Sunday, September 10, 2006
Flag football, Anyone?
By John Chandler
New season, same Browns. That's the nutshell analysis of Sunday's 19-14 loss to New Orleans.
The Browns squandered what few opportunities they had with -- and stop top me if you've heard this one before -- penalties. Yes, littering is still as much of a problem inside of Cleveland Browns Stadium as it is outside of it.
Take the game's first play: Charlie Frye tells Braylon Edwards to run the post all out, then finds him wide open in single coverage for a 74 yard would-be touchdown. Braylon said he never looked back to check for a flag; he still must not be used to the way things work in Cleveland, where the city's flag is yellow.
Kevin Shaffer's holding penalty wiped out an Edwards touchdown; Cosey Coleman's erased a critical 4th down pitch-and-catch from Frye to Joe Jurevicius. But flags were not the only issue.
The offensive line was a sieve, contributing to the difficulty in running the football. Perhaps, you could add the play-calling to that as well. On 3rd and 1, the Browns put Reuben Droughns (a 1,200 yard rusher) on the bench and opted for a sweep to the outside with Lawrence Vickers (a rookie fullback) for a loss. The play worked so well, they tried it again. Didn't work. I believe the old adage says the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Maybe the coaches missed that one.
Speaking of missed, let's talk about the opportunities that twice slipped through the hands of Browns receivers. Dennis Northcutt dropped a catchable ball on a critical 3rd down near the sideline that negated a Sean Jones fumble recovery in the 3rd quarter. On the Browns final drive, the boastful Braylon Edwards had a first down, and maybe more, glance off of his fingertips and into the arms of Josh Bullocks. Nothing to brag about, that's for sure. Even Braylon admitted that afterwards.
The trouble with all of this is the good that amounts to wasted time. Kellen Winslow's first game since a season ending-injury in Dallas two years ago was brilliant. K2 pushed around defenders, pumped up a rather bored crowd, and plowed his way through Saints defenders for a critical 3rd quarter touchdown -- his first as a Brown. Sure, it's two years late. But enough dwelling on the past. Winslow has shown the ability to move forward on the field and in his mind.
It seemed like there were eleven Sean Jones on the field; the Browns safety was all over it. An interception and a fumble recovery showed a little promise. Same goes for rookie Kamerion Wimbley, who had Drew Brees on the run a couple of times.
Charlie Frye? Well, as coach Romeo Crennel put it, he had some "growing pains" today. Frye hustled to avoid constant pressure. He scrambled to make plays happen. At times, he was culpable when they didn't (like taking a sack on 1st and 10 and 3rd and 8 on the same drive late in the 4th). At other times, flags and dropped balls blocked his chances.
What else is new?
Browns fans, let us have it! Send us your take on today's game, and watch for your comments during the Alltel SoundOff, on Toyota Sports Sunday.
New season, same Browns. That's the nutshell analysis of Sunday's 19-14 loss to New Orleans.
The Browns squandered what few opportunities they had with -- and stop top me if you've heard this one before -- penalties. Yes, littering is still as much of a problem inside of Cleveland Browns Stadium as it is outside of it.
Take the game's first play: Charlie Frye tells Braylon Edwards to run the post all out, then finds him wide open in single coverage for a 74 yard would-be touchdown. Braylon said he never looked back to check for a flag; he still must not be used to the way things work in Cleveland, where the city's flag is yellow.
Kevin Shaffer's holding penalty wiped out an Edwards touchdown; Cosey Coleman's erased a critical 4th down pitch-and-catch from Frye to Joe Jurevicius. But flags were not the only issue.
The offensive line was a sieve, contributing to the difficulty in running the football. Perhaps, you could add the play-calling to that as well. On 3rd and 1, the Browns put Reuben Droughns (a 1,200 yard rusher) on the bench and opted for a sweep to the outside with Lawrence Vickers (a rookie fullback) for a loss. The play worked so well, they tried it again. Didn't work. I believe the old adage says the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Maybe the coaches missed that one.
Speaking of missed, let's talk about the opportunities that twice slipped through the hands of Browns receivers. Dennis Northcutt dropped a catchable ball on a critical 3rd down near the sideline that negated a Sean Jones fumble recovery in the 3rd quarter. On the Browns final drive, the boastful Braylon Edwards had a first down, and maybe more, glance off of his fingertips and into the arms of Josh Bullocks. Nothing to brag about, that's for sure. Even Braylon admitted that afterwards.
The trouble with all of this is the good that amounts to wasted time. Kellen Winslow's first game since a season ending-injury in Dallas two years ago was brilliant. K2 pushed around defenders, pumped up a rather bored crowd, and plowed his way through Saints defenders for a critical 3rd quarter touchdown -- his first as a Brown. Sure, it's two years late. But enough dwelling on the past. Winslow has shown the ability to move forward on the field and in his mind.
It seemed like there were eleven Sean Jones on the field; the Browns safety was all over it. An interception and a fumble recovery showed a little promise. Same goes for rookie Kamerion Wimbley, who had Drew Brees on the run a couple of times.
Charlie Frye? Well, as coach Romeo Crennel put it, he had some "growing pains" today. Frye hustled to avoid constant pressure. He scrambled to make plays happen. At times, he was culpable when they didn't (like taking a sack on 1st and 10 and 3rd and 8 on the same drive late in the 4th). At other times, flags and dropped balls blocked his chances.
What else is new?
Browns fans, let us have it! Send us your take on today's game, and watch for your comments during the Alltel SoundOff, on Toyota Sports Sunday.
Posted at 4:01 PM
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