At least for one night, the Cavaliers and the city of Cleveland can feel good about basketball again. The Cavs knocked off the defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics 95-87, who by the way, defeated a Miami Heat team, featuring a superstar who left this summer.

This edition of the wine and gold played with passion and intensity. They ran plays, they played tough defense, and they won. And according to some NBA experts, it will be one of the few victories they will achieve all season.

And they won without Mo Williams, one of their starters. Despite all of his failings in the playoffs the past two seasons, Williams is still one of the team’s best players.

Nor did Antawn Jamison have a great game. The veteran came off the bench to play just 20 minutes, although he did hit a couple of buckets in the fourth quarter, when the wine and gold outscored Boston 27-14 to gain the win.

J.J. Hickson showed how much he improved over the off-season, scoring 21 points on 8 of 11 shooting and he also grabbed 6 rebounds. Anderson Varajao had 8 points and 10 rebounds.

Daniel Gibson shook off a rough start, missing his first eight shots, winding up with 16 points and 8 assists, and played in crunch time. Can you imagine him getting that opportunity last season if he started that cold?

And Ryan Hollins pitched in with 10 points and four boards. Hollins needs to be a contributor because he’s one of the few guys in Cleveland jersey who has some size.

Scott’s crew played decent defense, although he would probably prefer to see a opponent’s shooting percentage lower than Boston’s 47.2% as the season goes on.

Offensively, it was a balanced attack with six players in double figures, and the shots distributed fairly evenly with newcomer Ramon Sessions (15) and Gibson (14) getting the most looks. It was a blueprint as to how the Cavaliers have to play minus a superstar.

Yes, Boston was played the second game of a back-to-back set, having defeated the Heat the night before, but that’s scheduling in the NBA. The Cavs still had to play well, and they did.

No one gives you anything in the league. You have to earn victories. It is important for the wine and gold to get off to a good start, if only to give the players the confidence that they can win without LeBron James.

This team does have some good players, and some of them, particularly guys like Hickson, Gibson, and Hollins need to know they can play and win at this level.

The atmosphere at “The Q” was that of a playoff game. It seemed everyone, the players, the fans, and especially owner Dan Gilbert wanted to show people that basketball isn’t dead in Cleveland it’s just different. It was a feel good win for the city.

As for questions on if James’ #23 will ever hang from the rafters, Gilbert was non-committal saying his former employee is only 25 years old and such talk is way too premature.

Let us speak for him. It won’t be there…ever!

There will be one more banner hoisted this season. A picture of a microphone and the name Joe Tait should be put up there on the season’s last home game.

For one day, Cleveland sports fans are smiling. Thanks to the Cavs.

JK

Basketball time at the Q starts this week without longtime Cavaliers’ radio announcer Joe Tait, who will miss hopefully just the 2010 portion of the 2010-11 schedule due to heart surgery.  Get well, Joe!  The games won’t be the same without you.

As for the actual team, the Cleveland Cavaliers are a team in transition.  They have lost long time center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and also resident superstar LeBron James.  They have a new coach in Byron Scott, who is cause for optimism for this franchise.

The reported demise of the team has been reported by many, with some even going as far as saying the Cavs will be the worst team in the Eastern Conference.  That’s not even close to being true.

It’s understandable that the so-called experts think that way, because they considered the Cavs a terrible team without James.  And if the wine and gold played the same style game as last season without him, they probably would rank as one of the league’s worst teams. 

However, they won’t.  Scott has a different style of offense and has a defensive first mindset as well.  Therefore, you will see more production out of guys like Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon, and Daniel Gibson on the offensive end.

Heck, Parker was even seen going to the basket in exhibition play, something he did on rare occasions last season.

The biggest reason for optimism for the 2010-11 season is a pair of young players:  J.J. Hickson and Ramon Sessions. 

Hickson could wind up being a candidate for the league’s most improved player award next spring.  He is expanding his offensive range and could wind up scoring around 15 points per night this season.  The coach has already started to get on the talented youngster; he’s still just 22 and should be an NBA rookie this season had he stayed at NC State, to improve his attention to detail.  He’s basically telling Hickson to be more professional.

Sessions is just 24 years old and came to the Cavs in the Delonte West deal after spending a year in purgatory with Minnesota.  Two years ago, in Milwaukee, he averaged 12.4 points and almost 6 assists per night with the Bucks.  Last year, his minutes were down in backing up rookie Jonny Flynn, and his production dropped as well.

Various NBA experts have mentioned Sessions in the discussion for Most Improved Player as well.  If the Cavs have two candidates for that award, plus veterans Antawn Jamison, Mo Williams, and Anderson Varajao, it could then be determined the Cavaliers will not be the worst team in the Eastern Conference. 

And if Sessions does indeed show he can start, could a trade involving Williams be far behind?  You would think you could something decent in return for him.

The Cavs lost arguably the most talented player in the NBA, however, it says here that having that player stifled the talents of some of the other players on this team.  Those players will contribute more in 2010-11 under Byron Scott. 

And that’s not a rap on James either (we don’t want to end up on his “list”).  There was just a tendency to stand around and watch.  There was no movement on offense, either by design or as a result of LBJ’s need to have the basketball.  That will change this season.

This year’s edition of the wine and gold will make the playoffs again with a 43-39 record.  And based on the projections for this team, it might just win Scott some honors as coach of the year.

JK

The Cleveland Browns played to win today and shocked the defending Super Bowl champion Saints, 30-17 in New Orleans.

A tip of the cap goes to special teams coach Brad Seely and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan for putting together schemes that totally baffled the Saints. 

The punt return team sent a message immediately that this football team did not want to go into its bye week at 1-6, by using an across the field lateral by Josh Cribbs to Eric Wright, who ran 62 yards to the New Orleans 19 yard line and set up a field goal to give Cleveland a 3-0 lead. 

At the time, it seemed like a good way to make teams pay for ganging up on Cribbs, one of the league’s best return men.  However, it was just the first trick dialed up by Seely.

In the second quarter, Seely obviously saw through films that the Saints left the middle wide open on punt coverage, so Reggie Hodges took advantage by running up the middle for 68 yards from the Browns’ 25 yard line.  That set up another Phil Dawson field goal to give the Browns a 13-3 lead. 

The most daring part of this play was that it came from deep in Cleveland territory.  Had the gamble failed, New Orleans would have been set up for an easy score.

Meanwhile, the defense confused QB Drew Brees the entire game, most of the time by having no down pass rushers.  Brees was picked off twice for touchdowns, both by LB David Bowens, and four times overall.  He was also sacked three times.  Former Saint LB Scott Fujita had one of each, a sack and a pick, which had to be very satisfying for him in his first game against the team he won a Super Bowl ring with.  He was all over the field with 10 tackles overall.

It was a contest to throw the stats away, as the Saints out-gained the Browns, 394 to 210 yards, including 336 passing yards compared to Cleveland’s 85, and the had the ball for 36 minutes.   But the Browns made all the big plays and that earned them the victory. 

Rookie QB Colt McCoy didn’t have to do much today, but he didn’t make any mistakes, which was all the offense needed to do this day.  McCoy hit on 9 of 16 passes for 74 yards, but didn’t throw an interception and was only sacked once.  He did catch a 12 yard pass from Peyton Hillis to keep a drive alive in the fourth quarter with Cleveland holding a 20-3 lead. 

Hillis, for his part, gained 69 yards on 16 attempts, making him the Browns’ leading rusher by one yard over Hodges.  Brian Robiskie caught three passes for just 25 yards to be the leading receiver, although McCoy hit Ben Watson for an 18 yard catch in the second half on one of the few plays they threw the ball downfield. 

One other long toss resulted in a pass interference call on Malcolm Jenkins against Josh Cribbs, which led to the team’s only offensive touchdown.

This was an enjoyable game to watch because the Browns pulled out all the stops, using gadgets and trick plays.  You can’t use that many every week, but once a game wouldn’t be a bad thing to try. 

This football team doesn’t have the talent of many of its opponents, so sometimes you have to trick the opposition.  There is nothing wrong with that. 

With the bye week upon us, it is likely that either Seneca Wallace and/or Jake Delhomme will be ready to start at quarterback in two weeks.  Even if they are, it says here that McCoy should have the reins.  He’s earned the chance to continue playing until he’s forcing plays and making crucial mistakes. 

As long as he plays with poise, let McCoy play with Delhomme and Wallace to counsel him. 

JD

There is no question that football is a violent sport.  It’s a competition where large, fast men run into each other to try to knock each other down.  However, when people are getting severely hurt, it’s no longer fun and no longer good entertainment.

Oh sure, there are “fans” out there who like this aspect of the game.  They also watch car races for the crashes, they watch mixed martial arts (controlled beatings), and a long, long time ago, these people liked the Christians being fed to the lions. 

Just because some people like this sort of thing, doesn’t make it acceptable.  The NFL is hypocritical because they market this sort of violence, but they are correct in taking a stand against it.

The excuses fans have made for Steelers’ LB James Harrison’s hits on Josh Cribbs and Mohammed Massaquoi last Sunday are frightening.  Some say that is how Harrison has had to make his mark in the league, because he was undrafted and was cut three times before sticking with Pittsburgh. 

Others make the excuse that it’s just football, and players take the risk of being injured.  The risk these guys take is blowing out a knee or fracturing a rib, not possible brain damage.

The hit that Harrison put on Cribbs is getting underplayed because he was a running back, but it was a cheap shot nonetheless.  Harrison drove his head into Cribbs’ head.  There was no attempt to try to bring down Cleveland’s best player, and the hit didn’t result from Cribbs dipping his head as he ran.

Harrison tried to knock him unconscious.  That’s not the way sports should be.  Maybe football people like this sort of thing, but it’s lack of respect for your opponent as a human being.

Look, seeing T. J. Ward’s hit on Bengal WR Jordan Shipley was tremendous.  However, Ward led with the shoulder, not the head.

Also, Falcons’ DB Dunta Robinson’s shot on Eagles’ WR DeSean Jackson was vicious, but it doesn’t apply to this argument either because Robinson led with the shoulder.  Even though Robinson was fined, it was a clean hit.

It’s unfortunate that players were injured on this plays, but these hits are part of the game.

Football helmets are weapons.  They are heavy pieces of equipment.  The best comparison to them is they are like a small bowling ball.  What would people think of having bowling balls fired at the heads of football players? 

Earlier this week on ESPN Radio, Hall of Famer Mike Ditka said the helmets used when he played were no where near those of today, and players would hurt themselves if they were used in that manner. 

That fear no longer exists.

Others have made the excuse that these “head shots” aren’t new, and if by new, they mean they’ve been existing over the last 10 years, they are correct.  But these shots were fewer back in the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s. 

That’s not to say there weren’t any vicious hits in those days, they just weren’t helmet to helmet.

The NFL is hypocritical by promoting videos showing big hits, but this issue shouldn’t be lumped in with having an 18 game schedule or not taking care of retired players.  The NFL shouldn’t go to a longer schedule and they should take care of its alumni.

Helmet to helmet hits are the same as hitting another player over the head with a baseball bat.  That’s the sort of thing that needs to be eliminated from football at all costs.

JD

The 2010 season for the Cleveland Browns has started much like last year.  The team has the same record as last year, 1-5.  So, the question is this:  Has this football team improved from last year?

The easy answer is yes.  Last season, the Browns were getting hammered by their opponents, dropping games by scores of 34-20, 27-6, 34-3 in the first three games, with defeats of 31-3 and 30-6 to come. 

This year, the Browns lost their opener to Tampa by a 17-14 score, and lost the next week to Kansas City, 16-14.  The total margin of Cleveland’s five losses this season has been 40 points, compared to over 80 points a year ago.

So, they have moved from being non-competitive to being in every football game.  In fact, the Browns led each of the first four contests in the fourth quarter. 

Still, as Bill Parcells always says, you are what your record says you are, and the Browns are 1-5, the same as last season.  So, in terms of the ultimate measurement of success in sports, the win-loss record, Eric Mangini’s squad has not improved.

What makes it worse for the organization is the fact that several of the teams who picked ahead of the Browns in last year’s draft, thus having worse records, have shown improvement in the win-loss department. 

St. Louis, with rookie QB Sam Bradford at the helm, has already tripled their win total from last year and sit with a 3-3 record.  Tampa Bay had the third overall pick this spring, and they are 3-2, including a win over the Browns.

Washington is 3-3.  Kansas City is 3-2, with one of the wins coming here in the Browns’ home opener, and Seattle, with new coach Pete Carroll is at 3-3. 

The only teams drafting that high who haven’t picked up the pace in terms of wins are Cleveland and the Detroit Lions, who have been without QB Matthew Stafford for several weeks. 

The expectations on Mangini and his staff have increased because of the success of these teams. 

Add in Arizona, who made the playoffs last year, but lost Kurt Warner to retirement and are now starting a undrafted rookie free agent in Max Hall at quarterback, and they’ve won three games. 

Browns’ fans are wondering why the same can’t be true here.

In the case of the Buccaneers and Chiefs, they benefited from their early season wins over the Browns.  They achieved early success this season, and that definitely helps going forward.  Losing those games for the Browns may have created a “here we go again” mentality, particularly after those losses came as a result of critical mistakes by the offense.

In defense of the Browns, they are arguably in the toughest division in the NFL.  Both the Ravens and Steelers are on everyone’s list of the league’s best five teams, and Cleveland gets to play them twice per season.  None of the teams mentioned who have shown improvement is in a division like the AFC North.  It’s easier to get better in a mediocre division.

Still, that doesn’t make the fans more patient.  They’ve been watching the same movie year in and year out since 1999.  As one of my friends once said, “I don’t want excuses, I want results”.  He speaks for all Browns’ supporters.

MW

Apologies go to Browns’ defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.  Before the season began, it was implied here that the defense was the weak point of the Browns,  However, they keep teams out of the end zone for the most part, and they really only allowed 21 points today in a 28-10 loss to Pittsburgh at Heinz Field.

However, they aren’t perfect.  Ryan schemes to hide the personnel shortages he has on his unit, such as the play of his secondary, where his two best players may just be rookies, first round pick Joe Haden, and second rounder T. J. Ward. 

Veteran Eric Wright continues to get picked on by opposing passers, and Sheldon Brown has given up big plays in each of the last two weeks.  Another starter, safety Abe Elam is average at best and isn’t a proficient tackler. 

You don’t hear about Haden often, and when you do, it’s usually something good, like his 50 yard return of an interception of Ben Roethlisberger, which resulted in a Phil Dawson field goal to give Cleveland a 3-0 lead in the first quarter. 

When you hear about Ward, it’s usually because of a big hit he’s put on an opposing player. 

The Browns managed the Steelers’ running attack, holding them to 121 yards on 35 carries, an average of 3.5 per rush.  That’s acceptable.  However, they couldn’t sack Roethlisberger, meaning the secondary was exposed.  Mike Wallace caught three balls for 90 yards, including a 50-yard catch when Cleveland blitzed and he was single covered. 

In fact, that drive killed the Browns, when Pittsburgh went 96 yards in basically three plays:  the pass to Wallace, a 36-yard reception by Heath Miller, and then an eight yard catch for a TD by Hines Ward, who should have been tackled by Wright at the 4-yard line.  That drive turned a close 7-3 contest into a commanding 11 point Steeler lead.

Offensively, the worry was that rookie QB Colt McCoy was being fed to the wolves, but he showed great poise, just like his college coach, Mack Brown said he would.  He completed 23 of 33 passes for 281 yards and a touchdown, with two interceptions, the last one coming late in the fourth quarter and the Browns in desperation mode. 

He earned another opportunity, which he will get against New Orleans next Sunday.  Another performance in that game might be enough to let him go the rest of the year, particularly because this team is not a playoff contender.

McCoy’s game came in spite of an injury to Josh Cribbs early in the game which knocked him out for the game early in the first half.  They also lost Mohammed Massaquoi to a possible concussion in the first half, as well, but based on his recent performance, that wasn’t as critical of a loss. 

Cribbs being out meant that Chansi Stuckey had to return punts, and he looked shaky all day, and his fumble of a punt inside the Cleveland 20 with the score still 14-3, basically ended the game for the Browns.  That’s too bad, because he caught 4 passes for 46 yards on the day. 

TE’s Benjamin Watson and Evan Moore combined for 1o receptions for 172 yards and a touchdown, as they were McCoy’s favorite targets. Probably because the wide receiver play has been a weakness from day one. 

A disturbing thing about the Browns’ roster is that it is one of the oldest in the NFL, and they are 1-5.  The only thing worse than being a bad team is being a bad, old team. 

At this point, maybe it’s time to start turning over things to the McCoys, Hadens, and Wards on this team.  They have played well when given the opportunity.  By the way, that comment isn’t canonizing McCoy, but he played well enough that we should see more.

JD

Now that baseball is down to its league championship match ups and every team has some type of Cleveland connection, we are left to sift through the ashes of another lost season for the hometown Cleveland Indians.

This is the alternative to watching Cliff Lee pitch for the Rangers or seeing C.C. Sabathia in pinstripes in the ALCS or having Charlie Manuel trying to pilot the Phillies to their third straight World Series appearance by out pitching the Giants, led by ace Tim Lincecum, a former Tribe unsigned draftee (look it up, he was Cleveland’s 42^nd round pick in the 2005 draft).

The Plain Dealer’s Paul Hoynes started looking through the rubble of the 2010 season on Sunday with a ranking of every player on the Tribe 40-man roster, including the guys currently on the 60-day disabled list, like Grady Sizemore and Carlos Santana.

The rankings seem accurate and show the problems this team has.  For example, Shelly Duncan’s was ranked at #11.  Duncan did a good job in his role on the team, but if he’s the 11^th best player on your team, your team isn’t very good. 

Some players were ranked a little low in my eyes, such as Matt LaPorta at #22, behind guys like Lou Marson (#16), Jayson Nix (#17), and Joe Smith (#20).  LaPorta did have a disappointing year, hitting .221 with 12 HR, 41 RBI, and a 668 OPS, but he was an everyday player for the most part.  He deserves some credit for that. 

Others were ranked a litte too high, besides the aforementioned players; Hoynes seemed to like Jeanmar Gomez over Josh Tomlin, probably because Gomez throws harder.  Tomlin had the better stats, giving up less hits than innings pitched and having a 2:1 strikeout to walk ratio.  Gomez had a comparable ERA, but allowed 73 hits in 57-2/3 innings with a 34 to 22 whiff to walk rate.

The frightening part of the article was Hoynsie’s take on the opening day roster for 2011.  Granted, this was put together without knowing if new GM Chris Antonetti will make any trades, but if that’s the lineup on April 1, 2011, good luck to the Indians on selling tickets.

First, having Nix opening at either 2B or 3B is a turn off.  The organization has been sending a lot of signals about how excited they are that he will play the hot corner in winter ball, but they should be desperately looking to find someone else to start.  Hopefully, this is just rhetoric from the management, but Nix is not a good player, and they are fooling themselves if they think he is.

 Also, Hoynes’ construction of the bullpen is disturbing.  No one will want to watch this team if they are bringing guys like Aaron Laffey, Justin Germano, and Jensen Lewis in relief.  What is the difference between this and the beginning of this year when the ‘pen struggled.  Also, Laffey and Lewis have problems throwing strikes, and that’s a recipe for a bad bullpen.

Let’s hope the Tribe front office isn’t kidding themselves with their evaluations of players.  That’s why an outside voice is needed.  Antonetti and his staff need to hear that a guy like Jayson Nix isn’t an answer, he’s a question.  Things won’t change at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario until some different viewpoints are part of the process.

KM

The Cleveland Browns announced they have traded RB Jerome Harrison to the Philadelphia Eagles for RB Mike Bell, who spent last season with the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints.

However, he wasn’t in Eric Mangini’s doghouse.

If you believe that, we have some lakefront property in Akron for you to look at.

Harrison was a major reason for the team winning their last four games of the 2009 season, but the powers that be seemed to always be looking to replace him.  He was a legitimate home run threat, one of the few on this team. 

The trade is another example of the coaching staff running off a talented player, who might not be fully in tune with the attitude of the coaching staff. 

Right now, the Cleveland Browns aren’t good enough for their coach to have a doghouse. 

Harrison wasn’t used much last season until the team was in desperation mode. 

Harrison doesn’t fit the power running style preferred by the coach, but he could have been valuable on short passes and getting the ball in an open space. 

Bell, 27, has gained 1400 yards in his five-year NFL career, which started in Denver in 2006.  He’s more of a Peyton Hillis type of back. 

JD

The NFL season has passed the quarter pole for the Cleveland Browns, and once again the quarterback situation is a mess.  The difference is that this time the upheaval at the position has been caused by injury, and not performance.

The Browns picked up Brett Ratliff from the practice squad of the Patriots to give the Browns two completely healthy options at the position along with rookie Colt McCoy. 

GM Tom Heckert and coach Eric Mangini really had no choice.  Both Seneca Wallace, who was playing extremely well before getting hurt on Sunday, and Jake Delhomme have high ankle sprains and will not be able to play this week, or probably not for a few weeks. 

Ratliff was signed because he was with the team last season, and has been with Mangini for the past two seasons, the first one with the Jets.  And many are speculating already that Ratliff will get the start for the Browns on Sunday at Heinz Field against the Steelers.

However, is that the correct decision?

Many will say that McCoy only made the team because Holmgren and Heckert drafted him, but has Ratliff ever shown anything to merit giving him the reins this Sunday against Pittsburgh?

The grand plan was to allow the rookie to sit, watch, and learn behind the veterans this season, and be ready to contribute to the team next season.  But you know what they say about the best-laid plans of mice and men.

Perhaps Wallace will make a speedy recovery and this quarterback problem will be moot, and he can be the starter against the hated Steelers.  However, if he can’t go, then the choice should be McCoy, even though it is not the way the front office and coaching staff wanted him to get his first game exposure.

Ratliff is living off of his one good pre-season effort against the Browns in 2008, the day Brett Favre was traded to the Jets.  He’s done nothing since to demonstrate why he has the trust and admiration of Mangini. 

In last year’s preseason games, Richard Bartel played better in the games than Ratliff did.  Yet, he was cut before the regular season started in favor of Ratliff.

And if McCoy does get the nod as the starter, let’s hope the offensive game plan doesn’t revert to the Stone Age, with handoffs on first and second downs, and a pass on third and eight.  That’s the best way to get a third quarterback hurt, especially against an outstanding defense like the Steelers. 

The Browns’ offense is based on the short pass anyway, and McCoy showed his accuracy in the last pre-season game when he completed every pass he threw.  His biggest problem will be reading the defense and recognizing where the various blitzes that defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau will dial up for him.

Yes, McCoy is a rookie and hasn’t taken one snap in an NFL regular season game.  Still, Arizona is starting Max Hall, an undrafted rookie free agent out of BYU.  The Steelers started Dennis Dixon, making his first NFL start in their season opener this year. 

Sometimes, things happen out of necessity.  Here’s hoping Mangini doesn’t take the easy way out by starting a quarterback based on experience rather than skill level. 

JD

What happens when a physical football team meets its match?  The Cleveland Browns found out today as they were out-toughed by the Atlanta Falcons, losing 20-10 at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

The old bugaboo that was the biggest reason the team hasn’t been able to win consistently over the last ten years raised its ugly head once again, as the Browns couldn’t run the football, gaining just 48 yards rushing, and they couldn’t stop the run, allowing Atlanta to gain 165 on the ground.  That’s a recipe for defeat on a regular basis. 

The other nightmare that came true for the team was Seneca Wallace getting injured at the end of the first half.  Wallace was playing well, hitting 11 of 15 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown to Peyton Hillis, but when he went down, it forced Jake Delhomme back in the game, and he wasn’t sharp or healthy.

Delhomme missed several open receivers early in the second half, and he was still gimpy enough that he could not elude the pressure applied by Atlanta’s defense.  A mis-handled snap also made the Browns settle for a field goal after a sack of Falcon QB Matt Ryan, which caused a fumble giving Cleveland the ball deep in Atlanta territory. 

Delhomme will be hammered for two interceptions, but the first, which was batted up in the air, caught on a dive by DE Kroy Biermann, and returned 41 yards for a touchdown, wasn’t the quarterback’s fault, as he never saw the Falcon coming until it was too late.  The second was caused when the veteran was hit as he was throwing, causing the ball to be off target. 

Which brings us to the offensive line, which did not give an acceptable performance.  In particular, Pro Bowl tackle Joe Thomas was dominated by Atlanta DE John Abraham.  It was a hit by Abraham that knocked Wallace out of the game, and he also was a factor on the second interception of Delhomme. 

Thomas has not played like a Pro Bowler this season.

Defensively, the Browns did a great job of keeping Ryan in control, as he hit on 16 of 28 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown, most of which came in the second half.  The time of possession in this game was about even, but the Browns’ defense seemed to be on the field most of the game.  In the first half, the offense really only generated one significant drive, that the one they scored on.

Coordinator Rob Ryan did a great job of keeping the Falcons out of the end zone in the first half, and actually allowed just 13 points for the game, which is, when all is said and done, good enough to win. 

LB Marcus Benard had another sack, giving him 3.5 for the year, and Scott Fujita had the one that forced a fumble early in the second half that should have given Cleveland control of the contest.  Not cashing that in for a touchdown was a huge swing in the game, as on the subsequent drive, Ryan hit WR Roddy White for a 45 yard touchdown pass giving Atlanta a lead they would not relinguish.

So, now Eric Mangini has a problem at quarterback, much like he had all of last season.  Will Delhomme be healthy enough to start next week in Pittsburgh?  If he’s not, can Wallace go?  And no matter who plays, can the offensive line protect him.  What happened today is what occurs when you have a one dimensional offense, and the defense takes that option away. 

You have a big problem winning football games.  And when you bill yourself as a physical team and you get dominated, you really have a problem.  The guess here is it will be a tough week of practice for the Cleveland Browns.

JD