regular grass. I don't believe this is a sign of things to come for Davis, but if it is, it would be a much-needed boost to our linebacking corp.
3. Doesn't Have to Be Pretty: There are two different types of snow games: the one in Pittsburgh, where the pass defenses were at a disadvantage, and then the one in Cleveland, were the pass defenses were at an advantage. That's why Derek Anderson's completion percentage of 37.5% of his passes wasn't pretty, but it was bearable. Alarmingly, several of Anderson's first few throws were almost intercepted -- the same trend he has developed for weeks now.
4. Deflected, Inter...CAUGHT!: The subtitle sums up what play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson stated when Anderson's pass over the middle bounced off of Edwards and into the hands of Joe Jurevicius, who then scampered for a gain of 25 yards. Color announcer Steve Tasker also pointed out that teams should never have two receivers in the same spot. That's true, but by the deflection going right to Jurevicius when there were about four Bills in the area, it's another sign that things went the Browns' way all game long.
5. Extremely Fortunate: Boy, the Browns caught a huge break when Bills tight end Michael Gaines dropped a pass over the middle in the fourth quarter when he was wide open. Based on the replay, if Gaines had caught the pass, he would've had a free scamper to the end zone unless one of our defensive backs could've caught up to him.
6. Safeties All Around: Not only did the Browns score via a safety when Brian Moorman kicked an overthrown snap out of the end zone, each of our safeties on defense had a noteworthy play. When Marshawn Lynch broke a 29-yard run in the first half, only one defender stood in his way: Brodney Pool. Pool kept his ground, conceded a few extra yards intentionally, and made a sure-tackle. Also in the first half, when a Bills' receiver leaped to try and grab an overthrown pass near the end zone, Sean Jones planted him as the ball went by.
7. Heartbreak Confusion: For the second week in a row, after the Browns had dominated a game, our defense almost caused us "heartbreak confusion". In other words, our hearts would've been ripped out of our chests out of no where. Contrary to last week though, our defense wasn't at fault as much. Edwards made a few nice throws, although I didn't like the fact that we put Brandon McDonald into single coverage on Lee Evans on the second instance. The Bills didn't have time to run draw plays at that point, and Edwards had had trouble completing passes in double coverage all game long.
8. Felt Their Pain: Granted, I was laughing when the Bills threw a screen pass on fourth down to end the game. Still, I can imagine the pain and how irate Bills fans must have been after that call. Their season was on the line, and they ran a play that even if it would've gotten them a first down, they wouldn't have had time to run another play. It was touchdown or nothing, and when the field gets smaller, especially in the snow, down near the red zone, the chances of scoring on that play were slim to none.
9. Time of Possession: This goes out to a few of those Bills fans that thought their running game would keep our offense off the field. Time of possession: 28:13 (Buffalo) and 31:47 (Cleveland). Without snow, I don't think the Bills' offense would've struggled as much, but I think the Browns would've won by double digits.
10. Changes in Rankings: It's nice to see the Browns finally move away from being the team to have given up the most points in the NFL all season. After being ranked 32nd in the league just about every week, the Browns moved up to 29th in points allowed. We're still last in total defense, but we did move from 30th to 29th in pass defense. With a struggling Bengals offense and a questionable 49ers offense (since they look better under Shaun Hill), it'd be nice for the Browns to finish around the 25th mark across the board.
11. Punters on Their Game: I can't bash a punter for having a couple of miscued punts in the snow. Overall, neither punter did a bad job. In fact, each punter had three of their seven punts downed inside the 20-yard line, and they each also had one downed around the two-yard line. Moorman executed a fake punt beautifully in the first half, and Zastudil nearly punted the ball behind him once when he slipped. I wonder if that has ever happened?
12. 
13. Returning at the Wright Time: None of our defensive backs had a bad game against the Bills, including the retuning Eric Wright. Seeing Wright back on the field was a positive sign, because we'll need him this week against the duo of Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Brandon McDonald had his first "blunder" if you'd like to call it that, as he slipped in single coverage as the game was about to end, allowing Evans to catch a pass around the 15-yard line.
14. Oven Mitt: Where can I get one of Horse Balls' oven mitts? That should be a new trend in the NFL. Another note on Anderson while I'm at it -- he seemed to cut down on the aggressiveness of his throws in the second half. The Browns established a game of field position and were confident that they could keep it up for the remainder of the game.

15. Brownies: Another dumb plays for the Bills was on their wide receiver reverse run. That play is supposed to develop slow, but quick at the same time. The momentum was gone for the Bills' Josh Reed to have been able to suddenly turn up field without one of our defenders catching him. Andra Davis blew up the play, by the way. I didn't want to see Jerome Harrison in the snow. I'm still nervous about him fumbling the ball, especially in the snow. Orpheus Roye wasn't missed this week, but I still want him available to close out the season. Credit to the fans at the stadium who were pumped up throughout the entire game, and also chanting to pump up our defense at the end.

As big as the game against the Bills was, the Bengals game this week suddenly looks like a bigger one. We've always had trouble stopping Carson Palmer, and the Tennessee Titans are favored to win their final two games. If that's the case, then the Browns must win this week, otherwise they will have no shot at making the postseason. The Browns have had a lot of bright spots all season long -- toughing out another road win is the last thing we can ask for (until the postseason, of course).

Box Score
Team	1	2	3	4	Final
	0	7	7	10	24
	0	3	3	12	18

About once a year, I will watch a Browns game and three hours later, I almost get a "that's it?" type of feeling. That's what happened this past Sunday against the New York Jets for the most part. Up until Jamal Lewis' fourth quarter run, which energized the entire city of Cleveland, I felt like it was basically a bye week for the Browns. Maybe it was due to the fact that we were playing our second straight game beyond 4:00 PM EST, or maybe it was because of the incredibly boring first half of football we were forced to watch. Either way, after a bizarre, almost sickening ending to the game, the thing that counts is that the Browns came away with a road victory and are one game closer to clinching a postseason berth.

A win brings out the game balls first this week, followed by the goats of the game...

Awarding Game Balls (Coming Through in the Clutch)

1. Jamal Lewis: I mentioned it in the introduction: Jamal Lewis' 31-yard scamper on third down at the end of the game had me leaping from my crouched position after a game that seemed to go by within an hour. Overall, it was another solid game for the veteran running back, who went over the 100-yard mark in December's first game. He's also developing a knack for catching touchdowns too. Originally I didn't want a big back like Lewis handling Anderson's throws, but to my surprise I don't think he's dropped hardly any of the passes that are sent his way.
2. Phil Dawson: After my "unsung hero" piece following Sunday's game, this one really shouldn't come as a surprise. Dawson answered some of his critics by killing a 49-yard kick through the uprights while it was raining at the Meadowlands. Without being too repetitive, without his successful kick, you never know how the outcome of the game could/could not have changed.

Goats of the Game (Hide From the Media)

1. Daven Holly: I'm looking forward to getting Eric Wright back sooner than later. It's not that Holly has played bad, but he's often giving up first downs even if he's playing his man well. While Laveranues Coles deserves all of the credit in the world for going out and playing as physical as he could with an ankle injury, there were instances in which Holly was still pretty much dominated in the finer aspects of the game -- primarily stopping Coles from getting a first down in third-and-five type of situations.
2. Todd Grantham: That was downright embarrassing to see the Jets hustle their way to a touchdown late in the fourth quarter while our defense could barely get back to the line of scrimmage. We were giving up 15-yard draw plays to Thomas Jones at will at that point, and when Kellen Clemons hurried to the line of scrimmage, he was able to walk up the middle for a touchdown. Grantham needed to call something to improve the defense's tempo at that point, and he clearly didn't.

General Thoughts (Random Tidbits on the Game)

1. Cribbs on Offense: I usually start off every week's "general thoughts" section with my opinion of Derek Anderson. Considering I stated that this didn't feel like a normal game, why bother with a normal review? Besides Lewis, I was also moderately amused to see Cribbs involved twice on offense. Why not start incorporating him into the gameplan more if teams aren't going to kick it to him? Cribbs ran a pitch play for a few yards and was upended, and then held on to an 18-yard pass from Anderson over the middle despite taking a shot from Jets safety Kerry Rhodes.
2. Told You So: Does anyone find it funny that the one week I happened to suggest that Chaun Thompson be brought on a blitz, he recorded a sack (he was only credited with half a sack). Beyond Thomson though, Leon Williams had one of his better games of the season in seeing more playing time than Andra Davis did. Williams recorded 1.5 sacks and was in coverage when the Jets failed to a convert a two-point attempt to tight end Chris Baker. Speaking of which, who attempts a fade pass to a 258-pound tight end that isn't in the same league as guys like Kellen Winslow, Antonio Gates, or Tony Gonzalez?
3. Deju Vu: It seemed like an early repeat performance of the Cardinals from Anderson after firing a pass towards the direction of Kellen Winslow right before the end of the first quarter. Anderson was intercepted by Rhodes, who is the Jets' lone defensive player I said Anderson needed to stay away from prior to the game starting. Like Anderson does though, he was able to rebound to the point where he again posted above average numbers on gameday.
4. Harrison Sighting: Wha...wha..what was that? A Jerome Harrison sighting? The tale of the mysterious undersized running back that comes off the bench every month or so to break off a couple of energetic run before being sent back to the catacombs.
5. McDonald's Brilliance: Brandon McDonald is looking like the team's best cornerback since returning to the league if you're basing the decision on his first three games. McDonald had tight coverage when Clemons threw his direction, and he also showed tremendous body control and awareness on a turnaround-interception. I can't decide yet whether or not I want to risk moving him into a starting role, because he has really flourished as the nickel back on the outside.
6. 0-for-9: While it's not an official tracking, it's probably pretty close. In case you're wondering, I'm referring to the succession rate of Anderson to (Tim) Carter on the deep ball. You might as well call it a waste of an offensive play at this point.
7. Goal Line Stand: If I hadn't awarded Dawson the second game ball, I would have given it to Sean Jones for his interception on the goal line in the second quarter following Anderson's interception. Jones' pick was preceded by the Browns stuffing Thomas Jones twice in a row after it looked like he was ready to plunge into the end zone on both carries.
8. Quiet Yet Effective: Braylon Edwards only had three catches against the Jets, but each one was equally effective and critical in victory. His first one involved a fourth-down fade pattern that he leaped in the air to grab -- not an easy catch by any means. The second came on a pass over the middle that he eventually took for a 45-yard gain (before Rhode ripped the ball away from him as it fell out of bounds). The final catch came when he stabbed a pass off the shoulder pad of Darrelle Revis for his 13th touchdown of the season.
9. Nugent is Money: Granted, I would've loved for Mike Nugent to shank a kick against the Browns, but he was automatic against us as he has typically been in his young career. The Browns have faced two special teams demons from the Ohio State Buckeyes this year; Nugent takes the individual battle over Ted Ginn Jr.
10. Onside Mania: I've never seen a team attempt so many onside kicks in the span of a few minutes. Officially, it was three attempts, but if you count the penalty, it was four. The Browns failed to get the first one after Brad Smith's fine leaping ability, but Joe Jurevicius came through with the other two recoveries. It makes sense for the receiver with the best hands on the team to be the focal point of the "hands" team, right?
11. Exchange of Philosophies: Eric Mangini's decisions at the end of the game were debatable. Personally, I agreed with his first decision to kick the field goal. However, after that, he should've kicked the ball deep and hoped for his defense to stop the Browns and get the ball back. Then, the Jets would've had fairly good field position against a defense that has failed to close out games in the proper ways this season. On the other hand, it also didn't make 100% sense for Lewis not to go down after he got the first down. The game would've been over for sure, and by continuing to run, he did risk fumbling the ball (especially in the rain).
12. Bored Explanation: Maybe I was bored, or unenthused, during the game because the crowd at the Meadowlands was pathetic. It was almost a scrimmage-like atmosphere from the get go, considering only a few of the front rows had seats taken while the rest of the stadium was empty.

13. Brownies: Quietly, Kamerion Wimbley is making more of an impact. It's not really first-round draft pick impact, but purely as an individual, his pressures on quarterbacks are starting to occur more often. Doesn't it seem like Jason Wright has been darn near non-existent as well over the past few weeks? I really hate the fact that teams continue kicking away from Joshua Cribbs. I would say to lateral it to Cribbs after the upback gets it, but that'd probably be worth more trouble than it's worth considering we're still getting great field position. Dave Zastudil's punt average was 46.0 yards per punt, his second highest average in a non-dome location this season.

The intensity should be much higher this weekend against the Buffalo Bills. A home game that means something in December? With snow possibly in the forecast? After seeing Anderson get off to slow starts the past two weeks, I really hope he's able to get an early touchdown in the books against the Bills to change some of the hair-pulling that's been forced upon us.

Box Score
Team	1	2	3	4	Final
	3	7	8	3	21
	14	0	7	6	27

If there's one bright spot to losing to the Cardinals last Sunday, it's the fact that we may have given an NFC team that I'd like to see make the playoffs a shot at hammering down the wildcard (assuming the Browns make the postseason too). On gameday, points can be made that neither team really deserved the victory. The Cardinals were thin at receiver and didn't have their typical down-the-field showcasing, but they managed the ball better than the Browns did. Still, the Browns executed several big plays on offense, and technically should have won the game, according to more than half of the "analysts" from ESPN, SI, Yahoo, FOX, etc. combined. Unfortunately, they weren't the referees officiating our game, and because of that, we lost.

With a tough loss that had me hoping we'd get another after-the-game reversal call, let's check out this week's goats of the games, followed by the game balls...

Goats of the Game (Factors in a Losing Effort)

1. Leigh Bodden: I know he apologized for it already, but that doesn't change the fact that Bodden's first quarter blunder cost the Browns dearly. After the Browns' offense had already put the defense in bad shape, Daven Holly broke up a third-down pass on the Cardinals' first offensive drive of the game. While the ball was on the ground, Bodden proceeded to kick it high up into the air right in front of an official, resulting in a delay of game penalty. Even if it wasn't a delay of game penalty, I personally would've flagged Bodden for unsportsmanlike conduct. The five-yard penalty was enough for a Cardinals' first down, and eventually led to Arizona going up 14-0.
2. Simon Fraser: Despite his allegiance to Ohio State, I don't really have a soft spot in my heart to keep Fraser on this team. Not only is he pretty useless as a starting defensive lineman, the Arizona game marked the second time in as many years that he's cost the Browns on a major penalty. Last year, he smothered a defenseless Ben Roethlisberger on an interception return by Daven Holly, costing us great field position. Against the Cardinals, he retaliated a headbutt from an opposing player with a headbutt of his own, warranting a 15-yard penalty. Granted, we had the game winning pass at the end, but maybe with a little closer field position we could've gotten a pass closer to the part of the end zone that is clearly in bounds.

1. Awarding Game Balls (Positive Spins to a Negative Result)
    
2. Braylon Edwards: Edwards' 67-yard touchdown catch against the Cardinals will still be disputed by some, but the effort is what warrants the ovation. It wasn't as clear as Marvin Harrison's catch, fall down, get up and run touchdown against the Denver Broncos several years ago in the playoffs, but Edwards' situation is comparable to what I'm surprised doesn't happen more often in the NFL. I can't get over how energized I was to see Edwards dive out nearly full extension to make the catch, roll over up to his feet, and continue sprinting all the way for the score. Edwards has already set career highs for a Browns receiver in a single season, and there are still four games left.
3. Jamal Lewis: The Browns stayed committed to running the ball in the first half when we were down two scores, and Lewis stayed productive. We got away from the run in the second half, and understandably so, since time was quickly running off the clock. While Rob Chudzinski didn't take my advice to call for more checkdown plays to the running back, Lewis did have 3 catches and 24 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown featured Lewis catching a rope in the flat, and then hurdling over a defender as he took a shot on his way into the end zone.

General Thoughts (Random Tidbits on the Game)

1. 
2. Anderson's Miscues: With the way he played, it wouldn't have been a major shock if I had deemed Anderson one of the goats of the game. He threw two interceptions, both of which were very poor decisions. As much as I like blaming Tim Carter for being the intended receiver on the first pass, the throw would've been picked off regardless of who was in there (although, maybe if a more physical guy was in there, Anderson would've thrown the ball higher). On his second interception, the announcers said it perfectly -- Anderson is proud of the way he's learned to find his checkdown receivers when his primary target is blanketed, but he failed to do that with Edwards triple covered. His other miscue -- a bad exchange with the center -- was costly, but something that does happen every now and then. Why didn't I give him a goat of the game nominee? Besides Bodden and Fraser fully deserving to be up there, Anderson kept his poise throughout the game and showed the moxy of a confident quarterback even when we were down two scores.
3. Referees' Reviews: While I was watching the game with my brother, he originally insisted that on Sean Jones' interception and on Edwards' touchdown reception that the calls would be overturned. On Jones' interception, the replay showed that the ball touched the ground. However, when Jones rolled over, his hands were underneath the ball. If Jones was able to firmly grip the ball with both hands within under a second of the ball "possibly" touching the ground, then Houdini does exist. Without 100% evidence, the call should've stood as called on the field, and it did. On Edwards' touchdown, my brother insisted that Edwards' leg bent at the point when the defender crossed the screen, surely indicating that they made contact. Sure, you can theorize that, but the cameras never showed a definite "yes" that it occurred; in fact, to me, it looked like it was just a coincidence of the how Edwards' leg bent at that time. Again, without 100% evidence, the call on the field stood.
4. 
5. The One That DIDN'T: We didn't "get" the two calls above by luck; we got them because they really happened that way. When Kellen Winslow caught the ball in the end zone on the final play of the game, he was clearly forced out. I'm not saying with certainty he would've gotten both toes in bounds, because anything can happen, but it sure looked like he would've been fine without the defenders there. The referee down by the goal line appeared to be staring at the ground to see if Winslow's feet were in bounds or not, completing ignoring the possibility of a forceout. The other referee running down the sideline didn't make a big deal out of it, and poof, the game was over. I guarantee you that after the referee saw the replay, he knew it was a forceout, but he could've reverse the original call on the field.
6. Annoying Referee: I don't mean to make fun of anybody, but the head official against the Cardinals annoys me every time I hear him announcing a penalty. I feel like decking him right in the face...well, maybe not that serious, but it's still very annoying.
7. Lawrence Vickers: I didn't quite understand the CBS announcers complaining about us going to the fullback Vickers twice instead of Winslow. Vickers was open both times, and he helped move the chains, especially on a nifty 25-yard reception in which he broke several tackles. I questioned Romeo Crennel for stating that Vickers was a centerpiece of the team's future in the offseason, but the young fullback has been nothing short of impressive this season.
8. 
9. Step Backwards: I was concerned as soon as I heard that Orpheus Roye and Ethan Kelley would miss the game, and it really had a detrimental effect on the run defense. We went back to giving up over 100 yards to an opposing running back, this time to veteran Edgerrin James, who hadn't accomplished that feat since the second week of the season.
10. Frustrating Cribbs: Props to the Arizona Cardinals special teams unit for being the first to frustrate Cribbs this season. They kept on kicking it high in the air where it would either go to Darnell Dinkins, or bounce and almost go for a fumble. Then, intentional or not, Cribbs had to sprint to a punt near the sidelines and muffed it after tripping over Daven Holly's leg.
11. Two-Point Success: "Oh...my...god" was my gameday reaction to the Browns' two-point conversion attempt. Cribbs lined up in the backfield with Anderson under center. Anderson then motioned towards the left side and faced Edwards while sticking both hands up. Cribbs took the direct snap, looked to throw, then tucked for a run, then stopped and fired it to Winslow for an open conversion. It looked great on the replay to see how each minute detail of the trick play forced the defense to commit where the play inevitably did not end up going, leaving Winslow open.
12. Sick to my Stomach: You'd better believe that I was dying to make fun of Ralph Brown in this review, hoping that he would've caused Arizona as much misery as he did for us last season. Instead, Brown continued committing misery for the Browns, especially on two big plays. He had tight coverage early in the game in the end zone on a pass to Joe Jurevicius. Later on, he quickly recovered Cribbs' muffed punt. Ralph Brown's is forever banished from being mentioned on Dawgs By Nature ever again.
13. No Sense: Do you know what makes less sense than not activating Jerome Harrison? Activating him, only not to use him. While Lewis had a couple of nice catches, Harrison would've been a much better option against the Cardinals' defense on pass plays.
14. Goal Line Stands: If for nothing else, let's hope that the offseason signing of Robaire Smith proves valuable for all of the goal line stands he's able to single-handedly come up with. He has been our best defensive lineman this season, as I anticipated heading into the season. By the defense keeping James out of the end zone prior to the second half's two-minute warning, the Browns' offense was given a chance to win the game.

15. Brownies: When Cardinals tight end Leonard Pope dropped a touchdown in the fourth quarter, Chaun Thompson had a chance to make his biggest impact of the season. Instead, he became the second person on the same play to not want the football. I didn't like how the Browns handed it off twice to Jamal Lewis halfway through the fourth quarter. It led to a poor series of plays that stopped the momentum we had built up with a couple of great pass plays. That could have actually cost us the game.

Worse than the Browns losing was the fact that the Titans snapped their three-game winning streak and the Buffalo Bills pulled out a last-second victory over the Washington Redskins. This week provides some favorable matchups for us, as the Browns are favored against the Jets and the Chargers are suited to take out the Titans. In a season where things have and have not gone our way, we can't afford our first two-game losing streak of the season to strike us during the "easiest portion of our schedule." The Browns are a playoff team and the Jets aren't, right? It's time to show it.

Box Score
Team	1	2	3	4	Final
	7	3	0	7	17
	0	14	3	10	27

Do you know what's amazing? The Browns have scored 27 points or more in there past six games. During that stretch, the Browns have a 5-1 record, making them the hottest team in the NFL besides the Patriots, Packers, and Cowboys. Throughout that time though, the point differential in victory wasn't too impressive. Sure, we beat the Dolphins and Rams by ten and seven points respectively, but that should've been a given considering they were both winless at the time (Miami still is). We were forced to win two games in that six game stretch by a field goal in overtime -- one against a pretty good Seahawks team and the other against a pretty bad Ravens team. The team's ten point victory over the Houston Texans this past Sunday was what we had been waiting for though. We've been calling for a defensive showing all season long. We got it.

As the team's confidence is building, it's time to jump right into the game balls and then the regrettable game goats...

Awarding Game Balls (Are the Tides Turning?)

1. 
2. Brandon McDonald: I don't think it's fair to make excuses and say that Andre Johnson struggled because he was still recovering from his injuries. Johnson wasn't denied a 100-yard game the first two weeks of the season, and he wasn't denied a 100-yard game the week prior to facing the Browns. With rookie cornerback Eric Wright out with an injury, I expected much of the pressure to be on veterans Leigh Bodden and Daven Holly. Instead, the Browns used another rookie cornerback -- Brandon McDonald -- to cover Johnson in key passing situations. This was basically McDonald's first chance at receiving significant playing time this season, and he came through more than anyone could've expected times ten. He broke up several passes, had a critical interception in zone coverage, and made plays on special teams. Johnson was held to three catches for 37 yards, a season low.
3. D'Qwell Jackson: Two defensive players getting the game balls? That's most certainly a first this season (although to be fair, Jamal Lewis and Kellen Winslow deserve game balls too). The Browns' run defense had slowly been getting better and better over the past several weeks, but with Jackson back in the lineup full time, the defense kept the Texans to a total of 77 yards rushing. Jackson had about 11 tackles, an early pass break up, and a nifty interception after a tipped ball by Andra Davis.

Goats of the Game (Almost Blew the Game)

1. Darnell Dinkins: I don't like it when television networks do not show a replay of what happened after a penalty is called. After Joshua Cribbs' 29-yard kick return with about seven minutes left in the second quarter, Dinkins was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct (or a personal foul) after the play, resulting in a 15-yard penalty. I can't comment directly on what he did considering I didn't see it, but referees don't usually throw flags for nothing. For being a big-time special teams player, Dinkins seems to be the only guy on the unit getting flagged for things. It cost us once against the Steelers, whether he was guilty or not, and it could cost us again down the stretch.
2. Dave Zastudil: First, two defensive players get game balls, and then two special teams players get game goats. The wind definitely seemed to be a problem in the stadium on Sunday, but even with that in mind, I'd have to imagine that Zastudil could have gotten off some better boots.

General Thoughts (Random Tidbits on the Game)

1. 
2. Hit 'Em Hard: Jamal Lewis isn't getting weaker, he's getting stronger. Against the Texans, I think it was confirmed that Lewis is ready to get the job done in the month of December against teams that aren't known for stopping the ground game. Props to offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski for continuing to run the ball, even when it didn't work out as we would've preferred in the first couple of series. As the game went on, there were more counters in which our guards did a tremendous job securing a hole for Lewis. It was Lewis' first 100+ yard rushing performance since Week 2, as crazy as that sounds. He finished with 29 carries for 134 yards and a touchdown.
3. Pool's Shot: I criticized Brodney Pool earlier this season for not playing to the level of a starting safety. The first drastic improvement he made -- or perhaps Todd Grantham made in play calling -- was not being isolated man-to-man on the deep ball. Now that teams aren't going deep against us, Pool has the ability to do what he does best: roam around. Last week, that resulted in a 100-yard interception return. This week, it resulted in a tremendous hit on Texans tight end Owen Daniels, turning a first-down and goal from the five into a 41-yard field goal by kicker Kris Brown.
4. K.J. Syndrome: Joe Jurevicius is usually money on third down plays, but he had Kevin Johnson syndrome against the Texans in the sense that most of his routes were run a yard shy of the first down (although Johnson's problem was more so that he'd catch and fall a yard before the marker). Jurevicius had five catches in the game, and three of them came up one to three yards short of the marker on a third-down play.
5. On the Other Hand: You had to love the execution on third-and-one early in the second quarter by the Browns. Anderson play-faked beautifully and then found Jurevicius on a short pass right over the middle. Jurevicius did the rest, scampering for a 25-yard gain. Why did the play work so effectively? Up until that point, the Browns had been failing in short yardage situations on the ground, yet they continued sticking with it. The Texans completely bit for the run, allowing Jurevicius to be left uncovered.
6. Percent Doesn't Matter: It doesn't matter whether Kellen Winslow is thirty percent healthy of sixty percent healthy; he's going to give it his all on gameday. Winslow made ten tough catches for a total of 107 yards and a touchdown. There's nothing that can get you more pumped up than watching Winslow leap up in coverage, protect the ball perfectly as he's coming down, take a big shot, and hold on. Although, watching Braylon Edwards hurl a fastball after catching a touchdown or Jamal Lewis hurdle over defenders can get you just as pumped.
7. Things Happen: It's easy to blame the offense for not converting in some situations, like when Lawrence Vickers failed to get the first down on a fourth-and-short carry in the first quarter. However, sometimes you have to give props to the opposing defense, and this is one of those cases. You can't convert them all, right? It was interesting that Joshua Cribbs was lined up in the backfield though.
8. 
9. Wish Granted: All season, Shaun Smith has been getting screwed in my opinion. Granted, he was fortunate to have a shot at starting at defensive end in place of Orpheus Roye, but he was supposed to be our defensive tackle. With Ted Washington done for the year and Ethan Kelley inactive Sunday, Smith finally got his shot and he came through with another sack. Watching the big man plug the middle made me actually feel like our defensive line has come a long way since the season started (although, that doesn't mean my overall opinion that the position should be addressed in the offseason has changed).
10. Bodden's Picking Up: When Leigh Bodden slipped, from being fooled, early in the game by receiver Kevin Walter, I started shaking my head in fear that it'd be another long day for the veteran cornerback. After McDonald started making plays though, Bodden seemed to follow his trend and start breaking up some passes of his own. Bodden also quickly dove on the football after Kamerion Wimbley had jarred it free later in the game from tight end Owen Daniels.
11. Picked by a Mile: We've gotten pretty used to Derek Anderson stepping up in the pocket and firing throws all season long. I'm sure many of you sensed danger just from the mere sight of Anderson pump faking hesitantly and then delivering a loft pass deep towards the sideline in the second quarter, because I certainly did. As soon as I saw the form, I thought one of two things: the ball would be intercepted, or one of our receivers was somehow left uncovered by at least 15 yards. Chances are it wasn't the latter, and sure enough the pass was picked off. After the game, Anderson stated that he knew what he did wrong, handling the situation appropriately (which I liked).
12. Former Teammates: I forgot to mention in my gameday preview that Antwan Peek was returning to face his former team. Peek was quiet most of the game, until he recorded a big sack in the second half on Matt Schaub deep in Texans territory. On the next play, Schaub was intercepted by McDonald. Andre Davis did a fair job hanging onto the ball for the Texans, catching three passes for 51 yards. Props to safety Sean Jones for a perfect tackle on third down just shy of a first down. I still don't know how Jones was able to prevent Davis from getting yards after the catch on that play.
13. 
14. Better Officiating: Compared to last week's crew, I thought the officiating was much better in this game. They seemed to get all of the tough calls correctly, including the one in which Texans fans felt Anderson was past the line of scrimmage when throwing the ball on one particular play. In order for a flag to be called, his entire body would've needed to have been past the line of scrimmage, and you could tell that part of his foot and/or arm was still behind it.
15. Late Defense: It was discouraging to see the Texans drive the ball late for an easy touchdown, but give a mulligan to the defense after the overall day they had.
16. Brownies: Defensive back Nick Sorensen impressed me for the second week in a row on special teams. He also did a nice job this week hanging onto the ball on an onside kick attempt by the Texans. Steve Heiden had one of his lone chances at making a big reception this season, and pass interference or not, the connection wasn't made near the goal line, resulting in a field goal. Joshua Cribbs' return stats go down when our defense gives up less points, but that doesn't mean he didn't play a factor. Jerome Harrison should have been activated for the game. It's hard to explain why since we're scoring so many points already, but I've gotten greedy and can't help it. Phil Dawson is on pace to make 27.6 field goals this season. His career high is 27 made field goals, which came two seasons ago.

The confidence has to be high for Browns fans. Because the Tennessee Titans lost (thanks Cincinnati), the Browns are in sole possession of the AFC's sixth playoff spot. It's a shame the Pittsburgh Steelers came away with a 3-0 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night, because it would've been great knowing that we were tied for the division lead when it looked like Pittsburgh was in line for two automatic victories (Jets/Dolphins). The Browns have the Cardinals this Sunday, and although they made quite a few mistakes this past Sunday at home, there's no questioning that they have the talent to go down to the wire in a shootout with us.

Box Score
Team	1	2	3	4	OT	Final
	3	10	14	3	3	33
	0	7	7	16	0	30

After so many Browns losses at the end of a game, I've thought about it before: what if by some miracle, after the game was "over", the referees decided to change a call and continue the game? Remember the Browns' playoff game against Pittsburgh a few years back? I wanted the referees to come back and say "the receiver got out of bounds before time expired," in reference to Andre King catching a pass from Kelly Holcomb. Or, last season in one particular game, Braylon Edwards nearly came down with a catch in the end zone as time expired, but it went out of bounds. I wanted the referees to come back and say there was pass interference or something. Yesterday against the Ravens, especially after seeing the same exact 50+ yard attempt last week on the road, depression had set in when I saw the referees signal "no good".

I was standing up at the time, and after the "miss", I sat down and cupped my hands over my face. I looked on again while the announcers casually talked and the camera crew replayed the footage in slow motion, probably only intending to show that Dawson just had an unfortunate bounce. However, I clearly saw the football hit the curved ball beyond the goal posts, and I stood up in a fit of rage, screaming at the television set (and screaming through words in the Dawgs By Nature Gameday Thread). It took more than five minutes, but, perhaps for the first time in history, the referees changed a call occurring at the end of a game. Thankfully they did, because no matter how good or bad we played against the Ravens, if that play would've stood as a "miss", football as we know it may have been ruined forever due to the officiating conspiracies that would have been under discussion.

A win brings us one game closer to the postseason, so let's get to the breakdown of this week's game, starting with the gameballs, followed by the game goats, and finally the meat and potatoes (Thanksgiving pun) of the review...

Awarding Game Balls (Will Make Thanksgiving Better)

1. 
2. Joshua Cribbs: For the second week in a row, Cribbs receives the top gameball for his tremendous play on special teams. There were quite a few individual players that stepped up against the Ravens, and I hate having to shun them, but Cribbs simply made too much of a difference again. The Ravens decided to challenge Cribbs on kickoffs, and it cost them, particularly after Matt Stover's go-ahead field goal in the fourth quarter and then his return in overtime. Seriously, how many of you received a confidence boost after Stover's field goal when Cribbs almost drove six Ravens ten extra yards down the field? Cribbs also forced a fumble on special teams, although it doesn't seem like the statisticians have given him credit for that.
3. Sean Jones / Brodney Pool: Despite the success that Kyle Boller had late against our secondary, this was the best game of the season from our safeties. It started on the Ravens' second series, when Boller threw the ball deep down the field. Playing center field and racing towards the wall, Jones made the interception as he dove to get it. Jones also had two blitzes where he shot through the line like a bullet to drill Boller. One of those resulted in Brodney Pool picking off a duck in the end zone for a 100-yard interception return, while the other was a borderline roughing the passer call by the referees.

Goats of the Game (Almost Blew the Game)

1. Leigh Bodden: I didn't quite get a second look yet at every play that Boller completed down the field in the second half, but I do know that Bodden was responsible for a lot of the negative plays, including Devard Darling's 27-yard touchdown reception. On a day where the Browns were actually able to sustain some pressure on Boller and the safeties were able to make some plays of their own, Boller should have ideally felt like attacking Daven Holly's side more often than Bodden's side.
2. Braylon Edwards: Even stars deserve to take their lumps. Despite having eight catches for 85 yards, it's still about the plays you don't make. Edwards had a fumble on the Browns' first drive of the game, and also had several drops. The biggest drop came on the Browns seventh drive of the first half. After the Browns were driving effectively, Edwards ran down by the five yard line and had a pass hit him right in the hands when we were at the 24 yard line. Edwards tried to turn to the end zone right away, and then dropped the ball. Although Tim Carter recorded a first down on the next play, we eventually went on to have a ridiculous stretch of penalties to set us back to 2nd-and-35 at one point.

General Thoughts (Random Tidbits on the Game)

1. 
2. Redemption for Lewis: Last week, I blamed Jamal Lewis for costing us the game against the Steelers for his second half fumble and lack of productivity throughout the game. Lewis ran with confidence against his former team amidst stretches in which other players on our team appeared "weak". Watching him stiff arm Ed Reed, hurdle defenders, and plummet into the end zone for a touchdown really helped out the offense when the passing game was off key for once. He also almost became the first player in quite awhile to run for over 100 yards on the road in the Ravens' stadium.
3. Pontbriand's Miscue: For the first time since being drafted as far as I can recall, Ryan Pontbriand had his first bad snap. It resulted in what appeared to be a fake field goal attempt at first, but on the replay, you could clearly see Zastudil hesitate on what to do after a high snap as Phil Dawson stood still, not sure whether to stay in his kicking position or move around. If the Browns had lost the game, Pontbriand's miscue could have played a major role in hindering our playoff chances.
4. Kick of the Season: Throughout all of the kicks Phil Dawson has made in his career with the Browns, perhaps none of them were as significant as his 51-yard game-tying field goal as time expired in regulation. Dawson has been very reliable at the end of games the past three weeks -- two weeks ago he drilled the game-winner in overtime against Seattle, last week his 52-yard attempt would have been money in any stadium besides Heinz Field, and this week he hit the one mentioned and then the game-winner in overtime. He did miss a "short" kick early in the game, but I'll give him a mulligan on that for now. It's unusual that Dawson's last three successful kicks from beyond 50 yards have come in the Ravens' stadium.
5. Blitzing Up The Middle: Blitz up the middle, blitz up the middle, blitz up the middle. The Browns have worked in that philosophy more often over the past two weeks, and the overall results have at least been somewhat positive. You can't tell by the yards given up, but the amount of sacks and turnovers are at least providing some excitement when our offense or special teams isn't being relied on. The Browns have ten sacks in their past two games after having only seven sacks in their first eight games.
6. Better Play From Kelley: Part of the success from our defensive ends may be due to the improved play of defensive tackle Ethan Kelley, who was listed as having six assisted tackles in yesterday's game. Robaire Smith had two sacks on Kyle Boller, while Orpheus Roye seemed to quietly make his first sighting of the season with Shaun Smith inactive due to an injury. Judging against the Ravens' offense isn't fair, but the past two weeks, our defensive line has improved slightly.
7. Major Flaw on the Line: After giving the defensive line their props, it's time to rip right into them again. Last week, I blamed Lewis' fumble for turning the momentum in the game. If you look at the past two weeks though, after our defensive line had created pressure in the first half and part of the third quarter, they started being overaggressive or not getting any push late in the game.
8. Making the Throws: Derek Anderson can make the throws when we need to score in a hurry, or when the game is on the line in third-down situations. After Cribbs' nice return in the fourth quarter, Anderson dodged a defender and fired a strike down the field to Braylon Edwards between coverage, just deep enough for Dawson to get a good attempt off. Then in overtime, Anderson fired a strike to a leaping Kellen Winslow on what was a nicely designed, well executed play by the offense. Anderson's taken some heat for not lighting it up the past two weeks, but let's get real here folks: he faced two of the best defenses in the NFL today and played better than most quarterbacks in the league would have.
9. 
10. Cowher's Homerism: For those of you that watched the CBS pregame show, you probably saw Bill Cowher's list of quarterbacks, including having Ben Roethlisberger ranked third. Overall, I thought the list was a joke in some areas, and was glad that Rich Gannon sort of stuck it to him for not even considering guys like Jeff Garcia or Jon Kitna For those of you wondering, I believe Cowher ranked Anderson 15th out of his 18 quarterbacks mentioned.
11. Low Depth: Against any other team in the league, well, except for maybe the 49ers, Dolphins, or Falcons, the Browns would have been screwed against the opposing team's pass offense after the injury to Eric Wright. That left the Browns with Daven Holly stepping in as a starter, which in itself isn't so bad. However, after that, the depth on a slot receiver wouldn't have been too pretty.
12. Fullback Handoff: The Browns ran the fullback handoff to Vickers three times in short yardage situation, and it appeared to work every time. However, the first time the Browns ran the play, the officiating crew have the Browns a horrible spot of the football in my opinion, resulting in a fourth down. Better offensive line blocking has removed some of the criticism for how often the Browns are running that play.
13. Bad Stretch: It's easy to say it after the fact, but for once, I didn't necessarily agree with a little stretch of "trickery" that the Browns attempted. After we had a 10-0 lead and were running the ball effectively with Lewis in the second quarter, the Browns had received the ball at their own 26 yard line. On the first play, we ran a reverse to Joshua Cribbs, going for only three yards. It's tough to run a reverse against a fast pursing defense like the Ravens, and doing it deep in your own territory is not my favorite place to run it. On the next play, the Browns didn't operate the screen play too well on the same side, as it went for a four yard loss. On third down, Anderson threw a pick six to Ray Lewis.
14. Jurevicius' Scamper: The playcalling on Jurevicius' 50-yard scamper worked out nicely based on how the play was drawn up. Everyone was set to run towards the opposite side of the field while Jurevicius sneaked across the other side. The defender following Edwards must not have even seen Jurevicius catch the ball at first, because for about a second after he caught it, the defender covering Edwards was still following him.
15. Horrible Officiating: What can you say? The officiating in the game was one of the worst I've ever seen, from placing the ball incorrectly, to not calling horse collar tackles by the Ravens, to not doing enough after Haloti Ngata's low-blow cheap shot punch on Joe Thomas, to the "replay system malfunctioning" when the Ravens challenged a play, to finally initially getting the field goal call incorrect. In the end though, for our sake, and for the league's sake, thankfully the right call was made.
16. Brownies: I thought Tim Carter was too sick to play? Defensive back Nick Sorensen was fairly active, recording four tackles on the day. Is Steve Heiden going to get his number called on a meaningful pass play this season? "Horse Balls" was appropriate for Derek Anderson on his diving extension of the football at the goal line, because I think that's asking for a fumble against any team in the NFL.

After the Steelers' game earlier this season, a user sent me a funny picture of Charlie Frye imitating the "Witness" billboard used for LeBron James on a building downtown. Dawgs By Nature reader Tim Shrimpton sent me the following image today, and I couldn't help but showing it:

It's nice to be able to have some humor like this after the game. If Dawson's kick wouldn't have been good, meaning he just flat out missed it, the entire tone of this "review" probably would have ripped the team to shreds. That could mean its an unfair assessment at times, but in the end, we won, and that kept us in the playoff race. Now, we're even back in the race for the AFC North title after the Steelers lost to the Jets on the road. Next up is the Houston Texans in what should be a tough game. The Texans have a 3-0 record this season when wide receiver Andre Johnson plays, and with Eric Wright out due to an injury, Matt Schaub will be looking deep often.

Box Score
Team	1	2	3	4	Final
	7	14	0	7	28
	3	6	7	15	31

What can you do? I'm sure many of us saw it coming, despite our high expectations. We knew Roethlisberger was capable of throwing our defense into disarray, and we knew that the Browns could give the Steelers a run for their money. Even my pre-game prediction of a 24-20 loss was pretty much dead on had one of our special teams touchdowns not been a factor. Getting such a big lead early only to lose it is what causes the greatest amount of pain and sorrow, though.

Before I get further into that though, it's time to start with this week's gameballs and gamegoats, brought to you by Dawgs By Nature...

Goats of the Game (Folding Under Pressure)

1. 
2. Jamal Lewis: I don't think enough people made a big enough of a deal about the turnaround that occurred after Lewis fumbled the ball in the second half against the Steelers. Because of its importance though, I will discuss its direct impact below in the "general thoughts" section. On the day, Lewis had 16 carries for 35 yards with two fumbles (one lost).
3. Willie McGinest: It clearly was not a good day for the veteran linebacker, who even admitted it was his worst game as a pro. There were so many opportunities he had to bring down Roethlisberger, but he didn't seem to be able to do it once. Granted, we're not good enough at linebacker to "not" play him, but the bar is set high for veterans and McGinest wasn't even close to reaching it.

Awarding Game Balls (Highlights in Defeat)

1. 
2. Joshua Cribbs: Bow down, because Joshua Cribbs is a football God. Because he did so well on his first kickoff, returning it 90 yards before being tackled, the Steelers kicked away from him the rest of the game. The next three kickoffs went to Darnell Dinkins, and the fourth one after his 90-yarder went to Cribbs for an eight-yard return. Then, after Cribbs accidentally let the ball go by him on the next kickoff, he picked it up at the goal line and dodged several tackles while doing a balancing act down the sideline for a 100-yard kick return. That came right after the Steelers had taken their first lead of the game. It's a shame the lead didn't stick, but Cribbs' accomplishments aren't going unnoticed this season.
3. Eric Wright: The first-year cornerback didn't have an elite enough of a game to be nominated for rookie-of-the-week in my opinion, but his tackling ability continues to impress me. He even recorded his first sack of the season this year, blitzing off the edge to take down Roethlisberger without buying for a fake.

General Thoughts (Random Tidbits on the Game)

1. Lewis Blew It: I'm calling out one man for Sunday's loss against the Steelers: Jamal Lewis (of course I'd never be man enough to really call him out). It's not so much of a problem that he struggled finding lanes to run the ball, because the Steelers are great at stopping the run and we can always compensate through the air. However, Lewis' fumble definitely changed the momentum of the game. Believe it or not, our defense was doing a great job against holding the Steelers to field goals only prior to the fumble. The Steelers failed to score a touchdown on their first seven possessions of the game, including two punts at the start of the second half...
2. Field Position: ...The Browns were actually playing a game of field position in a game that was starting to get sloppy at the time due to rainy conditions. The defense had the Steelers' offense out of whack, and our offense was going to try and move the ball again, or punt it again until Lewis fumbled. Then, the Steelers went 38 yards in four plays for a touchdown. Overall, they scored three touchdowns within four possessions after Lewis' fumble. Blame poor third-down defense? Most certainly, but don't neglect the fact that in a way, Lewis was solely responsible for those problems being exposed this past Sunday.
3. 
4. Jason Wright: By the second half, it was clear that Lewis wasn't going to be running the ball much. For some reason though, Rob Chudzinski kept Lewis in the game on several pass plays. Wright has proven to be a viable receiver out of the backfield, and had he been the check-down man in the second half for Anderson instead of Lewis, we may have had a few extra first downs.
5. Thing of Beauty: Cribbs' kick returns were awesome, but Braylon Edwards' touchdown catch was a thing of beauty. It's amazing how at times, receivers are able to just barely keep both toes in while crashing full-force to the ground. Edwards is showing Marvin-Harrison ability to get his feet down in bounds, but with a much more physical presence than the best receivers in the league have to offer. Best of all, we don't have to hear him talk like Terrell Owens does on the sideline.
6. Sack City: It felt good to get four sacks on the stat sheet, including two for the defensive line. A lot of the pressure we seemed to establish came from blitzing up the middle -- something I've been calling for all season -- and some surprisingly poor decisions by Big Ben early on in the game. Unfortunately, it seemed like the amount of sacks we were getting built up the team's confidence a little too much late in the game. Instead of staying with the goal to keep him in the pocket, the defensive line tried to collapse the pocket around him, which left nobody in the middle to stop Big Ben.
7. 
8. Horrible Spying: When you spy a quarterback, aren't you supposed to sit back and keep and eye on him? On numerous occasions, I saw the Browns keep a spy in the game, but the spy started to engage the offensive line for some reason. That's a big no-no, unless you're of a Pro Bowl caliber who is good enough to fake that you're engaging while having the ability to disengage and make a play on the quarterback.
9. Poor Officiating: I haven't complained about poor officiating once this year, even in our three previous losses. The officiating at times this past Sunday was extremely poor though. Credit Roethlisberger for having the wherewithal to make the plays that he did on the run, but on his 30-yard touchdown run, we got mugged by the Steelers. Then, on Cribbs' nice punt return late in the game, Darnell Dinkins didn't do anything wrong to be charged with a holding penalty.
10. Quarterback Controversy: Don't worry, there isn't one. As the fans of DBN concluded over the past few days, Derek Anderson's below-average second half didn't cause fans to lose faith in his ability to lead the Browns to a wildcard spot this season.
11. Work Him in More: After running a trick play with Cribbs at least once per game over our first seven games of the season, the Browns haven't utilized him at all over the past two weeks. That, along with the fact that Jerome Harrison hasn't been used in two weeks either, has been a slight step back in terms of our creativity on offense.
12. All-too-Familiar: What is with the Browns always establishing a lead early on the Steelers, only to lose by a field goal? Although the way it actually played out in terms of our team's strengths/weaknesses was much different in the playoff game several years ago, the feeling of collapsing to a hated rival continues to remain depressing.
13. 
14. Timeout Voodoo: No one can possibly excuse the Browns for wasting two timeouts on Heath Miller's touchdown catch near the end of the game, but does all of the blame necessarily need to fall on Romeo Crennel? I'm still under the assumption that an "unnamed defensive player" made the mistake of calling a timeout before Crennel could challenge the play. Since the ball was moving around slightly, burned timeout or not, I don't question Crennel's decision to still challenge the play.
15. First Drive: It's definitely worth giving credit to the Browns' opening-play drive, which lasted 8 minutes and 55 seconds. Anderson knew exactly where to go in third-down situations, and overall, it was one of our best drives of the season.
16. Brownies: I thought Brodney Pool did a tremendous job on his interception, jumping the route and stealing the ball from the receiver. Daven Holly almost had a game-sealing interception in the second half after breaking the ball away from Santonio Holmes. My jaw was wide open as Phil Dawson's 53-yard attempt was on the way, because he seemed to hit it high and accurate, despite the history (or lack there of) of field goals at Heinz Field. Don't you wish Joe Jurevicius would've not held on to his one-yard stab before we had to kick the field goal? Without Jurevicius' catch, we would've had two shots to get a sideline pass about ten yards down the field, which would've been within Dawson's range.

I'm disappointed, but I'm not discouraged by the Browns' loss against the Steelers. We don't want to strive for mediocrity, but the Steelers are one of the best teams in football, and we were the only team to give them a run for their money at Heinz Field this season. Our schedule to close out the season appears easy, but it's all about execution now. Every loss will be a big setback and every win will bring us one step closer to a wildcard-weekend matchup against the Steelers.

Box Score
Place	1	2	3	4	OT	Final
	7	14	3	6	0	30
	0	9	7	14	3	33

The Browns have already won more games than expected at this point in the season, and each one of the victories have been enjoyable to the wonderful fans in the city of Cleveland. This one was special to the players too -- so much that tight end Kellen Winslow was brought to tears. This team is coming together, just in time to hopefully have all the confidence they need to finally match up effectively with the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday. Sure, some may argue that there is some, if not a lot of separation between the two teams. One example would be the fact that while the Browns had to shoot-out the Seahawks in overtime, the Steelers crushed them 21-0 a few weeks ago. It doesn't matter how you do it sometimes: if you put a win on the board, you're one step closer to a "big" game. Our "big" game is now.

Now, let's take a more in-depth look at how the Browns fared against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 9...

Awarding Game Balls (Standout Contributions in Victory)

1. 
2. Kellen Winslow: Having a banged up knee and a banged up shoulder at the same time sure sounds like it can cause a lot of pain. Sometimes it's stupid to go out and work through an injuries, but sometimes it shows how much you truly "want" something if it's within reach. Winslow considered his 11-catch, 125-yard performance the highlight of his career, after most, if not all of his catches set up Jamal Lewis' four-touchdown game on the ground.
3. Sean Jones: If you're going to get burned in a poor defense, you need to make some plays to compensate for it. Jones not only has improved his coverage -- presumably since teams have started attacking the corners underneath instead -- he came up with two critical plays against the Seahawks. First, he had an interception early on to prevent the Seahawks from gaining a further advantage at the time. Then, in overtime, he was responsible for stopping Maurice Morris on fourth-down, setting up a short field for the offense to eventually set Phil Dawson up for the game-winner.

Goats of the Game (Put Bags Over Their Heads)

1. Phil Dawson: I perfectly understand that extra points are missed in the NFL -- it just happens. When it does happen, if the game is close, it causes a lot of problems. Because Dawson's field goal was missed, it created two two-point conversion attempts that the Browns had to run in order to "even-out" the usual terms of a football score. If the Browns hadn't converted their second two-point conversion attempt, Dawson would likely have been responsible for the Browns being a 4-4 team right now. That would not have been good.
2. National Football League: As good as our game was, I still hated the fact that because of television contractual agreements between CBS and FOX, Cleveland was just about the only city in the United States not to see the showdown between the Patriots and the Colts. Even people in Hawaii and Alaska were able to have the option of seeing that game.

General Thoughts (Random Tidbits on the Game)

1. Fourth-Down Positives: I talked about it in my Samsung defining moment's piece, and it's certainly worth bringing up here. The Browns were 2-for-2 in stopping Seattle on fourth-and-short plays, moving to 4-for-4 in the past two weeks. Those plays are absolutely huge, and every time it happens, it reminds me of when the Browns stopped Warrick Dunn at the goal line in the team's final regular season game in 2001, the last time the Browns made the postseason. Besides doing well on defense in that scenario, Romeo Crennel got gutsy and went for it on fourth-down when trailing 24-16 and within field goal range. The Browns picked up a first down after a completion to Winslow.
2. 
3. New Standout Wideout: After what we've seen the past two weeks, this game was a step back for Braylon Edwards due to two passes he certainly should have had for the standards he's shown to be capable of. At least for this week, Joe Jurevicius was the cream of the crop in terms of a wide receiver. He converted another play in which the Browns were near twenty yards away from a first down after a penalty, he picked a catch off the ground after turning his head at the last second near the goal line, and he held on to a tight pass through defenders on the two-pointer.
4. Low Average for High Turnout: Despite only averaging 1.9 yards on 20 carries, Lewis had a career-high four touchdowns on the same day that Adrian Peterson broke his 295-yards rushing in a single game record earlier in the day. What have the Browns lacked for years? A goal line back. If the offense is moving the ball through the air, we don't need Lewis to churn out 100 yards per game as long as he punches it in when we really need him.
5. No Harrison: I was disappointed at first not to see Jerome Harrison in action, but then as some users on the OBR pointed out, it was most certainly due to the constant blitzing that the Seahawks attempted. Jason Wright is solid at picking up the blitz in comparison to Harrison, who would be absolutely mauled in all likelihood.
6. Perfect Timing: The screen pass to Jamal Lewis was a beautifully timed call by offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski. The defense was off guard, and even I was off guard. I consider that special considering it's rather easy to see on television when a team is attempting a screen pass.
7. Fullback Pounding: Doesn't it seem like Lawrence Vickers has been noted as being more physical this season than Terrelle Smith was during his tenure with the team? Vickers may have some questionable hands still in the receiving game, but they are still better than Smith's, and he also had a punishing block on former Brown Brian Russell.
8. 
9. Poor Special Teams: First punt return allowed since, 2002 I believe? Dawson misses an extra point? We only have room for one poor unit (defense) on this team if we want to stay in a wildcard race.
10. Under 100: For the second week in a row, the Browns held the opposing team's primary running back to under 100 yards rushing for the game. As a team, the Seahawks only ran for 105 yards. For whatever reason, our run defense has come up with a couple of clutch plays the past two weeks. Unfortunately, teams have simply thrown the easy ten-yard underneath routes to receivers for first downs instead.
11. McKinney's Injury: After seeing Seth McKinney hobble to the sideline the first time, I was relieved after seeing him almost laugh it off. The second time wasn't as laughable though, as he looked to be in a considerable amount of pain. Still, I was comfortable at the time considering I'd rank McKinney the "least" important (not a diss) among our five starters, and we had two capable backups ready to step in.
12. Lost in the Shuffle: Despite a solid offensive game overall, some of the offensive miscues can't be forgotten -- a few penalties, Winslow and Edwards not catching consecutive touchdown passes late in the game, and Anderson's low throw right into the defensive line for an interception early on. The Steelers defense would capitalize on those mistakes, and it would then be our offense that cost us more so than our defense.
13. No Cribbs: Unless I'm forgetting it, I believe this was the first time all season that a trick play with Joshua Cribbs was not actually executed. I saw Cribbs in the game at least on one play in which I thought a trick option to him could have been set up, so maybe Anderson went with another read instead (his read went for a positive play).
14. Tired of Jawing: Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I'm worried every time I see our players gloating after they get a first down. I know it's permissible, but sometimes they are celebrating almost right in the opponent's face. While they are being indirect about it in a way, I still find myself yelling at the television for them to "stop it!"
15. Robaire Smith: Could it be that Robaire is keeping this defense as good as it is? I can only imagine us being even worse with Alvin McKinley back in there. However, Shaun Smith drew the praise constantly from the announcers on FOX for his standout play during the game, often getting pressure on Matt Hasselbeck. Unfortunately, any time a defensive lineman did get pressure, Hasselbeck had a man wide open by the sideline for a near first down.
16. Brownies: The Browns aren't in sync with the deep ball attempts to Tim Carter. I would like to see Travis Wilson in those situations. The Browns did not allow a sack to the third-most sacking team in the league. I thought Eric Wright and Daven Holly had some solid coverage on a few plays, only to see Hasselbeck fit the ball perfectly into the hands of Bobby Engram or D.J. Hackett. The bootlegs by Derek Anderson shows just how much smarter of a quarterback he has evolved into. Compare his mobility to that of Charlie Frye's -- I think Anderson is using his mobility more effectively than Frye ever did.

Offensively, most of the effort from this game needs to be displayed against the Steelers...with some improvements. This isn't an ordinary game, and I'm tired of getting my hopes up only to see the same result. We finally have a chance to do what no Browns team has done since returning to the league: beat a Steelers team when it counts when the division is up for grabs.