Reversal of Fortune?

Phil Dawson said it best after the game, the Cleveland Browns have been waiting for 9 years to get a call and they finally did. The no good field goal that was good after hitting the left upright and then hitting the arched post that supports the goal posts before bouncing back out in front of the goal posts allowed the Browns to survive a truly awful performance and somehow escape Baltimore with a 33-30 OT win. That win puts them at 6-4 a game behind Pittsburgh who no showed and lost versus the putrid New York Jets. It was a game that the Browns have become habitually good at losing on a consistent basis, but no matter how ugly it was they won and that all that matters. It was a stunning reversal of fortune that could hopefully spring the Browns onto a path of relevance and send the hated Ravens into a long period of suck-i-tude.

The Browns were not good today. DA and Braylon look completely off today, making mental mistakes and not making many plays when needed. Braylon had a fumble which DA threw a perfect pass right to Ray Ray Lewis for a Pick 6. The O disappeared in the second half for the second game in a row. The Browns had penalty problems, especially on the offensive line, resulting in a 1st and 30 at one point. Phil Dawson missed an easy 35 yard field goal early in the game and Ryan Pontbriand had his first bad snap I can remember on a botched FG attempt. The D allowed an awful Ravens offense and Kyle Boller to come back from a 13 point deficit. But somehow the Browns overcame it and won.

There were some positives. Jamal Lewis looked like he still had a pep in his step playing against his old team. Jason Wright again had more success as a nice change of pace back. K2 continues to make big catches when needed. Sean Jones looked like the playmaker he was last year and Brodney Pool finally stepped up when he was needed. Robaire Smith provided the Browns with a pass rush they have sorely needed. Mike Adams and Brandon McDonald stepped up after Eric Wright left early with a sprained knee. Josh Cribbs continues to amaze on kick and punt returns and even forced a fumble on kick coverage. Phil Dawson shook of an early shank to give the Browns the win. Romeo Crennel even won a replay challenge.

The Browns have 6 games to go against the opponents with the weakest remaining schedule in the NFL (lowest combined winning percentage of opponents). Who would have thought the Week 11 meeting with the Texans would have playoff implications? The Browns have plenty of problems that need fixing but they finally have returned to national prominence. When is the last time they were on the front page of ESPN.com or NFL.com? They are a constant topic on all the major pre and post game shows. That hasn't been the case since left were stolen in 1995. They may very well be the feel good story of the NFL. They seem to have some karma on their side for the first time in years with a fateful bounce. Let's see if the can turn that karma into a serious playoff push and reverse the fortunes of a once proud franchise.

Bounce Back

Wipe off the stink from the loss to Pittspuke it's off to Balti-whore for a date with the Ravens and their imperial leader, Lord Billick.

The Ravens managed only 7 points last week against the porous Cincinnati defense that allowed the Browns to drop 51 points on them in Week 2. They have switched from Steve McNair to Kyle Boller due to "injury". Many insiders think it has more to do with McNair doing his best Charlie Frye impersonation as a 60 minute sack and turnover machine. They have a young, inexperience offensive line. They don't have a lot of explosive weapons on offense. They're defensive backfield is far less than healthy. Ray Ray Lewis and the boys have lost a step on D and the team is arguing internally. Despite that, the Ravens are still a dangerous team especially at home.

The Browns made some mistakes last week that haunted them. A bad challenge that resulted in a double time-out, shaky QB play, a crucial turnover and not coming up big when they had the chance to. The Ravens are not a good team but they are not a bad team either. Any one or, god forbid, combination of them will give the Ravens a chance at victory. They do posses a quality RB which always gives the Browns fits and they D, despite their age and injury, does still posses a number of play makers who can change the game if given the opportunity.

The Browns couldn't take the next step last week by beating an elite team on the road. That time will come. Now it's time to grow up and rebound from a heartbreaking loss to a rival by beating a rival that they are better than. The Browns have always matched-up well against the Ravens. They need to be aggressive and take chances like they did in the first half against the Steelers. They need to play with the tenacity that they displayed in the first Ravens game. And they need to do this on the road. The Browns have turned it around at home but now they need to beat teams they are better than on the road.

They don't need another Oakland game. That game has left them at 5-4 instead of 6-3. A huge difference. Another misstep will make their prospects for the first play-off birth since 2002 grim. They have seven games remaining against teams they are better then, but four are on the road. They are only 1-3 on the road. They need to finish at .500 or better away from home to have a shot at the playoffs. They are done playing the dredges of the league like Miami and St. Louis. They don't have juggernauts like New England or Pittspuke left on the schedule. They have 7 average, run of the mill teams that they are better than. It time to start to run the gauntlet towards the playoffs and the first stop is Baltimore.

This game will tell us as much about the Browns as the Pittspuke game did. They hung tough took some punches but faded at the end and couldn't seal the deal. They have a Balit-whore team teetering on the brink of implosion up next. The Browns have better talent. They have better schemes. They are better people. But the Browns have to believe it before they can do it. Can they bounce back and get back on track for something that seemed like a pipe dream at the beginning of the season? Browns fans want to believe they can but it only matters if the Browns themselves do.

Close, But So Far

In the end, the Browns came up just short. A few inches short on Phil Dawson's potential game winning 53 yard field goal and 3 points short of the Steelers in a 31-28 loss at Heinz Field. As brilliantly as they played in the first half, they just could not sustain it in the second half, allowing the Steelers to overcome a 21-9 Browns lead at halftime.

After forcing the Steelers to go 3 and out on the opening series the Browns drove the field on a 16 play 8 minute drive that ending in a DA touchdown pass to Kellen Winslow. 7-0 Browns.

Willie Parker drove the Steelers down the field on the ensuing possession but the Browns D held the to 3. Josh Cribbs responded with a 90 yard KO return to the Steelers 4 and after a Lawrence Vickers TD reception i t was 14-3 Browns.

The Steelers drove down the field again but the Browns D held again to keep the Browns up 14-6. After a short drive Browns punt on the next possession Brodney Pool intercepted Ben Roethlisberger and Braylon Edwards pulled in an amazing TD catch that needed a Romeo Crennel challenge to make it true and it was 21-6 Browns.

The Steelers drove the field again but yet again the Browns D held to finish the first half with the score Browns 21, Steelers 9.

In the first half the Browns O looked great and was firing on all cylinders. The Browns D stepped up and looked stout when it needed to be. But some key mistakes by the Browns int he second half turned the tide for the Steelers.

After both teams went 3 and out twice to start the half, the Steelers got the big break they needed when James Harrison forced Jamal Lewis to fumble in their own end and the Steelers turned it into an easy Hines Ward TD, 21-16 Browns.

The Browns and Steelers traded 3 and outs again as the third quarter ended, mercifully. The Browns finished the quarter with no first downs and DA was definitely frazzled by the Steelers D who obviously made the necessary adjustments needed at halftime.

The Browns went 3 and out... again, and again the Steelers made them pay. On the arm of Roethlisberger the Steelers drove down the field effortlessly and Roethlisberger then ran, almost untouched, for a 30 yard TD. Add the 2 point conversion by Ward and it was 24-21 Steelers.

With the Browns O struggling, Josh Cribbs answered as he corralled a squib kick at the goal line juked one man, tip toed up the sideline and somehow stayed inbounds and found a convoy to the endzone for a Browns 28-24 lead. The play withstood a Mike Tomlin challenge as the Browns finally caught a break in the game.

But the Browns D couldn't come up with the big stop it had in the previous weeks. The Steelers converted third downs of 7, 18 and 8 yards (many on Roethlisberger scrambles) to set up a 2 yard TD catch by Heath Miller to go up 31-28.

Romeo Crennel then made his only coaching mistake of the game calling a timeout before challenging the play, which he lost, ultimately costing the Browns 2 timeout on one play. It would come back to be a factor.

The Browns went 3 and out again but forced the Steelers to go 3 and out and punt. Josh Cribbs returned the punt to the Steelers 33 but a holding penalty moved the ball back to the Browns 39. DA managed to drive the Browns to the Steelers 36 but was forced to spike the ball with 7 seconds left on 3rd and 2, because they had used their final timeout previously, and on 4th and 2, Phil Dawson's 53 yard field goal attempt into the windy, open end on Heinz Field was dead on the money... but came up just inched short. Ballgame. Steelers 31, Browns 28.

In the end the Steelers showed the resolve of a time tested veteran team expecting to win while the Browns looked like an improving team not yet ready to make the next step to an elite challenger. Instead of coming out int he second half ready to step on the opponents' neck the Browns came out flat with poor QB play, a costly fumble, a poor coaching challenge and a an inability to make a play when needed. Josh Cribbs out gained the Browns offense on the day but they still came within inches of sending the game to overtime.

A frustrating loss but the best effort the Browns have shown against the Steelers in four years. An exciting, exhilarating game that Browns fans haven't seen in a long time. We learned the Browns are not in the Steelers class yet, but we knew that already. What we didn't know is that the gap isn't as wide as we thought. With a few pieces on D the Browns may become a contender in the AFC sooner than expected. Despite it's struggles the O put up 28 points on the the #1 D in the NFL and a D that was giving up about 6 points per game at home.

So the Browns sit alone in 2nd in the AFC North at 5-4. Seven games to go. Seven games against opponent they can beat. Seven games against teams that they ARE better then. The Browns have had an amazing run so far. They have proved all their doubters wrong. They continue to get better every game. They came up short against the Steelers but they didn't back down and traded punches all day.

In the end the Steelers took the game from the Browns. The Browns have a great chance to take what they and their fans want. To taste something they haven't since 2002. The Browns control their own destiny, all they have to do it take it. Let's shake off the Pittspuke hangover and take what is ours.

Why Not?

This is a horrible match-up for the Browns and it unfortunately comes against their biggest rival. The Steelers offense presents a plethora of problems for good defenses. The Browns defense is not good. It is embarrassingly awful. They can pound Willie Parker against the porous Browns defense early, wearing down them while simultaneously keeping the potent Browns O on the sidelines. Doing this would leave the Browns D tired and easily susceptible to play action, which their DB (especially safeties) have been vulnerable to all season. Or they can use the passing game to set up the run as they have been doing most of the year. Taking advantage of the lack of pressure the Browns front 7 can generate, the Steelers could pick apart the Browns via the pass, gain an early lead and then salt away the clock by pounding the ball in the second half with Parker and Najeh Davenport. Either proposition is a possibility on Sunday.

The Steelers 3-4 D also presents problems for the Browns O. The Browns have traditionally struggled against the 3-4 D as evident by Derek Anderson's troubles agaisnt New England earlier this season. The Steelers have a stout nose tackle in Casey Hampton, as two run first ends who can also generate a decent pass rush. Their linebacking core is fast and athletic and James Harrison has more than filled the void left by Joey "Feces" Porter. Their defensive backfield has always been vulnerable but SS Troy Polamalu more than makes up for it by being a physical, intimidating presense. You never know who of or where from the Steelers D is going to come from.

Throw in the fact that the Browns are 3-15 against the Steelers since 1999 and that most of the games were not even close and it is a daunting task indeed. The Browns are starting to come into their own but the Steelers are more established, more talents and a better team that the Browns...

So why not shove it in their faces?

Why not hit Big Dumb Roethlisbozo ever time we have a chance because he's a cocky, condescending asshole who won't even credit his former Head Coach for his development?

Why not get Hines Ward back for his cheap shot on Daven Holly, for most of his amazing blocks come away from the play or after the play has moved down field and for the fact that his "smiling for the love of the game" is more taunting of a beaten opponent?

Why not show James Farrior and Larry Foote what a rivalry is and that the thing they think is a rivalry between Baltimore and Pittsburgh is shit?

Why not make the Appalachian Inbred Yinzer Scum wonder if Omar Epps really IS their Head Coach?

And why not make those towel waving assclowns shove those YELLOW towels the only place they truly belong?

It makes no sense. The odds of it happening are slim to none. The Steelers should win the game. They probably will win the game. But... WHY 'THE F' NOT? Who cares what everybody says? Who cares what the experts say? Why not the Browns? It's been a whacked out season of football. The team is actually playing with heart and soul for the first time in their reincarnation. The Browns players care about the rivalry something the Steelers players do not. It's small but maybe it's enough. It reminds me of a scene from a movie...

Joe J: War's over, man. Pittsburgh dropped the big one.

K2: Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!

DA: Germans?

Braylon: Forget it, he's rolling.

K2: And it ain't over now. 'Cause when the goin' gets tough... [thinks hard]

K2: the tough get goin'! Who's with me? Let's go! [runs out, alone; then returns]

K2: What the fuck happened to the Cleveland Browns I used to know? Where's the spirit? Where's the guts, huh? "Ooh, we're afraid to go with you Kellen, we might get in trouble." Well just kiss my ass from now on! Not me! I'm not gonna take this. Hines Ward, he's a dead man! Polamalu, dead! Roelisberger...

DA: Dead! Kellen's right. Psychotic, but absolutely right. We gotta take these bastards. Now we could do it with conventional weapons that could take years and cost millions of lives. No, I think we have to go all out. I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part.

K2: We're just the guys to do it.

Joe J: Let's do it.

K2: LET'S DO IT!

GO BROWNS!!!

Bring on the Yinzers!!!

Wow, what a game! The offensive juggernaut that is the Cleveland Browns kept on rolling by putting up a 33 spot to defeat the Seattle Seahawks in overtime, 33-30 on the shores of Lake Erie. Getting down 21-6 early on but never giving up the Browns battled back to notch a win over a quality opponent and improve to 5-3. It also marked the first time since 2001 that they have won 3 games in a row and assures that next Sunday's match-up with the Steelers will be for 1st place in the AFC North regardless of the result of the Monday Night game.

It's someone different every week and this week belonged to Kellen Winslow and Jamal Lewis. 11 receptions, 125 yards, one banged up shoulder and one ailing knee. An amazing effort from a guy who is in constant pain every time he runs let alone gets tackled. Jamal Lewis pounded in 4 TD runs from 2 yards are less. When is the last time you can remember the Browns doing that more than once in a season and they did it 4 times in one GAME. Last week it was Braylon Edwards and Derek Anderson. But this offense has so many weapon you don;t know who will be the standout from week to week.

The defense may still stink, but they are making plays when they have to. For the second consecutive week they did not allow a TD in the second half and allowed the Browns O to mount a comeback. They came up with two stops on 4th and 1 AGAIN to hold serve when it mattered most. It all comes down to the D line. The lack of pass rush is embarrassing but Romeo and Todd Grantham are trying to overcompensate for it by rolling coverages and rotation fresh bodies in and out. When is the last time you saw Brandon McDonald and David McMillan in the game in the 4th quarter? Never. That is what this D is up against. But if they can continue to make plays when they need to, the Browns will always have a chance.

But the Browns won and did so while having to overcome a shanked extra point, a number of dropped TD passes and a punt return TD. But as they have all year they did NOT fold and came back to win. They now have some injury concerns as RG Seth McKinney left with an injured should and is most likely out for the Pittsburgh game. Will Lennie Friedman step in or will the reps Ryan Tucker got during training came pay dividends? Winslow is also banged up and will need a couple extra days of rest. But do you think he's missing the Steelers game? No.

So they've beat the win less teams. They've beat the mediocre teams. Sunday they beat a championship contender. The only thing that stands between them and first place it the neighborhood bully that has been smacking them around for almost 10 years. They've got a shot to knock them of their pretty little perch.

Where Do We Stand?

Well this is an interesting one for the Brownies this week. Sitting at 4-3 and one game behind the lead for the AFC North with impending back-to-back road games versus the Steelers and Ravens. It is a situation they have not found themselves in very often since 1999. This week the Seattle Seahawks come to town, owners of the exact same 4-3 record and coming off their bye week. The Seahawks are traditionally a tough one for the Browns as they are only 4-11 all-time versus Seattle.

The bookies have installed the Browns as a 1 point favorite. You get three points for being at home which means that on a neutral field they think the Seahawks are two points better than the Browns. So basically they have no clue on how to feel about this game just like most of us.

The Seahawks come in hurting on offense as the running game still hasn't gelled with the loss of Pro-Bowl guard Steve Hutchinson before last season. Shawn Alexander looks to have lost a step after being injured the majority of last season. The retirement of fullback Mack Strong as Alexander's lead blocker also has had an adverse effect on the 'Hawks running game.

The Seahawks are also aren't tearing it up via the pass either as Matt Hasselback is nursing a strained oblique and their wide receiving core still struggles with dropped passes and health even with the departure of Koren Robinson and Darrell Jackson. They traded a first round pick for Deion Branch and it has not paid dividends.

Just like the Browns they have beat up on the dredges on the NFL... Cincinnati, San Francisco, St. Louis... and have been spanked by the good teams, Pittsburgh and New Orleans. So this should be a good judge of where both franchises stand. The Browns, hopefully, appear to be on an upswing with some young, stand out players coming into their own while the Seahawks are attempt to hold onto the core that got them to the Super Bowl a mere two years ago.

Seattle still has a formidable defense with Patrick Kearney and Julian Peterson anchoring one of the leagues most underrated units. Former Brown Brian Russell leads the secondary and even though they won't admit it, the Browns sorely miss his leadership. Despite the upgrade in defense over the Rams and Dolphins I still expect the Browns to score if they protect the ball. Chud, DA and the play makers have shown for 6 weeks that they are more than capable of dissecting any defense.

It all comes down to the D, as it always seems to. Big Ted Washington is on the IR essentially ending his tenure as a Brown. Shaun Smith will get more work at nose tackle while Simon Fraser will see more work at left DE. I expect to see a ton of rotation of the line to keep the boys fresh and because, quite frankly, none of them are exceptionally good. It looks like D'Qwell Jackson might not play but Andre Davis and Leon Williams held down the fort quite well in the second half against the Rams. The DBs stepped up in the end of the Rams game but will need a better overall effort against a better Seattle team.

This is your textbook measuring stick game between a young, up and coming team and an aging team still trying to play at an elite level. A good test for the Browns before they ship off to Pittspuke but they can not look past Seattle. This year the Browns have been beating teams that they are better than or as good as they are. They have been winning at home. They need to continue to do so to continue to provide Cleveland with meaningful football games into November and December for the first time in a long time.