There is an old saying in football that says if you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have one. On the defensive side of the ball, I say you can never have enough good cornerbacks. Last week, the Cleveland Browns lost rookie, starting cornerback Eric Wright for several weeks. Yesterday, they discovered another rookie, Brandon McDonald, who played very well and had an interception in yesterday’s 27-17 win over the Houston Texans at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
The corner is the key position on defense. If you have good ones, who can cover man to man, it enables you to have many options in terms of how you defend your opponent. It allows you to blitz more frequently, it frees up safeties to play the run, and it just gives you multiple looks. With Leigh Bodden, Wright, Davin Holly, and now McDonald, the Browns are building some depth at this key spot. The defense needed someone to step up against a good Texan offense, and McDonald did just that.
I’m not saying Todd Grantham’s crew has turned into the ’85 Chicago Bears on defense. However, yesterday’s effort showed improvement. They created three turnovers, had two sacks, and most importantly, held the Texans under 100 yards on the ground. Is it a coincidence that the success against the running game came about as Sean Smith was switched back to nose tackle, his natural position. Remember, the brown and orange signed Smith as a free agent to start taking over for Ted Washington in the middle of the line. Injuries forced Smith to play defensive end until yesterday, but perhaps this move alone helps the defense against the run. Also, having D’Qwell Jackson back at inside linebacker helped as well.
For the offense, it was another week, another game where they score at least 27 points. Remember last year when getting 20 points in the game was considered a good game? These Browns do that on a regular basis. Yesterday made six consecutive games Cleveland has scored 27 points, and they have done it 8 times this season overall. Against the Texans, the Browns took the lead by passing the ball and controlled the contest by ramming it down the throats of the Houston defense. Jamal Lewis had his second 100-yard rushing game in 2007, and the offensive line allowed Derek Anderson to be sacked just once.
Conversely, it was just the second time the Cleveland defense held their opponent under 20 points, the other time being the first Ravens game. In reality, if Grantham’s boys can hold teams to around this number, the Browns have a pretty good chance of winning. The defensive coordinator is going to have to be creative the rest of the season. If the Browns are decent on defense, they will win.
It’s on to Arizona for a date with the Cardinals next Sunday. Arizona lost to the 49ers yesterday for the second time this season, and allowed more than 30 points in doing so. Look for another high scoring affair, and since it is a road game, it will be a good test for the Browns. In fact, the next two are away from home, with the Jets following the Cardinals. Both are winnable games. The Browns are in the driver’s seat in terms of the playoffs. If they keep it going, a remarkable turnaround will be a fitting holiday gift for football fans in northeast Ohio.
JD
Cleveland Sports Perspective 