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ABJ
UGLY ON, OFF FIELD
Browns put up little fight; when they do, it's on bench
By Patrick McManamon
Beacon Journal sportswriter
CLEVELAND - Lifeless, listless and lethargic.
That was your Cleveland Browns on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.
So wide was the disparity between the two teams that the Bengals seemed to yawn their way to a 30-0 victory at the stadium.
Yes, the Browns were shut out -- by the NFL's worst-ranked defense.
``We stunk,'' safety Brian Russell said.
Can't argue that one -- not after that embarrassing defeat dropped the Browns to 3-8 (hey, they can still finish .500!).
As the game progressed, the Browns painted an ugly picture of themselves on the sidelines -- and much of the picture came from wide receiver Braylon Edwards.
In the third period, television cameras showed Edwards reaching around Reuben Droughns to grab Charlie Frye's left shoulder, then showed Edwards railing at Dennis Northcutt and Droughns.
Apparently Edwards was tearing into the offensive line, saying the line needed to protect Frye.
When he grabbed Frye, he said something to the effect of ``they have to keep this jersey clean.''
``Nobody's attacking Charlie,'' Kellen Winslow said. ``At least, I didn't hear anything. It's not anyone's fault. It's as a unit.''
The incident followed consecutive possessions when Frye threw interceptions. On each, he had a Bengals defender in his face as he threw.
Edwards clearly was calling out teammates on the sidelines, much like he did earlier in the week when he called out safety Brian Russell for a hit on Chad Johnson in the second game of the season.
The reason Droughns dragged Edwards away from Frye? Because tackle Kelly Butler was sitting nearby, and players did not want a fight on the sideline.
``There can't be any arguing on the sideline,'' special teamer Mason Unck said.
``You just can't yell at a teammate,'' tight end Steve Heiden said. ``Bottom line.''
``It was unnecessary,'' fullback Terrelle Smith said. ``I didn't pay attention to it. I just know it was starting to cause a situation back there. We don't need that. That's not part of the solution.''
Smith said he also heard Edwards being badgered by fans, who were screaming at him to do something and stop talking.
Edwards did not ignore the fans, but shouted back -- in both the first and second half.
Hard to figure how the Browns can get much worse, but from afar, an implosion seemed possible.
Edwards did not talk to the media after the game.
Frye said the Browns' biggest opponent is themselves.
``We have to get on the same page and fight together,'' he said. ``We have to stop fighting each other and start playing against the other team.
``If not, we are going to lose a lot of games.''
Frye added that he was referring to mistakes, and missed assignments. The Bengals took advantage of many protection errors to pressure Frye, sacking him four times and hitting him what seemed like a dozen more.
``We got to protect the quarterback,'' Winslow said. ``If it takes nine of us to protect that guy, we got to put a bubble around him. He's getting hammered back there.''
Winslow said the offense can do nothing ``without the starting five,'' presumably meaning the offensive line.
The Bengals pretty much did whatever they wanted and stopped the Browns from doing anything.
The league's worst overall and worst passing defense put up a shutout -- the Bengals' first in 269 games. The last Bengals shutout? Against the Browns in 1989.
The Browns, meanwhile, have gone 10 quarters and 11:59 without an offensive touchdown. Their last score was on Frye's 19-yard pass to Edwards in the second period of the game in Atlanta.
``We just didn't come to play,'' tight end Kellen Winslow said.
``It's just a bad feeling,'' Frye said.
Describing the plays seems near-meaningless, though the Browns did open the game with a kickoff return for a touchdown. That was called back by a penalty, though, and things never got better.
The Bengals scored touchdowns on their first two possessions, which, combined with the disastrous fourth quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers, meant the Browns had given up five consecutive touchdowns to division opponents in Cleveland Browns Stadium.
Cleveland's leading rusher was Jerome Harrison with 18 yards on three carries. The Browns totaled nine first downs, 10 fewer than Pittsburgh had in the fourth quarter a week ago.
The loss meant the Browns fell to 1-9 the past two seasons against AFC North opponents -- the sole victory a meaningless season-ending win last year over the Baltimore Ravens.
One week after a disheartening loss to the Steelers, the Browns showed no heart against the Bengals.
``That's the second-most-embarrassing game I've ever been a part of,'' Unck said.
The first, of course, was the Christmas Eve debacle against Pittsburgh last season.
Sunday's loss came three days after Thanksgiving, and on this day the Browns played the turkey.
UGLY ON, OFF FIELD
Browns put up little fight; when they do, it's on bench
By Patrick McManamon
Beacon Journal sportswriter
CLEVELAND - Lifeless, listless and lethargic.
That was your Cleveland Browns on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.
So wide was the disparity between the two teams that the Bengals seemed to yawn their way to a 30-0 victory at the stadium.
Yes, the Browns were shut out -- by the NFL's worst-ranked defense.
``We stunk,'' safety Brian Russell said.
Can't argue that one -- not after that embarrassing defeat dropped the Browns to 3-8 (hey, they can still finish .500!).
As the game progressed, the Browns painted an ugly picture of themselves on the sidelines -- and much of the picture came from wide receiver Braylon Edwards.
In the third period, television cameras showed Edwards reaching around Reuben Droughns to grab Charlie Frye's left shoulder, then showed Edwards railing at Dennis Northcutt and Droughns.
Apparently Edwards was tearing into the offensive line, saying the line needed to protect Frye.
When he grabbed Frye, he said something to the effect of ``they have to keep this jersey clean.''
``Nobody's attacking Charlie,'' Kellen Winslow said. ``At least, I didn't hear anything. It's not anyone's fault. It's as a unit.''
The incident followed consecutive possessions when Frye threw interceptions. On each, he had a Bengals defender in his face as he threw.
Edwards clearly was calling out teammates on the sidelines, much like he did earlier in the week when he called out safety Brian Russell for a hit on Chad Johnson in the second game of the season.
The reason Droughns dragged Edwards away from Frye? Because tackle Kelly Butler was sitting nearby, and players did not want a fight on the sideline.
``There can't be any arguing on the sideline,'' special teamer Mason Unck said.
``You just can't yell at a teammate,'' tight end Steve Heiden said. ``Bottom line.''
``It was unnecessary,'' fullback Terrelle Smith said. ``I didn't pay attention to it. I just know it was starting to cause a situation back there. We don't need that. That's not part of the solution.''
Smith said he also heard Edwards being badgered by fans, who were screaming at him to do something and stop talking.
Edwards did not ignore the fans, but shouted back -- in both the first and second half.
Hard to figure how the Browns can get much worse, but from afar, an implosion seemed possible.
Edwards did not talk to the media after the game.
Frye said the Browns' biggest opponent is themselves.
``We have to get on the same page and fight together,'' he said. ``We have to stop fighting each other and start playing against the other team.
``If not, we are going to lose a lot of games.''
Frye added that he was referring to mistakes, and missed assignments. The Bengals took advantage of many protection errors to pressure Frye, sacking him four times and hitting him what seemed like a dozen more.
``We got to protect the quarterback,'' Winslow said. ``If it takes nine of us to protect that guy, we got to put a bubble around him. He's getting hammered back there.''
Winslow said the offense can do nothing ``without the starting five,'' presumably meaning the offensive line.
The Bengals pretty much did whatever they wanted and stopped the Browns from doing anything.
The league's worst overall and worst passing defense put up a shutout -- the Bengals' first in 269 games. The last Bengals shutout? Against the Browns in 1989.
The Browns, meanwhile, have gone 10 quarters and 11:59 without an offensive touchdown. Their last score was on Frye's 19-yard pass to Edwards in the second period of the game in Atlanta.
``We just didn't come to play,'' tight end Kellen Winslow said.
``It's just a bad feeling,'' Frye said.
Describing the plays seems near-meaningless, though the Browns did open the game with a kickoff return for a touchdown. That was called back by a penalty, though, and things never got better.
The Bengals scored touchdowns on their first two possessions, which, combined with the disastrous fourth quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers, meant the Browns had given up five consecutive touchdowns to division opponents in Cleveland Browns Stadium.
Cleveland's leading rusher was Jerome Harrison with 18 yards on three carries. The Browns totaled nine first downs, 10 fewer than Pittsburgh had in the fourth quarter a week ago.
The loss meant the Browns fell to 1-9 the past two seasons against AFC North opponents -- the sole victory a meaningless season-ending win last year over the Baltimore Ravens.
One week after a disheartening loss to the Steelers, the Browns showed no heart against the Bengals.
``That's the second-most-embarrassing game I've ever been a part of,'' Unck said.
The first, of course, was the Christmas Eve debacle against Pittsburgh last season.
Sunday's loss came three days after Thanksgiving, and on this day the Browns played the turkey.
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CPD
SHUT OUT, BUT NOT UP
Browns get blanked by NFL's worst defense
Monday, November 27, 2006Tony Grossi
Plain Dealer Reporter
When you think you've seen the Browns lose every way imaginable, that's when they outdo themselves. On Sunday, they were shut out on their home field by the NFL's lowest-ranked defense.
The Cincinnati Bengals, who had given up 1,026 yards of offense and 65 points in their previous two games, intercepted Charlie Frye four times and limited the Browns to 203 yards in a 30-0 romp.
"The game was a dismal exhibition of football," said Jim Brown.
Cincinnati's first shutout victory since 1989 - registered here, of course - kept the Bengals in the AFC playoff hunt with a 6-5 record. The Browns, now 0-4 in division games, fell to 3-8.
But the start-to- finish rout was not the only reason Frye said after the game, "I think we're fighting against each other instead of fighting against the other team."
The game was a mere sideshow to the main event that unfolded on the Browns' sideline.
Capping off a bad week for him, receiver Braylon Edwards had heated words with Frye after Frye's third interception late in the third quarter.
When Frye turned his back on Edwards' animated ranting, Edwards pulled the quarterback from his left shoulder pad to try to turn him around. Frye resisted. Reuben Droughns stepped in to separate Edwards from Frye.
That's what was caught on the CBS network feed of the game. Prior to the physical confrontation, Edwards had another heated exchange with Frye in which he repeatedly wagged his finger at Frye.
Frye would not disclose details of Edwards' rant, but indicated it had nothing to do with the interception, which was intended for Joe Jurevicius.
"Me and Braylon are fine," Frye said after the game. "Me and Braylon are competitors and want to win. Things are said in a game all the time. It's getting blown up right now, but me and Braylon are fine. That's as far as I'm going to take it."
Frye quickly added, "I'll just say this: Our biggest opponent right now is us. Cincinnati didn't do anything special, didn't show us anything they didn't show in other games. Until we get things on the right track ourselves and start playing against the other team, instead of having to make so many adjustments and things like that, it's going to be an uphill battle."
Edwards had a lot to say earlier in the week, but left the locker room without talking to reporters. Edwards patted Frye on the way out.
On Wednesday, Edwards blasted teammate Brian Russell for laying a clean hit on the chin of Bengals receiver Chad Johnson in the September game in Cincinnati. He also called out the team's coaches for being too conservative inside the 20. (This wasn't an issue on Sunday; the closest the Browns got to the end zone was the Cincinnati 30.)
Although coach Romeo Crennel later chastised Edwards for his remarks, there is a growing feeling in the organization that the coach sent the wrong message by not disciplining Edwards.
Some of that feeling was expressed after the game by Brown, who holds the title of executive advisor. Brown frequently views games in the suite of owner Randy Lerner.
"The leadership of the organization has the responsibility of dealing with the players," Brown said. "I imagine that's Romeo's job - to make sure these things don't happen."
Crennel said he never considered pulling Edwards from the game after the skirmish. He brushed off the incident as an example of Edwards' youth and competitiveness.
Crennel also said he never considered pulling Frye from the game. Frye was 18-of-29 for 186 yards and a passer rating of 40.9. For the season, Frye has 16 interceptions and a rating of 69.5.
The Browns now have gone two complete games without scoring a touchdown on offense. The most recent time the offense reached the end zone was with 11:59 to play in the second quarter in Atlanta. That's a cumulative total of 161 minutes and 59 seconds.
Crennel, 9-18 as Browns coach, agreed the game was a low point for the team.
"Yeah, this is pretty low," he said. "Last year was low, too. I wasn't expecting it this time."
The strength of the Browns all season - the defense - was no match for Carson Palmer & Co. With three young backups filling in on the offensive line, the Bengals ran a no-huddle offense effortlessly through the Browns' defense. Cornerback Leigh Bodden didn't play for the third game in a row because of a sprained ankle.
Palmer directed touchdown drives of 69 and 82 yards on his first two possessions after Pittsburgh scored the same way three times in the fourth quarter a week ago.
Thus, in just about two quarters of football over the past two games, the Browns gave up five touchdown drives totaling 394 yards.
These performances do not exactly enhance the resume of defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, who continues to be rumored to be accepting the head coach job at Michigan State. The Browns and Grantham repeatedly have declined to address the rumors.
Asked about a WOIO Channel 19 report earlier in the day that Grantham would be named the MSU coach, Crennel said, "Not to my knowledge. I haven't heard anything like that."
The only thing the Browns accomplished Sunday was keeping Johnson out of the end zone, though they allowed him seven catches for 123 yards. The Cincinnati receiver promised to leap into the Dawg Pound if he scored. He wanted the fans to toss him back out.
Maybe it's a good thing Edwards didn't score, either.
SHUT OUT, BUT NOT UP
Browns get blanked by NFL's worst defense
Monday, November 27, 2006Tony Grossi
Plain Dealer Reporter
When you think you've seen the Browns lose every way imaginable, that's when they outdo themselves. On Sunday, they were shut out on their home field by the NFL's lowest-ranked defense.
The Cincinnati Bengals, who had given up 1,026 yards of offense and 65 points in their previous two games, intercepted Charlie Frye four times and limited the Browns to 203 yards in a 30-0 romp.
"The game was a dismal exhibition of football," said Jim Brown.
Cincinnati's first shutout victory since 1989 - registered here, of course - kept the Bengals in the AFC playoff hunt with a 6-5 record. The Browns, now 0-4 in division games, fell to 3-8.
But the start-to- finish rout was not the only reason Frye said after the game, "I think we're fighting against each other instead of fighting against the other team."
The game was a mere sideshow to the main event that unfolded on the Browns' sideline.
Capping off a bad week for him, receiver Braylon Edwards had heated words with Frye after Frye's third interception late in the third quarter.
When Frye turned his back on Edwards' animated ranting, Edwards pulled the quarterback from his left shoulder pad to try to turn him around. Frye resisted. Reuben Droughns stepped in to separate Edwards from Frye.
That's what was caught on the CBS network feed of the game. Prior to the physical confrontation, Edwards had another heated exchange with Frye in which he repeatedly wagged his finger at Frye.
Frye would not disclose details of Edwards' rant, but indicated it had nothing to do with the interception, which was intended for Joe Jurevicius.
"Me and Braylon are fine," Frye said after the game. "Me and Braylon are competitors and want to win. Things are said in a game all the time. It's getting blown up right now, but me and Braylon are fine. That's as far as I'm going to take it."
Frye quickly added, "I'll just say this: Our biggest opponent right now is us. Cincinnati didn't do anything special, didn't show us anything they didn't show in other games. Until we get things on the right track ourselves and start playing against the other team, instead of having to make so many adjustments and things like that, it's going to be an uphill battle."
Edwards had a lot to say earlier in the week, but left the locker room without talking to reporters. Edwards patted Frye on the way out.
On Wednesday, Edwards blasted teammate Brian Russell for laying a clean hit on the chin of Bengals receiver Chad Johnson in the September game in Cincinnati. He also called out the team's coaches for being too conservative inside the 20. (This wasn't an issue on Sunday; the closest the Browns got to the end zone was the Cincinnati 30.)
Although coach Romeo Crennel later chastised Edwards for his remarks, there is a growing feeling in the organization that the coach sent the wrong message by not disciplining Edwards.
Some of that feeling was expressed after the game by Brown, who holds the title of executive advisor. Brown frequently views games in the suite of owner Randy Lerner.
"The leadership of the organization has the responsibility of dealing with the players," Brown said. "I imagine that's Romeo's job - to make sure these things don't happen."
Crennel said he never considered pulling Edwards from the game after the skirmish. He brushed off the incident as an example of Edwards' youth and competitiveness.
Crennel also said he never considered pulling Frye from the game. Frye was 18-of-29 for 186 yards and a passer rating of 40.9. For the season, Frye has 16 interceptions and a rating of 69.5.
The Browns now have gone two complete games without scoring a touchdown on offense. The most recent time the offense reached the end zone was with 11:59 to play in the second quarter in Atlanta. That's a cumulative total of 161 minutes and 59 seconds.
Crennel, 9-18 as Browns coach, agreed the game was a low point for the team.
"Yeah, this is pretty low," he said. "Last year was low, too. I wasn't expecting it this time."
The strength of the Browns all season - the defense - was no match for Carson Palmer & Co. With three young backups filling in on the offensive line, the Bengals ran a no-huddle offense effortlessly through the Browns' defense. Cornerback Leigh Bodden didn't play for the third game in a row because of a sprained ankle.
Palmer directed touchdown drives of 69 and 82 yards on his first two possessions after Pittsburgh scored the same way three times in the fourth quarter a week ago.
Thus, in just about two quarters of football over the past two games, the Browns gave up five touchdown drives totaling 394 yards.
These performances do not exactly enhance the resume of defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, who continues to be rumored to be accepting the head coach job at Michigan State. The Browns and Grantham repeatedly have declined to address the rumors.
Asked about a WOIO Channel 19 report earlier in the day that Grantham would be named the MSU coach, Crennel said, "Not to my knowledge. I haven't heard anything like that."
The only thing the Browns accomplished Sunday was keeping Johnson out of the end zone, though they allowed him seven catches for 123 yards. The Cincinnati receiver promised to leap into the Dawg Pound if he scored. He wanted the fans to toss him back out.
Maybe it's a good thing Edwards didn't score, either.
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Out of the Frye-in plan, into the mire
Monday, November 27, 2006Bill Livingston
Plain Dealer Columnist
They both wear No. 9. They both start at quarterback in the NFL. But after watching Cincinnati's Carson Palmer and the Browns' Charlie Frye on Sunday, it sure didn't look that way.
Maybe that is because Frye isn't a starting quarterback.
Only the blind faith of a blinkered front office made Frye the Browns' starter. It is frankly hard to see why.
They have coddled him in a pressure-free environment with no veteran backup holding a clipboard on the sidelines.
They have given him a new offensive coordinator in Jeff Davidson after Maurice Carthon got the most reluctant heave-ho this side of Donald Rumsfeld.
They have given him a buttoned-down tactical plan when success is near, lest he pull a Fausto Carmona and undo all the good work that went before.
They have looked for the silver lining in the storm with Romeo Crennel once pointing out that Frye didn't throw any interceptions that day.
This is to be damned by praise so faint it risks becoming irony. Frye made up for that by throwing four Sunday.
Because Frye played for the Akron Zips, fans have given him the benefit of the doubt. The Browns have gone 10 straight quarters - plus 11 minutes, 59 seconds of an 11th, reasonably close to three games - without an offensive touchdown.
They failed to score at all Sunday in a 30-0 loss to the Bengals, ranked dead-last in defense in the NFL. The Bengals were missing three defensive starters. If the fans cut Frye much more slack, they would be tailors for Dockers.
Crennel's roster walks, talks and squawks like a team spinning out of control. Crennel could have sent a message by benching Braylon Edwards after he made the single-most unfathomable comment of this or any other season. Edwards ripped his teammate, Browns free safety Brian Russell, for a legal hit in a sport based on intimidation in a game nine weeks ago, one that was made on one of Sunday's opponents, Cincinnati's Chad Johnson. But Crennel did nothing.
"Our biggest opponent now is us," Frye said. "We're fighting each other instead of fighting against the other team. Not just fighting verbally, but in missed assignments."
No one is saying it's all Frye's fault. But quarterbacks have to make plays. As a basketball coach once said, "There are two great plays, 'South Pacific' and Put the Ball in the Basket." Or in football, put it in the end zone.
Frye said he couldn't remember any big plays the Browns missed. But the fifth snap from scrimmage featured the team's receiver, tight end Kellen Winslow Jr., running free down the middle with cornerback Jonathan Joseph eating his dust. Frye didn't put enough air under the ball, and the flat throw sailed incomplete.
The next play was the first of four sacks of Frye. He fumbled, although the Browns recovered. Twice, he turned into thundering tacklers later in the game.
Pocket awareness might be hard to learn for a quarterback who became a third-round draft pick by running around until somebody got open at Akron. But the good ones have that innate sense that the boom is about to be lowered. The ones who don't experience the full brunt of the boom times.
Two of his interceptions were poor throws for Joe Jurevicius and Edwards.
It all comes down to a failure in leadership. The Browns are in the eighth year of the Lerner family's clumsy stewardship. They have not won a divisional game this year and seem unlikely to do so.
They look like nothing so much as the Bengals when they were trying out failed saviors every other year or so until they finally drafted Palmer. The former Heisman Trophy winner threw for three touchdowns, one a gorgeous pass to the back pylon to Chris Henry that goes on any instructional film about playing quarterback.
As for the Browns, there is no Plan B, and Plan A isn't working. Travels with Charlie are going to get a lot rougher before they get any better. Welcome to Clevelanati.
Out of the Frye-in plan, into the mire
Monday, November 27, 2006Bill Livingston
Plain Dealer Columnist
They both wear No. 9. They both start at quarterback in the NFL. But after watching Cincinnati's Carson Palmer and the Browns' Charlie Frye on Sunday, it sure didn't look that way.
Maybe that is because Frye isn't a starting quarterback.
Only the blind faith of a blinkered front office made Frye the Browns' starter. It is frankly hard to see why.
They have coddled him in a pressure-free environment with no veteran backup holding a clipboard on the sidelines.
They have given him a new offensive coordinator in Jeff Davidson after Maurice Carthon got the most reluctant heave-ho this side of Donald Rumsfeld.
They have given him a buttoned-down tactical plan when success is near, lest he pull a Fausto Carmona and undo all the good work that went before.
They have looked for the silver lining in the storm with Romeo Crennel once pointing out that Frye didn't throw any interceptions that day.
This is to be damned by praise so faint it risks becoming irony. Frye made up for that by throwing four Sunday.
Because Frye played for the Akron Zips, fans have given him the benefit of the doubt. The Browns have gone 10 straight quarters - plus 11 minutes, 59 seconds of an 11th, reasonably close to three games - without an offensive touchdown.
They failed to score at all Sunday in a 30-0 loss to the Bengals, ranked dead-last in defense in the NFL. The Bengals were missing three defensive starters. If the fans cut Frye much more slack, they would be tailors for Dockers.
Crennel's roster walks, talks and squawks like a team spinning out of control. Crennel could have sent a message by benching Braylon Edwards after he made the single-most unfathomable comment of this or any other season. Edwards ripped his teammate, Browns free safety Brian Russell, for a legal hit in a sport based on intimidation in a game nine weeks ago, one that was made on one of Sunday's opponents, Cincinnati's Chad Johnson. But Crennel did nothing.
"Our biggest opponent now is us," Frye said. "We're fighting each other instead of fighting against the other team. Not just fighting verbally, but in missed assignments."
No one is saying it's all Frye's fault. But quarterbacks have to make plays. As a basketball coach once said, "There are two great plays, 'South Pacific' and Put the Ball in the Basket." Or in football, put it in the end zone.
Frye said he couldn't remember any big plays the Browns missed. But the fifth snap from scrimmage featured the team's receiver, tight end Kellen Winslow Jr., running free down the middle with cornerback Jonathan Joseph eating his dust. Frye didn't put enough air under the ball, and the flat throw sailed incomplete.
The next play was the first of four sacks of Frye. He fumbled, although the Browns recovered. Twice, he turned into thundering tacklers later in the game.
Pocket awareness might be hard to learn for a quarterback who became a third-round draft pick by running around until somebody got open at Akron. But the good ones have that innate sense that the boom is about to be lowered. The ones who don't experience the full brunt of the boom times.
Two of his interceptions were poor throws for Joe Jurevicius and Edwards.
It all comes down to a failure in leadership. The Browns are in the eighth year of the Lerner family's clumsy stewardship. They have not won a divisional game this year and seem unlikely to do so.
They look like nothing so much as the Bengals when they were trying out failed saviors every other year or so until they finally drafted Palmer. The former Heisman Trophy winner threw for three touchdowns, one a gorgeous pass to the back pylon to Chris Henry that goes on any instructional film about playing quarterback.
As for the Browns, there is no Plan B, and Plan A isn't working. Travels with Charlie are going to get a lot rougher before they get any better. Welcome to Clevelanati.
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Defense rested far too early against Bengals' offense
Monday, November 27, 2006Burt Graeff
Plain Dealer Reporter
Browns cornerback Daven Holly takes exception with anyone pinning Sunday's 30-0 loss to the Bengals on the team's defense.
"This was a whole team effort," Holly said. "The offense, the defense, the special teams hurt us."
Maybe so, but the Browns defense initially looked like it was hung over in the aftermath of Pittsburgh's come-from-behind 24-20 victory one week earlier in Cleveland.
In the loss to Pittsburgh, the Steelers marched 87, 79 and 77 yards on consecutive fourth-quarter drives to wipe out a 20-10 deficit.
On Sunday, the Bengals carved up Browns defenders on consecutive drives of 69 and 82 yards to take a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.
Two weeks, five consecutive drives for TDs. The Browns defense has given up 51 points in the last five quarters it's played.
But . . .
"Until we learn how to play as a group and as a team, we won't win," Holly said. "I don't think it was their passing game that hurt us.
"Everything hurt us."
Using the no-huddle offense for much of the first two drives, Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer completed 10 of 14 passes for 80 yards and one touchdown.
"We expected the no-huddle," linebacker Kameron Wimbley said. "They used it against us earlier when we played.
"We expected them to try to keep the pace up. We didn't make the plays on third down. The two quick scores hurt."
Defensive end Alvin McKinley pointed to a kickoff TD return that wasn't as deflating. Joshua Cribbs returned the opening kick 101 yards, but a holding penalty on Mason Unck wiped it out.
"That took the life out of us," McKinley said. "We just didn't make enough plays to win the game."
The Bengals used the no-huddle offense in Week 2, jumping out to a 14-3 lead en route to a 34-17 victory at Cincinnati. "They used it the first time we played them," linebacker Andra Davis said.
"This time, we didn't stop them on third down."
On the Bengals' first drive - 14 plays, 69 yards in 5:53 - Palmer completed the lone third-down play when he went 2 yards on a third-and-one at the Browns 21.
On the second drive - 10 plays, 82 yards in 4:50 - Palmer was looking at a third-and-7 from the Browns 44 when he lofted a pass to Chad Johnson. Browns free safety Brian Russell was called for interference, giving the Bengals a first down at the 8.
Three plays later, Palmer hit Chris Henry with a 7-yard touchdown pass on the second third down play of the drive. The romp was on.
"Anytime you lose, it's bad," Davis said. "When you get beat like this, it's terrible."
Defense rested far too early against Bengals' offense
Monday, November 27, 2006Burt Graeff
Plain Dealer Reporter
Browns cornerback Daven Holly takes exception with anyone pinning Sunday's 30-0 loss to the Bengals on the team's defense.
"This was a whole team effort," Holly said. "The offense, the defense, the special teams hurt us."
Maybe so, but the Browns defense initially looked like it was hung over in the aftermath of Pittsburgh's come-from-behind 24-20 victory one week earlier in Cleveland.
In the loss to Pittsburgh, the Steelers marched 87, 79 and 77 yards on consecutive fourth-quarter drives to wipe out a 20-10 deficit.
On Sunday, the Bengals carved up Browns defenders on consecutive drives of 69 and 82 yards to take a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.
Two weeks, five consecutive drives for TDs. The Browns defense has given up 51 points in the last five quarters it's played.
But . . .
"Until we learn how to play as a group and as a team, we won't win," Holly said. "I don't think it was their passing game that hurt us.
"Everything hurt us."
Using the no-huddle offense for much of the first two drives, Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer completed 10 of 14 passes for 80 yards and one touchdown.
"We expected the no-huddle," linebacker Kameron Wimbley said. "They used it against us earlier when we played.
"We expected them to try to keep the pace up. We didn't make the plays on third down. The two quick scores hurt."
Defensive end Alvin McKinley pointed to a kickoff TD return that wasn't as deflating. Joshua Cribbs returned the opening kick 101 yards, but a holding penalty on Mason Unck wiped it out.
"That took the life out of us," McKinley said. "We just didn't make enough plays to win the game."
The Bengals used the no-huddle offense in Week 2, jumping out to a 14-3 lead en route to a 34-17 victory at Cincinnati. "They used it the first time we played them," linebacker Andra Davis said.
"This time, we didn't stop them on third down."
On the Bengals' first drive - 14 plays, 69 yards in 5:53 - Palmer completed the lone third-down play when he went 2 yards on a third-and-one at the Browns 21.
On the second drive - 10 plays, 82 yards in 4:50 - Palmer was looking at a third-and-7 from the Browns 44 when he lofted a pass to Chad Johnson. Browns free safety Brian Russell was called for interference, giving the Bengals a first down at the 8.
Three plays later, Palmer hit Chris Henry with a 7-yard touchdown pass on the second third down play of the drive. The romp was on.
"Anytime you lose, it's bad," Davis said. "When you get beat like this, it's terrible."
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Canton
NFL?s worst ?D? stifles Browns
Monday, November 27, 2006
By STEVE DOERSCHUK
CLEVELAND Sunday?s first half was standard expansion-era slop. The second half was worse.
The first wave of disgusted Browns fans moved out with five minutes left in the third quarter, after one of quarterback Charlie Frye?s four interceptions.
With 12 minutes left, parking-lot attendants braced for the tidal wave.
That was right after the Browns? signature sequence in this rancid turkey of a 30-0 loss to the Bengals.
On first down, Frye was sacked. On second down, Frye was sacked again. On third down, Dennis Northcutt ran a reverse and fumbled.
A few stayed to the end.
?(Bleepity-bleep) sissies,? bellowed one of them, in seats behind the Browns? bench.
?Bring back Tim Couch,? yelled another.
It figured the Bengals (6-5) would score behind Carson Palmer (25 of 32, 275 yards, three touchdowns). The young star quarterback led them to 71 points over the previous two games.
It didn?t figure Frye and the offense would look so lost. The Bengals allowed 595 yards to New Orleans a week earlier; the Browns managed 203 yards in Jeff Davidson?s futile fifth game as coordinator. They had produced 301 for Mo Carthon on Sept. 17 in Cincinnati, a 34-17 loss.
The shutout really didn?t figure. The Bengals last had one of those in 1989, coincidentally in Cleveland, against 26-year-old Browns QB Bernie Kosar.
Kosar, a sometimes confidant for the 25-year-old Frye, wound up in the AFC title game that season. Frye won?t get there, with the Browns at 3-8.
?I thought we?d have a big day offensively,? Frye said. ?It was a nice day out. We didn?t have to deal with the Cleveland winds.
?Sixty degrees in November. We just couldn?t get it rolling.?
The defense finally had an answer for Bengals running back Rudi Johnson, who ran 25 times for just 64 yards. But the Bengals were all about carving up Cleveland?s depleted secondary, with cornerback Leigh Bodden out with an ankle injury.
?We couldn?t stop ?em,? linebacker Willie McGinest said. ?We couldn?t do nothing against ?em.?
McGinest produced two sacks, but Palmer mostly had operating time behind an injury-ravaged line. He completed seven passes each to Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh and delivered two touchdowns to No. 3 receiver Chris Henry.
?We stunk,? safety Brian Russell said.
?We couldn?t do anything right,? said Head Coach Romeo Crennel.
That began with the opening kick.
A 101-yard Joshua Cribbs return was erased by a holding penalty.
After a punt, Palmer abused the defense with surgical passing.
Bengals safety Kevin Kaesviharn said he came in thinking, ?If we jump on ?em, it might go this way. If we could score right away and then stop ?em, they may not want to play the rest of the game.?
The Bengals drove 69 and 82 yards on their first two possessions to take a 14-0 lead.
Reading weaknesses just before the snap in a no-huddle attack, Palmer passed his team down the field. Rudi Johnson?s short fourth-and-goal plunge made it 7-0 with 5:54 left in the first quarter.
Palmer worked on a Chad Johnson mismatch on the next two scoring series. ?Ocho Cinco? went hasta la vista on young corner Daven Holly, drawing a long pass interference call to set up a scoring pass to Henry, then catching a ball deep over the middle to set up a field goal.
It was 17-0 at the break.
The third play of the third quarter was the tip-off this was hopeless for Cleveland. Palmer faced third-and-10, but spotted Holly in single coverage against Chad Johnson. Johnson got obscenely open on a deep comeback pattern for a 24-yard gain.
Palmer finished a 70-yard scoring drive with a short TD pass to Housmandzadeh to make it 23-0 early in the third quarter.
The rest was irrelevant, in a painful way for the Browns, who fell to 1-5 at home.
There was plenty of embarrassment to go around.
Brash young wideout Braylon Edwards lost his cool on the sidelines.
Four Browns running backs amassed 37 rushing yards.
The offense never got past the Cincinnati 30-yard line; from there, Phil Dawson missed a field goal.
?It wasn?t pretty,? Crennel said.
No kidding.
NFL?s worst ?D? stifles Browns
Monday, November 27, 2006
By STEVE DOERSCHUK
CLEVELAND Sunday?s first half was standard expansion-era slop. The second half was worse.
The first wave of disgusted Browns fans moved out with five minutes left in the third quarter, after one of quarterback Charlie Frye?s four interceptions.
With 12 minutes left, parking-lot attendants braced for the tidal wave.
That was right after the Browns? signature sequence in this rancid turkey of a 30-0 loss to the Bengals.
On first down, Frye was sacked. On second down, Frye was sacked again. On third down, Dennis Northcutt ran a reverse and fumbled.
A few stayed to the end.
?(Bleepity-bleep) sissies,? bellowed one of them, in seats behind the Browns? bench.
?Bring back Tim Couch,? yelled another.
It figured the Bengals (6-5) would score behind Carson Palmer (25 of 32, 275 yards, three touchdowns). The young star quarterback led them to 71 points over the previous two games.
It didn?t figure Frye and the offense would look so lost. The Bengals allowed 595 yards to New Orleans a week earlier; the Browns managed 203 yards in Jeff Davidson?s futile fifth game as coordinator. They had produced 301 for Mo Carthon on Sept. 17 in Cincinnati, a 34-17 loss.
The shutout really didn?t figure. The Bengals last had one of those in 1989, coincidentally in Cleveland, against 26-year-old Browns QB Bernie Kosar.
Kosar, a sometimes confidant for the 25-year-old Frye, wound up in the AFC title game that season. Frye won?t get there, with the Browns at 3-8.
?I thought we?d have a big day offensively,? Frye said. ?It was a nice day out. We didn?t have to deal with the Cleveland winds.
?Sixty degrees in November. We just couldn?t get it rolling.?
The defense finally had an answer for Bengals running back Rudi Johnson, who ran 25 times for just 64 yards. But the Bengals were all about carving up Cleveland?s depleted secondary, with cornerback Leigh Bodden out with an ankle injury.
?We couldn?t stop ?em,? linebacker Willie McGinest said. ?We couldn?t do nothing against ?em.?
McGinest produced two sacks, but Palmer mostly had operating time behind an injury-ravaged line. He completed seven passes each to Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh and delivered two touchdowns to No. 3 receiver Chris Henry.
?We stunk,? safety Brian Russell said.
?We couldn?t do anything right,? said Head Coach Romeo Crennel.
That began with the opening kick.
A 101-yard Joshua Cribbs return was erased by a holding penalty.
After a punt, Palmer abused the defense with surgical passing.
Bengals safety Kevin Kaesviharn said he came in thinking, ?If we jump on ?em, it might go this way. If we could score right away and then stop ?em, they may not want to play the rest of the game.?
The Bengals drove 69 and 82 yards on their first two possessions to take a 14-0 lead.
Reading weaknesses just before the snap in a no-huddle attack, Palmer passed his team down the field. Rudi Johnson?s short fourth-and-goal plunge made it 7-0 with 5:54 left in the first quarter.
Palmer worked on a Chad Johnson mismatch on the next two scoring series. ?Ocho Cinco? went hasta la vista on young corner Daven Holly, drawing a long pass interference call to set up a scoring pass to Henry, then catching a ball deep over the middle to set up a field goal.
It was 17-0 at the break.
The third play of the third quarter was the tip-off this was hopeless for Cleveland. Palmer faced third-and-10, but spotted Holly in single coverage against Chad Johnson. Johnson got obscenely open on a deep comeback pattern for a 24-yard gain.
Palmer finished a 70-yard scoring drive with a short TD pass to Housmandzadeh to make it 23-0 early in the third quarter.
The rest was irrelevant, in a painful way for the Browns, who fell to 1-5 at home.
There was plenty of embarrassment to go around.
Brash young wideout Braylon Edwards lost his cool on the sidelines.
Four Browns running backs amassed 37 rushing yards.
The offense never got past the Cincinnati 30-yard line; from there, Phil Dawson missed a field goal.
?It wasn?t pretty,? Crennel said.
No kidding.
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Canton
Lesses keep piling up with Browns losses
Monday, November 27, 2006
SPORTS SPOTLIGHT TODD PORTER
CLEVELAND Lifeless. Clueless. Careless. Heartless. Sparkless. Soulless.
At 3 o?clock on a beautiful Sunday, the Browns became fanless.
Think of a less and the Browns have it.
Gutless ... there?s another one.
Less points. Less players. Less coaches. Less atmosphere.
Cleveland had no points against the NFL?s worst defense. The Browns had no fight, other than among themselves. They have no leadership.
This is a ship without an oar, a kite without a string.
Head Coach ? for now ? Romeo Crennel summed up Sunday?s 30-0 effort: ?We had turnovers, we had penalties, we busted coverages, the defense didn?t do good in the red zone, we had sacks and we had protection problems.?
Other than that, things are fine.
OFFENSIVE ?O?
This was a rub-your-nose-in-the-manure afternoon. Cleveland?s offense didn?t have a drive longer than seven plays. Charlie Frye completed more passes to Cincinnati defensive backs than his own running backs. There were four sacks, nine first downs and a partridge in a pear tree.
What Browns fans should be worried about is, this might not have been rock bottom. How can you be sure? There?s still five games left this season.
?This is pretty low,? Crennel said. ?Last year, I was pretty low, too ... I just wasn?t expecting it this time.
?It wasn?t very pretty. We didn?t play very good. It was ugly.?
With any luck, Crennel will keep peace in his locker room. With any luck, he?ll exert some authority and fine or suspend Braylon Edwards today.
He should have sat the whining underachiever during the first series for verbally attacking a teammate during the week.
He didn?t. Crennel did what everyone around Edwards has always done: Give the prima donna a pass.
In a week, Edwards has gone from bizarre to downright cancerous.
It was just a few days ago that he questioned a perfectly legal hit by teammate Brian Russell on Chad Johnson in a game played nine weeks ago. In the history of football ? a game that?s all about intimidation ? it defies the imagination to find an example where a teammate threw another under the bus for knocking a guy?s block off when the NFL didn?t have problem with it.
Then Edwards got into a spat with his quarterback. As if Frye doesn?t have enough to do, what with 320-pounders falling on him like dominoes. Now he has to stroke Edwards? 320-pound ego?
Edwards? mom ? yes, his mother ? phoned a member of the media Sunday morning to complain about a question that was asked of her baby last week.
Is this the NFL or the CYO?
Edwards declined comment after the game. Under his breath ? a TV camera recorded it ? he called the media vultures on his way into the locker room.
?If we?re vultures, they must be road kill,? one scribe said.
In the fourth quarter Sunday, Cincinnati Head Coach Marvin Lewis pulled his starters. During a timeout, Ocho Cinco (Johnson?s nickname) played waterboy and brought the reserves water.
The Browns don?t have an Ocho Cinco. Just an El Stinko. Johnson brought his teammates water; Edwards threw his quarterback into Lake Erie.
What the Browns have become are sad. This is beyond embarrassing. It?s beyond poor play. It?s beyond poor coaching.
The lack of effort Sunday was so extraordinary, a ticket stub from the game ought to get you a refund. Anyone willing to admit they were there should get two freebies. The risk for the Browns, though, might be finding people to accept the free tickets.
The second wave of fans left at 3:09 p.m. They were the optimists, not convinced this was unwatchable until Frye?s third interception.
Owner Randy Lerner wore a look of both concern and embarrassment.
?It?s a must for players to adhere to the golden rules of their leader,? Browns Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown said. ?The cattle don?t run the ranch; and the tail don?t wag the dog. That?s a given in any business.?
Brown didn?t defend Edwards? actions. He didn?t shrug it off as a young player being immature.
?He?s a man already,? Brown said. ?This is the ultimate team sport. ... No one player can win a football game. Charlie can?t do it. Braylon can?t do it. Kellen (Winslow Jr.) can?t do it. You have to conduct yourself that way.?
Brown, Lerner and Crennel all noticed the fans at the end of the game, or the lack thereof. This is a team that once had a waiting list for season tickets, in a city that once fought for its return. Some wonder when it will return.
Yes, things are bad in Cleveland, and have been that way since 1999.
?You saw the fans. I saw the fans. The players saw the fans. The fans tell you how they feel,? Brown said. ?We played the Ravens to a standstill and the fans loved it. Today they left. There?s not much for me to say. You, me and everybody else knows this was a very dismal exhibition of football.?
It is, almost every Sunday.
Lesses keep piling up with Browns losses
Monday, November 27, 2006
SPORTS SPOTLIGHT TODD PORTER
CLEVELAND Lifeless. Clueless. Careless. Heartless. Sparkless. Soulless.
At 3 o?clock on a beautiful Sunday, the Browns became fanless.
Think of a less and the Browns have it.
Gutless ... there?s another one.
Less points. Less players. Less coaches. Less atmosphere.
Cleveland had no points against the NFL?s worst defense. The Browns had no fight, other than among themselves. They have no leadership.
This is a ship without an oar, a kite without a string.
Head Coach ? for now ? Romeo Crennel summed up Sunday?s 30-0 effort: ?We had turnovers, we had penalties, we busted coverages, the defense didn?t do good in the red zone, we had sacks and we had protection problems.?
Other than that, things are fine.
OFFENSIVE ?O?
This was a rub-your-nose-in-the-manure afternoon. Cleveland?s offense didn?t have a drive longer than seven plays. Charlie Frye completed more passes to Cincinnati defensive backs than his own running backs. There were four sacks, nine first downs and a partridge in a pear tree.
What Browns fans should be worried about is, this might not have been rock bottom. How can you be sure? There?s still five games left this season.
?This is pretty low,? Crennel said. ?Last year, I was pretty low, too ... I just wasn?t expecting it this time.
?It wasn?t very pretty. We didn?t play very good. It was ugly.?
With any luck, Crennel will keep peace in his locker room. With any luck, he?ll exert some authority and fine or suspend Braylon Edwards today.
He should have sat the whining underachiever during the first series for verbally attacking a teammate during the week.
He didn?t. Crennel did what everyone around Edwards has always done: Give the prima donna a pass.
In a week, Edwards has gone from bizarre to downright cancerous.
It was just a few days ago that he questioned a perfectly legal hit by teammate Brian Russell on Chad Johnson in a game played nine weeks ago. In the history of football ? a game that?s all about intimidation ? it defies the imagination to find an example where a teammate threw another under the bus for knocking a guy?s block off when the NFL didn?t have problem with it.
Then Edwards got into a spat with his quarterback. As if Frye doesn?t have enough to do, what with 320-pounders falling on him like dominoes. Now he has to stroke Edwards? 320-pound ego?
Edwards? mom ? yes, his mother ? phoned a member of the media Sunday morning to complain about a question that was asked of her baby last week.
Is this the NFL or the CYO?
Edwards declined comment after the game. Under his breath ? a TV camera recorded it ? he called the media vultures on his way into the locker room.
?If we?re vultures, they must be road kill,? one scribe said.
In the fourth quarter Sunday, Cincinnati Head Coach Marvin Lewis pulled his starters. During a timeout, Ocho Cinco (Johnson?s nickname) played waterboy and brought the reserves water.
The Browns don?t have an Ocho Cinco. Just an El Stinko. Johnson brought his teammates water; Edwards threw his quarterback into Lake Erie.
What the Browns have become are sad. This is beyond embarrassing. It?s beyond poor play. It?s beyond poor coaching.
The lack of effort Sunday was so extraordinary, a ticket stub from the game ought to get you a refund. Anyone willing to admit they were there should get two freebies. The risk for the Browns, though, might be finding people to accept the free tickets.
The second wave of fans left at 3:09 p.m. They were the optimists, not convinced this was unwatchable until Frye?s third interception.
Owner Randy Lerner wore a look of both concern and embarrassment.
?It?s a must for players to adhere to the golden rules of their leader,? Browns Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown said. ?The cattle don?t run the ranch; and the tail don?t wag the dog. That?s a given in any business.?
Brown didn?t defend Edwards? actions. He didn?t shrug it off as a young player being immature.
?He?s a man already,? Brown said. ?This is the ultimate team sport. ... No one player can win a football game. Charlie can?t do it. Braylon can?t do it. Kellen (Winslow Jr.) can?t do it. You have to conduct yourself that way.?
Brown, Lerner and Crennel all noticed the fans at the end of the game, or the lack thereof. This is a team that once had a waiting list for season tickets, in a city that once fought for its return. Some wonder when it will return.
Yes, things are bad in Cleveland, and have been that way since 1999.
?You saw the fans. I saw the fans. The players saw the fans. The fans tell you how they feel,? Brown said. ?We played the Ravens to a standstill and the fans loved it. Today they left. There?s not much for me to say. You, me and everybody else knows this was a very dismal exhibition of football.?
It is, almost every Sunday.
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Canton
Browns stuff
Monday, November 27, 2006
THEY LOST IT HERE Where does one start in a lopsided shutout against the NFL?s worst defense? How about where the game started ? Josh Cribbs, Cleveland?s best scoring threat, returned the opening kickoff 101 yards to give the Browns a quick lead, momentum and electricity. Poor Mason Unck. He was called for holding on the return. A well-thrown flag floated down inside the 30 and the Cleveland offense did not need to wait for the official call. The Browns offense trotted on the field before referee Jeff Triplette turned on his mic. Cleveland started at its own 18, ran six plays and punted. The Bengals marched down the field, barely breaking a sweat, on a 14-play, 69-yard scoring drive. It set the tone. Cincinnati was in control of this game. Cleveland was on its way to becoming the Brungles.
THEY said it
?I told him be professional. You?re the ringleaders of this thing. A lot of blame goes to the quarterback. We have a young quarterback. He?s doing some good things, and we?re struggling with some things. It?s not fair to put it all on Charlie. ... I told him, ?Hang in there, Rome wasn?t built in a day.? I?m a firm believer if you keep plugging away and drinking Lake Erie water, you?re going to toughen up and this thing will get pointed in the right direction.?
Browns WR Joe Jurevicius on what he told QB Charlie Frye after an altercation with WR Braylon Edwards.
?It just wasn?t pretty.?
Head Coach Romeo Crennel
on Sunday?s 30-0 loss.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Cincinnati QB Carson Palmer is slowly becoming as good as Peyton Manning when it comes to reading a defense and calling a play at the line of scrimmage. At least against the Browns, anyway. Palmer completed 25-of-32 passes for 275 yards and three TDs. He could have had more if Cincinnati wanted to pour it on. Palmer?s only mistake was an underthrown pass to Chad Johnson that was picked off by Brian Russell. Palmer has a 99.9 passer rating for the season, 2,868 yards, 21 TDs and eight interceptions.
EXTRA POINTS
n Sunday?s shutout was the first for Cincinnati since Dec. 3, 1989. The Bengals shut out the Browns that day, too.
n The Browns offense has scored just three touchdowns in the second half since beating Oakland.
n As bad as Sunday was, the 202 yards of offense wasn?t the lowest this season. It was second. The Browns had just 165 total yards against Denver.
COMING ON & FALLING APART
n RB Reuben Droughns played, but did not start. Jason Wright started for the second week in a row after impressing coaches with his burst last week. Wright finished with 12 yards on five carries. Jerome Harrison was the leading rusher with 18 yards on three carries.
n Charlie Frye had his first four interception game of his career. He broke his string of two games without a pick. Frye has 16 interceptions and nine TD passes.
n Rookie Kamerion Wimbley had another sack. He?s had a sack in the last four games and has 7 1/2 for the season.
n Chad Johnson has seven catches for 123 yards, but did not score.
GRADING THE OFFENSE
F
Little explanation is needed here. Cincinnati was without three starters on defense. The Bengals brought in the worst defense in the league, and the Browns laid an egg on offense. Charlie Frye was bad and his teammates were awful. There was no synergy between Frye and his receivers. Cleveland didn?t have a running game. The line gave up four sacks, and plenty of times Frye was hit while throwing, including on one of his interceptions.
GRADING THE DEFENSE
D-MINUS
On a day when the offense could get nothing going, Cleveland?s defense did nothing to help. The Browns couldn?t stop the Bengals when the game started. It was 14-0 after the Bengals? second possession. Cincinnati scored on three of their first four possessions.
GRADING THE COACHES
F
Head Coach Romeo Crennel lost control of his team. The game got away from him quickly. Offensive Coordinator Jeff Davidson is finding out what it?s like to be in the hot seat. He hasn?t exactly mesmerized opposing defenses the last three weeks. Defensive Coordinator Todd Grantham could be named the head coach at Michigan State this week. Will anyone miss him in Cleveland after this awful performance? Sunday was the kind of day that makes one wonder if the Browns should play another week.
TODD PORTER
Browns stuff
Monday, November 27, 2006
THEY LOST IT HERE Where does one start in a lopsided shutout against the NFL?s worst defense? How about where the game started ? Josh Cribbs, Cleveland?s best scoring threat, returned the opening kickoff 101 yards to give the Browns a quick lead, momentum and electricity. Poor Mason Unck. He was called for holding on the return. A well-thrown flag floated down inside the 30 and the Cleveland offense did not need to wait for the official call. The Browns offense trotted on the field before referee Jeff Triplette turned on his mic. Cleveland started at its own 18, ran six plays and punted. The Bengals marched down the field, barely breaking a sweat, on a 14-play, 69-yard scoring drive. It set the tone. Cincinnati was in control of this game. Cleveland was on its way to becoming the Brungles.
THEY said it
?I told him be professional. You?re the ringleaders of this thing. A lot of blame goes to the quarterback. We have a young quarterback. He?s doing some good things, and we?re struggling with some things. It?s not fair to put it all on Charlie. ... I told him, ?Hang in there, Rome wasn?t built in a day.? I?m a firm believer if you keep plugging away and drinking Lake Erie water, you?re going to toughen up and this thing will get pointed in the right direction.?
Browns WR Joe Jurevicius on what he told QB Charlie Frye after an altercation with WR Braylon Edwards.
?It just wasn?t pretty.?
Head Coach Romeo Crennel
on Sunday?s 30-0 loss.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Cincinnati QB Carson Palmer is slowly becoming as good as Peyton Manning when it comes to reading a defense and calling a play at the line of scrimmage. At least against the Browns, anyway. Palmer completed 25-of-32 passes for 275 yards and three TDs. He could have had more if Cincinnati wanted to pour it on. Palmer?s only mistake was an underthrown pass to Chad Johnson that was picked off by Brian Russell. Palmer has a 99.9 passer rating for the season, 2,868 yards, 21 TDs and eight interceptions.
EXTRA POINTS
n Sunday?s shutout was the first for Cincinnati since Dec. 3, 1989. The Bengals shut out the Browns that day, too.
n The Browns offense has scored just three touchdowns in the second half since beating Oakland.
n As bad as Sunday was, the 202 yards of offense wasn?t the lowest this season. It was second. The Browns had just 165 total yards against Denver.
COMING ON & FALLING APART
n RB Reuben Droughns played, but did not start. Jason Wright started for the second week in a row after impressing coaches with his burst last week. Wright finished with 12 yards on five carries. Jerome Harrison was the leading rusher with 18 yards on three carries.
n Charlie Frye had his first four interception game of his career. He broke his string of two games without a pick. Frye has 16 interceptions and nine TD passes.
n Rookie Kamerion Wimbley had another sack. He?s had a sack in the last four games and has 7 1/2 for the season.
n Chad Johnson has seven catches for 123 yards, but did not score.
GRADING THE OFFENSE
F
Little explanation is needed here. Cincinnati was without three starters on defense. The Bengals brought in the worst defense in the league, and the Browns laid an egg on offense. Charlie Frye was bad and his teammates were awful. There was no synergy between Frye and his receivers. Cleveland didn?t have a running game. The line gave up four sacks, and plenty of times Frye was hit while throwing, including on one of his interceptions.
GRADING THE DEFENSE
D-MINUS
On a day when the offense could get nothing going, Cleveland?s defense did nothing to help. The Browns couldn?t stop the Bengals when the game started. It was 14-0 after the Bengals? second possession. Cincinnati scored on three of their first four possessions.
GRADING THE COACHES
F
Head Coach Romeo Crennel lost control of his team. The game got away from him quickly. Offensive Coordinator Jeff Davidson is finding out what it?s like to be in the hot seat. He hasn?t exactly mesmerized opposing defenses the last three weeks. Defensive Coordinator Todd Grantham could be named the head coach at Michigan State this week. Will anyone miss him in Cleveland after this awful performance? Sunday was the kind of day that makes one wonder if the Browns should play another week.
TODD PORTER
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Canton
Travels with Charlie
Monday, November 27, 2006
This week?s rating of Browns QB Charlie Frye:
Negatives Frye had Kellen Winslow Jr. open deep over the middle but missed a huge gain by not putting enough air under the ball. One play later, Frye dropped the ball while getting sacked; he is a repeat offender in that act. On his second interception, Frye pretty much threw the ball up for grabs when he was about to get hit in the end zone. He struggled to recognize when receivers were breaking open and failed to exploit a pass defense that was absolutely torched by the Saints a week earlier.
Positives Not much during the game. Afterward, Frye was forthright and mature in addressing one of the worst two or three starts in his 16-game run as the Browns? No. 1 QB.
Week 11 rating 2
Travels with Charlie
Monday, November 27, 2006
This week?s rating of Browns QB Charlie Frye:
Negatives Frye had Kellen Winslow Jr. open deep over the middle but missed a huge gain by not putting enough air under the ball. One play later, Frye dropped the ball while getting sacked; he is a repeat offender in that act. On his second interception, Frye pretty much threw the ball up for grabs when he was about to get hit in the end zone. He struggled to recognize when receivers were breaking open and failed to exploit a pass defense that was absolutely torched by the Saints a week earlier.
Positives Not much during the game. Afterward, Frye was forthright and mature in addressing one of the worst two or three starts in his 16-game run as the Browns? No. 1 QB.
Week 11 rating 2
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Canton
Browns report
Monday, November 27, 2006
Grantham gone? Defensive Coordinator Todd Grantham was not available to address a report he has accepted Michigan State?s head coaching job. The Browns said Grantham had no comment.
Reports out of East Lansing, Mich., indicate Grantham is on his way to the Big Ten.
Cribbs note
Joshua Cribbs? 101-yard return of the opening kick was wiped out by a holding call against Mason Unck. Cribbs saw the return coming, but not the flag.
?I saw the hole last night and all week,? he said. ?I knew it was going to be there again. We are together on our kickoff return unit.?
This wasn?t a case of Cribbs being crushed when he turned around in the end zone.
?I saw the flag when I was running,? he said. ?That?s why I didn?t celebrate. I just knew I had to go back to work.?
Cribbs was shaken up after diving for a throw deep down the right sideline. He failed to hang on, which might have cost him subsequent time as a receiver.
Later, Dennis Northcutt made a 43-yard catch on a similar throw.
Sit one out
The Bengals were without injured starters (in order of value to them) LT Levi Jones, CB Deltha O?Neal, LB Brian Simmons, C Rich Braham and G Bobbie Williams.
The Browns played without CB Leigh Bodden, who has had strong games against the Bengals? Chad Johnson. ?I was sorry I didn?t get to face him,? Johnson said.
Browns defensive end Orpheus Roye left the game with a left knee injury in the second quarter and did not return. Right tackle Ryan Tucker didn?t play in the second half because of what was announced as an illness.
A little color
n The Massillon Tiger Swing Band played, honoring the Paul Brown tradition. Years after Brown coached at Massillon, he hired Massillon band director George ?Red? Bird to direct entertainment at Browns games. Brown is the founding head coach of the Browns and Bengals.
n Phil Dawson?s wife Shannon sang the National Anthem, hitting some high notes with gusto. Her husband has had a couple of low notes, missing 40-something field goals in the last two home games.
Extra points
n ?I can?t remember when we got a shutout,? Carson Palmer said. Makes sense. He was 9 the last time the Bengals blanked anybody. They had played 269 games between shutouts. ?They got us fired up,? Palmer said.
n Johnson has 1,055 receiving yards on the season after posting 123 Sunday. Ever the clown, ?Ocho Cinco? yakked about LeBron James and said he intends to try out for the Cavaliers one of these days
Browns report
Monday, November 27, 2006
Grantham gone? Defensive Coordinator Todd Grantham was not available to address a report he has accepted Michigan State?s head coaching job. The Browns said Grantham had no comment.
Reports out of East Lansing, Mich., indicate Grantham is on his way to the Big Ten.
Cribbs note
Joshua Cribbs? 101-yard return of the opening kick was wiped out by a holding call against Mason Unck. Cribbs saw the return coming, but not the flag.
?I saw the hole last night and all week,? he said. ?I knew it was going to be there again. We are together on our kickoff return unit.?
This wasn?t a case of Cribbs being crushed when he turned around in the end zone.
?I saw the flag when I was running,? he said. ?That?s why I didn?t celebrate. I just knew I had to go back to work.?
Cribbs was shaken up after diving for a throw deep down the right sideline. He failed to hang on, which might have cost him subsequent time as a receiver.
Later, Dennis Northcutt made a 43-yard catch on a similar throw.
Sit one out
The Bengals were without injured starters (in order of value to them) LT Levi Jones, CB Deltha O?Neal, LB Brian Simmons, C Rich Braham and G Bobbie Williams.
The Browns played without CB Leigh Bodden, who has had strong games against the Bengals? Chad Johnson. ?I was sorry I didn?t get to face him,? Johnson said.
Browns defensive end Orpheus Roye left the game with a left knee injury in the second quarter and did not return. Right tackle Ryan Tucker didn?t play in the second half because of what was announced as an illness.
A little color
n The Massillon Tiger Swing Band played, honoring the Paul Brown tradition. Years after Brown coached at Massillon, he hired Massillon band director George ?Red? Bird to direct entertainment at Browns games. Brown is the founding head coach of the Browns and Bengals.
n Phil Dawson?s wife Shannon sang the National Anthem, hitting some high notes with gusto. Her husband has had a couple of low notes, missing 40-something field goals in the last two home games.
Extra points
n ?I can?t remember when we got a shutout,? Carson Palmer said. Makes sense. He was 9 the last time the Bengals blanked anybody. They had played 269 games between shutouts. ?They got us fired up,? Palmer said.
n Johnson has 1,055 receiving yards on the season after posting 123 Sunday. Ever the clown, ?Ocho Cinco? yakked about LeBron James and said he intends to try out for the Cavaliers one of these days
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Frye says little, Edwards mum on sideline incident
Monday, November 27, 2006
By Todd Porter REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER
CLEVELAND Braylon Edwards refused to comment. Quarterback Charlie Frye didn?t say much more.
TV replays spoke volumes.
Edwards grabbed Frye by his jersey and yelled at him on the sideline after the second-year quarterback threw his third interception of the game during a 30-0 loss to the 6-5 Bengals.
Edwards was separated from Frye by veteran running back Reuben Droughns and veteran receiver Dennis Northcutt kept himself between the 6-foot-3 Edwards and the 6-foot-4 Frye.
?Me and Braylon are both competitors. We want to win. Things are said during the game all the time,? said Frye, who threw four interceptions, a career high. ?It?s getting blown up right now. But ask Braylon. Me and him are both fine. That?s as far as I?m gonna take it.
?I?ll say this: Our biggest opponent right now is us. Cincinnati didn?t do anything special. ... It?s going to be an uphill battle.?
Tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. said there was not a problem between Edwards and Frye. However, most postgame comments indicated something happened between them.
TV replays showed Edwards grabbing Frye by his left shoulder and yelling. Edwards, who caught two passes for 29 yards, was yelling in Frye?s direction after that.
A team media relations assistant, who was on the field, said Edwards was just telling Frye the team needed to protect him better.
?I think we?re fighting against each other instead of fighting against the other team,? Frye said. ?That?s the bottom line. I?m not just saying fighting verbally. It?s missed assignments and things like that.?
Head Coach Romeo Crennel seemed to suggest there was something to the Frye-Edwards skirmish.
?When things are not going good, everybody gets a little frustrated,? Crennel said. ?You talk about things. You talk about what?s going on in a game. That?s what it was. Both guys are fiery competitors. They might?ve had to be separated just to keep calmness on the sideline.?
Crennel said he spoke with the players. Owner Randy Lerner was in the locker room after the game and didn?t look pleased.
?You talk to those guys about being professional,? Crennel said. ?About doing their job first before trying to do someone else?s job. When something happens during the game they have no control over, don?t blame somebody else for it. Do your job and go from there.
?In the emotion of the game, (Edwards) said something. A competitor said something back. Boom, they ironed it out and we?ll go play.?
Reach Repository sports writer Todd Porter at (330) 580-8340
or e-mail: [email protected]
repository SCOTT HECKEL
THINGS WERE SAID Teammates had to step in between Browns quarterback Charlie Frye (left) and receiver Braylon Edwards during Sunday?s game.
Frye says little, Edwards mum on sideline incident
Monday, November 27, 2006
By Todd Porter REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER
CLEVELAND Braylon Edwards refused to comment. Quarterback Charlie Frye didn?t say much more.
TV replays spoke volumes.
Edwards grabbed Frye by his jersey and yelled at him on the sideline after the second-year quarterback threw his third interception of the game during a 30-0 loss to the 6-5 Bengals.
Edwards was separated from Frye by veteran running back Reuben Droughns and veteran receiver Dennis Northcutt kept himself between the 6-foot-3 Edwards and the 6-foot-4 Frye.
?Me and Braylon are both competitors. We want to win. Things are said during the game all the time,? said Frye, who threw four interceptions, a career high. ?It?s getting blown up right now. But ask Braylon. Me and him are both fine. That?s as far as I?m gonna take it.
?I?ll say this: Our biggest opponent right now is us. Cincinnati didn?t do anything special. ... It?s going to be an uphill battle.?
Tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. said there was not a problem between Edwards and Frye. However, most postgame comments indicated something happened between them.
TV replays showed Edwards grabbing Frye by his left shoulder and yelling. Edwards, who caught two passes for 29 yards, was yelling in Frye?s direction after that.
A team media relations assistant, who was on the field, said Edwards was just telling Frye the team needed to protect him better.
?I think we?re fighting against each other instead of fighting against the other team,? Frye said. ?That?s the bottom line. I?m not just saying fighting verbally. It?s missed assignments and things like that.?
Head Coach Romeo Crennel seemed to suggest there was something to the Frye-Edwards skirmish.
?When things are not going good, everybody gets a little frustrated,? Crennel said. ?You talk about things. You talk about what?s going on in a game. That?s what it was. Both guys are fiery competitors. They might?ve had to be separated just to keep calmness on the sideline.?
Crennel said he spoke with the players. Owner Randy Lerner was in the locker room after the game and didn?t look pleased.
?You talk to those guys about being professional,? Crennel said. ?About doing their job first before trying to do someone else?s job. When something happens during the game they have no control over, don?t blame somebody else for it. Do your job and go from there.
?In the emotion of the game, (Edwards) said something. A competitor said something back. Boom, they ironed it out and we?ll go play.?
Reach Repository sports writer Todd Porter at (330) 580-8340
or e-mail: [email protected]
repository SCOTT HECKEL
THINGS WERE SAID Teammates had to step in between Browns quarterback Charlie Frye (left) and receiver Braylon Edwards during Sunday?s game.
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Sipe: Fans? spirit makes Cleveland a special place to play
Monday, November 27, 2006
By Todd Porter REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER
CLEVELAND The old quarterback has a leather-skin face. He doesn?t have the bounce in his step he once did, or the magic in his right arm. But Brian Sipe, who wowed Browns fans the way the team can no longer, had optimism.
The kind of sunshine in his voice you?d expect from a guy who lives in Del Mar, Calif., now.
The Browns brought Sipe back for Sunday?s 30-0 beating by the Bengals to be the team?s honorary captain. The kind of day Charlie Frye had, some fans might have wished he was the honorary quarterback.
Sipe led the Kardiac Kids in the 1980 season to the AFC Divisional Playoff game, but lost to the Raiders. He was the MVP of the NFL that season.
?To have a chance to come down on the field and be close to this team again is a thrill for me,? Sipe said. ?Any time I come back here, it?s just a treat.?
Like many fans, Sipe hopes the Browns can turn a seven-year rut of losing around. Cleveland has had one winning season since being reborn in 1999.
?I?m as anxious as everybody else around here to get to those playoff games,? Sipe said. ?I?ve always appreciated Browns fans for their patience. They showed me a lot of patience when I was getting started.
?I hope there is a payday right around the corner because the town deserves it.?
Sipe followed Art Modell?s move of the team to Baltimore in 1995. Asked if the pain of that move has healed, Sipe was unsure.
?I?m not here day to day,? he said. ?I think the game has changed a lot, too. ... How do I answer this? This isn?t Cleveland Municipal Stadium as I remember it. Those days are gone. I don?t know if they?ll ever be back, and I don?t know that?s what Browns fans should look forward to.
?Obviously, you?ve got good fans here, and it needs to happen, and I hope it happens soon.?
Sipe talked before Cleveland took the field Sunday. But he likes what he has seen of the Browns. He attended Cleveland?s loss to the Chargers in San Diego.
?They played a very, very good Chargers team and they were in the game down to the end,? Sipe said. ?I?m optimistic about this team. Once they get a few more games under its belt, and get on to next season, we might have a winner here.?
These days, Sipe is a high school football coach. His team is in the California playoffs, playing for a sectional championship this weekend.
Sipe said he doesn?t miss his playing days, and it?s weird to watch a wide receiver wearing his No. 17.
?I don?t miss it. It was a great period in my life,? Sipe said. ?There?s great things going on now. What I miss is the fun we had with the fans here in Cleveland. That will always remain with me. Days like today are special because, in some ways, it?s 1980 all over again.?
At least before the game it was.
Sipe: Fans? spirit makes Cleveland a special place to play
Monday, November 27, 2006
By Todd Porter REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER
CLEVELAND The old quarterback has a leather-skin face. He doesn?t have the bounce in his step he once did, or the magic in his right arm. But Brian Sipe, who wowed Browns fans the way the team can no longer, had optimism.
The kind of sunshine in his voice you?d expect from a guy who lives in Del Mar, Calif., now.
The Browns brought Sipe back for Sunday?s 30-0 beating by the Bengals to be the team?s honorary captain. The kind of day Charlie Frye had, some fans might have wished he was the honorary quarterback.
Sipe led the Kardiac Kids in the 1980 season to the AFC Divisional Playoff game, but lost to the Raiders. He was the MVP of the NFL that season.
?To have a chance to come down on the field and be close to this team again is a thrill for me,? Sipe said. ?Any time I come back here, it?s just a treat.?
Like many fans, Sipe hopes the Browns can turn a seven-year rut of losing around. Cleveland has had one winning season since being reborn in 1999.
?I?m as anxious as everybody else around here to get to those playoff games,? Sipe said. ?I?ve always appreciated Browns fans for their patience. They showed me a lot of patience when I was getting started.
?I hope there is a payday right around the corner because the town deserves it.?
Sipe followed Art Modell?s move of the team to Baltimore in 1995. Asked if the pain of that move has healed, Sipe was unsure.
?I?m not here day to day,? he said. ?I think the game has changed a lot, too. ... How do I answer this? This isn?t Cleveland Municipal Stadium as I remember it. Those days are gone. I don?t know if they?ll ever be back, and I don?t know that?s what Browns fans should look forward to.
?Obviously, you?ve got good fans here, and it needs to happen, and I hope it happens soon.?
Sipe talked before Cleveland took the field Sunday. But he likes what he has seen of the Browns. He attended Cleveland?s loss to the Chargers in San Diego.
?They played a very, very good Chargers team and they were in the game down to the end,? Sipe said. ?I?m optimistic about this team. Once they get a few more games under its belt, and get on to next season, we might have a winner here.?
These days, Sipe is a high school football coach. His team is in the California playoffs, playing for a sectional championship this weekend.
Sipe said he doesn?t miss his playing days, and it?s weird to watch a wide receiver wearing his No. 17.
?I don?t miss it. It was a great period in my life,? Sipe said. ?There?s great things going on now. What I miss is the fun we had with the fans here in Cleveland. That will always remain with me. Days like today are special because, in some ways, it?s 1980 all over again.?
At least before the game it was.
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McGinest puts bad play on players, not coach
Monday, November 27, 2006
By Steve Doerschuk Repository sports writer
CLEVELAND Six years earlier to the day, Romeo Crennel was defensive coordinator for a Browns team that got hammered, 44-7, by division rival Baltimore.
The stage was set for second-year head coach Chris Palmer to be fired after the 2000 season.
Crennel?s 30-0 loss to division rival Cincinnati on Sunday can?t help his job security as Cleveland?s second-year head coach.
After the game, though, linebacker Willie McGinest defended Crennel, who was his defensive coordinator on three New England Super Bowl winners.
?Romeo?s doing his job,? McGinest said. ?It?s not Romeo who?s out there playing those games. It?s not Romeo who?s getting holding penalties.?
A holding call on Mason Unck erased a 101-yard touchdown return by Joshua Cribbs on the opening kick.
?It?s not Romeo that?s jumpin? offsides,? McGinest said.
The Browns trailed, 14-0, when Cincinnati opened a series with Browns defensive end Simon Fraser getting hit with just such a call.
?It?s not Romeo giving up the run, giving up deep passes, givin? up sacks,? McGinest said. ?Romeo?s doing a good job of puttin? us in position.
?I?m not gonna point the finger and say it?s our head coach. It?s us. We?re out there. We?re not executing.
?We?re not doing what we need to do to stop teams. We?re not finishing teams. We?re not scoring points in the red zone.
?Whatever you want to throw out there. It?s us. Until we start doing our jobs better, we?re not gonna play better.?
During the week, in a radio interview, General Manager Phil Savage updated his level of belief in Crennel.
?When we hired him a season and a half ago, he came here as really the best candidate for the job. I still feel that way,? Savage said. ?Look at the hand that?s been dealt. It wasn?t exactly a plate full of food here when we arrived. In a lot of ways you kind of had to clear the decks, start over.?
On the other hand, Savage went into the season saying 2006 was about showing improvement. Sunday?s performance was one of the team?s most disappointing in Crennel?s two years.
Owner Randy Lerner, in a separate radio interview the same day as Savage?s, didn?t specifically address Crennel?s job security. He did say:
?All we can do is continue to put the organization in the right position and finally stick with it. Finally create some continuity and try and stick with this thing.?
Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk
at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail: [email protected]
repository SCOTT HECKEL
BREAK IT UP Bengals defenders Johnathan Joseph (left) and Kevin Kaesviharn break up a pass intended for Browns tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. during the fourth quarter Sunday.
McGinest puts bad play on players, not coach
Monday, November 27, 2006
By Steve Doerschuk Repository sports writer
CLEVELAND Six years earlier to the day, Romeo Crennel was defensive coordinator for a Browns team that got hammered, 44-7, by division rival Baltimore.
The stage was set for second-year head coach Chris Palmer to be fired after the 2000 season.
Crennel?s 30-0 loss to division rival Cincinnati on Sunday can?t help his job security as Cleveland?s second-year head coach.
After the game, though, linebacker Willie McGinest defended Crennel, who was his defensive coordinator on three New England Super Bowl winners.
?Romeo?s doing his job,? McGinest said. ?It?s not Romeo who?s out there playing those games. It?s not Romeo who?s getting holding penalties.?
A holding call on Mason Unck erased a 101-yard touchdown return by Joshua Cribbs on the opening kick.
?It?s not Romeo that?s jumpin? offsides,? McGinest said.
The Browns trailed, 14-0, when Cincinnati opened a series with Browns defensive end Simon Fraser getting hit with just such a call.
?It?s not Romeo giving up the run, giving up deep passes, givin? up sacks,? McGinest said. ?Romeo?s doing a good job of puttin? us in position.
?I?m not gonna point the finger and say it?s our head coach. It?s us. We?re out there. We?re not executing.
?We?re not doing what we need to do to stop teams. We?re not finishing teams. We?re not scoring points in the red zone.
?Whatever you want to throw out there. It?s us. Until we start doing our jobs better, we?re not gonna play better.?
During the week, in a radio interview, General Manager Phil Savage updated his level of belief in Crennel.
?When we hired him a season and a half ago, he came here as really the best candidate for the job. I still feel that way,? Savage said. ?Look at the hand that?s been dealt. It wasn?t exactly a plate full of food here when we arrived. In a lot of ways you kind of had to clear the decks, start over.?
On the other hand, Savage went into the season saying 2006 was about showing improvement. Sunday?s performance was one of the team?s most disappointing in Crennel?s two years.
Owner Randy Lerner, in a separate radio interview the same day as Savage?s, didn?t specifically address Crennel?s job security. He did say:
?All we can do is continue to put the organization in the right position and finally stick with it. Finally create some continuity and try and stick with this thing.?
Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk
at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail: [email protected]
repository SCOTT HECKEL
BREAK IT UP Bengals defenders Johnathan Joseph (left) and Kevin Kaesviharn break up a pass intended for Browns tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. during the fourth quarter Sunday.
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