When the Browns announced the change to Brady Quinn as the quarterback on Monday, they forgot one thing. Quinn doesn’t play defense.
For the second straight game, the Cleveland defense blew a lead of ten points or more in the second half as they lost to the Broncos 34-30 at Cleveland Browns Stadium. The loss makes the rest of the season a test for younger players and an evaluation of who will stay in 2009 and who will not be back in a Browns uniform next year. It likely will mean that Romeo Crennel’s tenure as head coach will end after the season.
Quinn played well, going 23 for 35 for 239 yards and two touchdowns. Those are solid numbers. That is, until you compare them to Denver QB Jay Cutler’s statistics in the fourth quarter alone. Cutler shredded the Cleveland defense for 207 yards and three TD’s in the last quarter. The Browns simply had no answer for the Denver attack despite the Broncos being on their fourth or fifth string running back.
Once again, the defense failed to put pressure on Cutler most of the night, getting just one sack by Kamerion Wimbley. In many key situations, defensive coordinator Mel Tucker rushed just four, but Cutler and the Bronco receivers made them pay. And when the Browns did blitz, the defensive backs could not cover Cutler’s targets one-on-one.
In addition to the air assault, the Broncos gained 129 yards on the ground, making the grand total a whopping 564 yards of total offense for Denver. That’s the kind of yardage you hear about in a college game where Oklahoma beats someone team that has one win, something like 63-7.
CB Brandon McDonald had a horrible game, getting burned on a 93-yard pass to Eddie Royal and after the ball was caught, he tried to decapitate the receiver instead of tackling him. He also stood and watched as two Browns missed tackles on TE Daniel Graham on the second touchdown of the fourth quarter. By the way, he also dropped two possible interceptions.
As for Quinn, he was very efficient, and although he did not throw deep, his receivers seemed to gain more yards after the catch than when Derek Anderson was the quarterback. He had a connection to Kellen Winslow, who caught 10 passes with two TD’s. Braylon Edwards caught just one pass, which will probably lead to complaints to the media before next Monday’s game against Buffalo.
The Browns ran the ball well gaining 160 yards on 29 attempts. Jerome Harrison came out of mothballs to carry five times for 48 yards. They used Josh Cribbs on two reverses that were very successful. They made only one real mistake, and that was Winslow’s fumble in the fourth quarter, which basically cost them the game.
Winslow was also called for an offensive pass interference that cost the team possession and dropped the fourth down pass with less than a minute to go which ended the game.
As an aside, the penalty is why I can’t stand NFL officials, as Winslow’s infraction had nothing to do with the play. They should take a cue from NBA referees who use the theory that if it doesn’t affect the play then why make the call.
The loss makes it very unlikely that Romeo Crennel will remain the coach of this team after this season. He’s a good man and a good defensive coordinator, but he will have coached three losing teams in four years. The players like Crennel, but they don’t respond to him.
The Browns have more talent than they had when Butch Davis left, but they still have a long way to go. The defense needs a major overhaul. Shaun Rogers has been tremendous and likely will make the Pro Bowl, but who else makes plays? Eric Wright and McDonald have potential, but they aren’t finished products. The linebacking corps is a mess. The upgrade in talent likely means Phil Savage stays.
Also, this team can’t undergo a total management overhaul. Let Savage stay as GM, and bring in a new coach. If improvement isn’t seen in a couple of years, then Savage should be replaced. There has to be some sort of continuity with this team.
It will be interesting to see how the rest of this season plays out. Will we see more of guys like Harrison, Alex Hall, Louis Leonard, Beau Bell, Ahtyba Rubin, etc? Will Quinn throw the ball downfield? Will Tucker take more chances on defense? We should continue to watch to see guys like Rogers, and another sure fire Pro Bowler in Josh Cribbs, the best special teams player in the NFL.
However, it will be a long, long wait until the next thing Browns’ fans have to look forward to…The NFL Draft.
MW
Cleveland Sports Perspective 