It is rare that both teams are happy about a last second game winning field goal, but that is the oddness of the NFL pre-season schedule. No one wants to play overtime in these meaningless games, so the Packers were probably thrilled that Phil Dawson made a 46-yard field goal to give the Browns a 27-24 win.
Imagine the sense of panic from both teams when Dawson tied the game with a little over a minute to go in the contest.
As we said over the weekend, the most important thing to look at in these games in individual performances, because a win or loss can depend on a bunch of guys who will not make the final roster.
Still, you have to be a little happy with the quarterback play from Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace in the first couple of series against the Packer defense. It is refreshing to see guys who can hit open receivers, and for the most part, make completions that did not depend on a tremendous catch by a receiver.
The offense looked like a professional one, an attack that could mix both the run and the pass, instead of succeeding despite the quarterback play. And both Mohammed Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie hauled in three catches, with the latter scoring on one.
The tight ends were utilized too. Ben Watson caught one ball good for 20 yards, and Evan Moore caught two for 24 yards. And Peyton Hillis was a factor in the passing game as well; making three catches, including one for 26 yards.
Jerome Harrison did well, rushing for 25 yards on seven carries, and scoring a touchdown, while James Davis, last year’s early camp sensation, gained 24 yards on six attempts.
On defense, T. J. Ward looked very impressive. Yes, he made mistakes in coverage and he couldn’t stop John Kuhn at the goal line on Green Bay’s second touchdown, but he made eight solo tackles, a few of them being in the open field. It was nice to see someone in the secondary actually bringing someone down.
Ward and first round draft choice Joe Haden got plenty of action because of the absence of CB Eric Wright, and both did alright in coverage. Packer QB Aaron Rodgers hit 12 of 13 passes during his time in the game for 139 yards, but he is one of the NFL’s best passers. What you want to see out of the two rookies is improvement going forward.
It was not like last year when the Packers ran all over the Cleveland defense. Green Bay averaged just 3.7 yards per carry with a long run of 15 yards.
Despite not using perhaps the NFL’s best, Josh Cribbs, in the return game, the Browns had success here too, averaging 26.5 yards per kickoff return, with Haden’s 34-yarder being the longest and Syndric Steptoe returned two punts for a 16.5 yard average. Steptoe did have a critical dropped pass late in the game, though.
And Phil Dawson made a 58-yard field goal to tie the game in the fourth quarter, showing he is in mid-season form.
So, the offense looked better, some new players contributed, and the Browns won. Two of those things are important. All in all, it’s a much better start than the team had last year after the first pre-season game.
JD
Cleveland Sports Perspective 