Groundhog Day

 

Didn’t I see this movie before.  Let me think, it was Christmas Eve 2005 when the Steelers hammered the Browns 41-0 in Cleveland.  The location and score changed, but it was pretty much a re-run of last year as Pittsburgh trampled the Browns 27-7 in the Steel City last night.  I bet the NFL Network was happy it put this debacle on its airwaves.

 

Pittsburgh ran for 303 yards against the Cleveland defense, and gained over 500 yards in total offense overall.  The Browns simply had no answer for Willie Parker, Ben Roethlisberger, and Santonio Holmes who moved through the defense like a hot knife through butter.  The black and gold converted third down opportunities with ease, not allowing the Cleveland defenders to get off the field.  The time of possession took its toll in the second half, as the Steelers scored quickly.  Thankfully, Bill Cowher called off the dogs, took Parker out of the game (after he broke the Steelers’ record for rushing yards in a game), and starting running the ball exclusively.

 

Once again, the Steelers signal caller had all day to throw.  The Browns put no pressure on Roethlisberger at all.  And if they did happen to flush him out of the pocket, he did his normal good job of improvising and making plays on the run.

 

That said, the Browns trailed only 10-0 at halftime and it could have been 10-3 had not Phil Dawson missed a 40 yard field goal.  The team came out throwing, a tactic to negate the Pittsburgh zone blitz, and backup QB Derek Anderson was very effective, firing for 276 yards on a 21 for 37 passing night.  His statistics would have been better had the receivers not had a case of the dropsies.  The offensive line did a good job of protecting Anderson, as he was not sacked at all. 

 

Braylon Edwards demonstrated exactly why he should not be critiquing anyone’s performance by dropping two balls in the first half which stopped drives.  Edwards should shut his mouth until he catches the pigskin on a consistent basis.  Dennis Northcutt dropped several passes, including a simple flair pass which would have produced a first down in the first quarter.  Northcutt should not see the field the rest of the season outside of returning punts.  It’s pretty safe to say the former second round pick will not be back with the team next season. 

 

If not for these dropped passes, the offense could have sustained some drives and kept the defense off the field.  As it was, the Steelers controlled the ball for almost 39 minutes.  That kind of ball control would put any defensive squad in trouble. 

 

Anderson’s performance earned him another look see.  The Ravens are next on the schedule and it would be interesting to see him go against his former teammates to see how he does against another stout defense.  That’s not to say the Browns should give up on Frye, but the more alternatives the team has, the better off it is.  Anderson has done nothing to warrant his benching.  He sets up quickly and appears to have a quick release.  The passing game looks more crisp with him at the helm. 

 

With three games left on the slate, it’s time for the players to play for jobs in 2007.  It’s time to see Isaac Sowells at guard and Travis Wilson at wide receiver.  Why not?  It’s not like Romeo Crennel would be taking Pro Bowl players out of the line up to see them.  At least the last three games would answer some questions for next year.  After last night’s performance, that’s what is remaining of this season.

 

Reminder:  Listen to Cleveland Sports View on blogtalkradio.com tonight at 10PM for more sports opinions. 

 

JD