Who Were Those Guys?

It was turn back the clock night at Cleveland Browns Stadium last night.  The Browns wore their throwback jerseys and helmets from the late 1950’s, and their offense went back all the way to last year in a 35-14 upset win over the New York Giants.  It was a game in which Kellen Winslow, who was inactive for the game, and punter Dave Zastudil both, played the same amount of time.  Neither got on the field.  It was that kind of night for the brown and orange.

We wrote last week that offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski needed to open up the attack and use the weapons that are on the roster.  Last night, he did just that.  He used the “wildcat” formation a couple of times with Joshua Cribbs taking the direct snap.  He ran a double reverse with Jerome Harrison for a big gain.  And he utilized Steve Heiden in the passing game for the first time this season.  This may have been a result of Winslow missing the game, but hopefully he will remember that Heiden can be used this way more often.

However, the biggest improvement in the offense came with the return of the 2007 version of Derek Anderson.  Anderson went 18 for 29 for 310 yards and two touchdown tosses and no, repeat no interceptions.  DA stood tall in the pocket and had outstanding protection from his offensive line, which also played at last season’s level.  The running game was successful as well, gaining 144 yards with Jamal Lewis leading the way with 88 in 21 carries.

In addition to using Heiden, Anderson also found Darnell Dinkins for a 22-yard TD pass in the first half.  Harrison accounted for 67 yards of offense, carrying the ball twice from scrimmage and catching two passes.  The only thing not used by Chudzinski was Cribbs throwing a pass.  I guess you have to save something for later in the season.

The only disappointment on offense were the many false start, illegal motion, and illegal shift penalties which seemingly made an 87 yard drive in the third and fourth quarter a 150 yard drive.  This has to be cleaned up if the Browns are going to get back into playoff contention.

Defensively, the Browns made enough big plays (i.e. turnovers) to hold the Giants to just 14 points.  Why New York decided to stop running Brandon Jacobs is a mystery.  The Browns could not stop him, so Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning were doing Cleveland a favor by throwing the ball.  In fact, the Giants gained 181 yards on the ground.  However, the three interceptions killed the G-Men.  The backbreaker was Eric Wright’s 94 yard interception return which turned the game from a possible 27-21 Browns lead into a rout. 

The defense has to do a better job stopping the run going forward.  I guarantee you will see Washington try to pound the ball at the Browns this Sunday in D.C.  The secondary seems to be improving as Wright and Brandon McDonald are becoming above average cornerbacks. 

So at 2-3, the Cleveland Browns are back in the playoff hunt if they continue to play like they did yesterday.  They have to keep being aggressive on offense.  That’s not saying they should take risks, but they need to use the weapons they have on the team.  Still, they have to keep it going.  The Redskins are a good football team, their upset loss to the Rams notwithstanding. 

A good offensive performance this weekend could mean that the 2007 Browns are back. 

JD