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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
scout.com (free)
11/6/05
11/6/05
<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3>1PM: Titans vs. Browns
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</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top>By NFL Scout
Date: Nov 5, 2005
Sunday's clash with the Titans at Cleveland Browns Stadium gives the hometown team a chance to break a three-game losing streak. Before that happens, however, the Browns need to figure out how to stop Tennessee's two-pronged running attack and improve on special teams...
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KICKOFF: Sunday, 1:00 ET
GAMEDATE: 11/06/05
SURFACE: Grass
TV: CBS, Don Criqui, Steve Beuerlein
SERIES: 60th meeting. Browns lead the series 32-27. Cleveland has won the last two meetings, the most recent a 31-28 OT game in 2002.
2005 RANKINGS: Titans: offense 18th (20th rush, 13th pass); defense 16th (12th rush, 15th pass). Browns: offense 26th (25th rush, 22nd pass); defense 24th (27th rush, 19th pass)
PREDICTION: Browns 19-14
KEYS TO THE GAME: The Browns have held their past five opponents under 20 points, but they are 1-4 during that span because their offense is struggling mightily. The weakness of the Titans' defense is in their pair of rookie starting cornerbacks (Adam "Pacman" Jones and Reynaldo Hill), but Browns QB Trent Dilfer has struggled the past month. The Browns will lean on RB Reuben Droughns (5.1 yards per carry past two games) early, and he must carry the load with backups Lee Suggs and William Green likely out. Tennessee's offense also needs production from RBs Chris Brown and Travis Henry. The Browns will almost certainly load up to stuff the run with the Titans frighteningly thin at wide receiver and TE Ben Troupe also hurting.
FAST FACTS: Titans: QB Steve McNair needs 14 rushing yards to pass John Elway (3,407) for fourth-most all-time among quarterbacks. ... Team is 39-1 (.975) when entering the fourth quarter with a lead under coach Jeff Fisher. Browns: Have allowed only one touchdown in five consecutive games. ... Have allowed just eight touchdowns in 22 red-zone possessions by opponents.
PERSONNEL NEWS:
Titans:
Browns:
- QB Steve McNair (back) took the full load at the Titans' Thursday practice, which was pushed back to the evening and held at the Coliseum. He said he felt good.
- WR Drew Bennett (left thumb) is out of the Titans game in Cleveland.
- WR Brandon Jones (knee) did some work with the receivers early in Thursday's practice but did not work in full team periods.
- LB Peter Sirmon (ankle) was held out practice for the second day in a row on Thursday.
- FB Troy Fleming (ankle) is expected to return to the lineup in Cleveland after missing three games with an ankle injury.
- TE Ben Troupe is dealing with a high ankle sprain and was in an immobilizing boot for the second day in a row on Thursday.
- DT Albert Haynesworth has not been himself because of calf and knee injuries, but he's not on the injury report this week, which should be a good sign.
- CB Andre Woolfolk (hamstring) ran on the side during the Titans' practice Thursday. If he does play in Cleveland he will work as the nickel back, if he doesn't Michael Waddell will fill that role.
INSIDE THE CAMPS:
- G Joe Andruzzi missed a day of practice on Wednesday after hurting his knee in the loss to Houston. Andruzzi was fortunate he was not seriously injured when he was twisted over a pile, and if there's any way he can play against Tennessee he will.
- DE Alvin McKinley hyperextended an elbow in the loss to Houston and is listed as questionable. His absence would be noticed. McKinley has been a pleasant surprise in the 3-4 defense after moving from tackle in the 4-3.
- S Chris Crocker is listed as questionable on the injury report, but probably will play against Tennessee. The dropoff if he can't play would be significant. Second-year player Sean Jones has struggled, and Brodney Pool is still a rookie.
- WR Braylon Edwards, the team's first-round pick, now is part of a three-for-two rotation at the position, coach Romeo Crennel said. Edwards' playing time will increase as he alternates with Dennis Northcutt opposite Antonio Bryant.
- QB Trent Dilfer appears to have grown weary of the criticism he's heard the last few weeks. Dilfer has nine turnovers the last four games, but for the season his passer rating is above his career figure.
Titans: Titans rookie cornerback Pacman Jones hopes he leaves Cleveland Sunday with a little souvenir from Braylon Edwards.
Edwards, the Browns' rookie receiver, was drafted third overall, three spots ahead of Jones.
"He called me (Tuesday) night talking trash," Jones said. "We had made a bet before the draft that if he scored on me he'd get to keep my chain, if he don't, I get to keep his chain. He's got a king chain, I can't really explain it. It spins. It's a pretty nice chain, it's going to look good on me."
In Nashville, Jones has gotten a lot of negative attention after an extended training camp holdout and some struggles early on for a team that's 2-6 at the midway point.
"I'm going to get blamed for everything this year, so I've go to suck that up and be a man about it, but I'm all right, I'm not really complaining to nobody," he said. "... At the end of the day, I'm going to be one of the best ones to come through here. I just feel it's coming, that's all I can tell you."
The Browns will have bigger concerns than defense with Jones.
A week after he exploded on two big punt returns against Oakland, he'll face the NFL's worst punt coverage unit, which gives Cleveland coach Romeo Crennel plenty to ponder.
"You better believe it is (a concern)," Crennel said. "And we're working on it. Pacman, he poses some problems, because he has tremendous athletic ability, a knack for making guys miss, and then he just has that feel for finding that open lane and he can get to it. So, we're going to have to be on the top of our game to be able to slow him down."
Browns: The Browns will be thin at running back when they play the Titans Sunday at home.
William Green is doubtful with an ankle sprain, and Lee Suggs is out with a broken thumb.
That leaves Reuben Droughns as the team's only healthy back.
Droughns has run well this season, but he was arrested for an alleged DUI this past week. How that affects him remains to be seen.
The other concern: The Browns have re-committed to the running game the past two games, and doing that they used Green to spell Droughns. Without Green, Droughns may see a lot more time.
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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
yahoo.com
11/6/05
11/6/05
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=750 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width=560>Cleveland 20, Tennessee 14
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD height=7><SPACER width="1" type="block" height="1"></TD></TR><TR><TD class=yspsctnhdln>Cleveland 20, Tennessee 14</TD></TR><TR><TD height=7><SPACER width="1" type="block" height="1"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Preview - Box Score - Recap </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>By TOM WITHERS, AP Sports Writer
November 6, 2005
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=ysptblbdr2><TABLE class=yspwhitebg cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>
<SMALL>AP - Nov 6, 3:00 pm EST</SMALL>
More Photos</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>CLEVELAND (AP) -- Reuben Droughns outran his embarrassment and brought the Cleveland Browns a win.
Droughns, arrested earlier in the week on a drunken driving charge, rushed for 116 yards and caught a crucial third-down pass for 51 yards, powering the Browns over the Tennessee Titans 20-14 on Sunday.
Following his arrest, the 27-year-old Droughns expressed deep regret for his mistake and letting down his teammates and Cleveland's fans, who by the fourth quarter were chanting ``Reu-ben, Reu-ben'' with the Browns comfortably ahead.
Droughns added four receptions for 73 yards, but he spent most of the final six minutes in the locker room being treated for leg cramps.
In the third quarter, Droughns caught a short screen pass over the middle and weaved 51 yards to set up Jason Wright's 6-yard TD run -- Cleveland's first rushing touchdown in nearly a year.
Dennis Northcutt caught a 58-yard TD pass and Phil Dawson kicked field goals of 37 and 19 yards as the Browns (3-5) held off a late rally by the Titans to snap a three-game losing streak.
Dawson was wide right from 39 yards -- his first miss in 17 tries this season -- with 39 seconds left, and without any timeouts, Tennessee quarterback Steve McNair drove the Titans to Cleveland's 28 with two seconds left.
McNair was nearly sacked but managed to muscle a pass toward the goal line on the game's final play that was picked off by Brodney Pool as time expired. But that didn't end the afternoon for Titans rookie cornerback Adam ``Pacman'' Jones and Browns safety Sean Jones, who exchanged pushes and shoves before being separated.
Cleveland quarterback Trent Dilfer, whose job security was becoming more uncertain with each loss, finished 18-of-34 for 272 yards in blustery conditions and threw his only interception on a desperation heave to end the first half.
Browns punter Kyle Richardson, too, atoned for some lousy performances by placing three kicks inside the 20-yard line.
Tennessee's Chris Brown had a 15-yard TD run in the fourth and Erron Kinney a 24-yard scoring reception for the young Titans (2-7), who have lost four in a row but now get a bye week to get rested and healthier.
McNair went 18-for-41 for 235 yards. Brown carried 22 times for 95 yards, and brought the Titans within 20-14 on his 15-yard TD with 7:13 left.
With William Green and Lee Suggs injured, the Browns activated Wright from the practice squad on Thursday. After Dilfer hit Droughns underneath for 51 on the inside screen, Wright took a handoff and powered his way into the end zone for his first career TD, giving Cleveland a 17-7 lead.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=ysptblbdr2><TABLE class=yspwhitebg cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>
<SMALL>AP - Nov 6, 2:59 pm EST</SMALL>
More Photos</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>It was the Browns' first rushing TD this season and their first since Nov. 28 of last season -- a span of 50 quarters.
Dawson's 37-yard field goal gave the Browns a 20-7 win early in the third quarter.
Lamont Thompson's 38-yard punt return helped set up Tennessee's tying touchdown late in the first half.
Taking over at his own 46, McNair completed passes of 19 and 11 yards to rookies Bo Scaife and Roydell Williams before finding Kinney over the middle to make it 7-all.
Northcutt had become a forgotten man in Cleveland's offensive scheme, failing to catch a pass in each of Cleveland's past two games. But Dilfer didn't hesitate going to the speedy wideout, hitting him to put the Browns ahead 7-0 in the first. Northcutt also had a key 31-yard run on a reverse in the fourth.
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TheStoicPaisano
But I didn't, so it doesn't
Yeah, so Time Warner Columbus fucks around and gives us CIN/BAL, then switches to the Jets, then to the Raiders, instead of going to the Browns, which was in doubt until the last 30 seconds. Asshats.
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TheStoicPaisano
But I didn't, so it doesn't
True, but with the way the games were ending, they could have shown the end of the Browns instead of the Jets game, and then switched to KC/OAK.
I don't care if the Browns were winless, it's still their home state.
I don't care if the Browns were winless, it's still their home state.
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Soory don't feel sorry for Browns fans at all. For years as a Bengals fan I have had to go to a bar to watch My Bengals.
Quit your whinning and go out and watch a game
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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
scout.com
11/7/05
11/7/05
<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3>Browns Hold Off Titans
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</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top>By Fred Greetham
Date: Nov 6, 2005
Behind Reuben Droughns grinding out yards, and another tough defensive showing, the Browns improved to 3-5 with this Sunday's win. Fred Greetham recaps the Browns 20-14 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
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Cleveland – A determined and motivated Rueben Droughns—along with a determined defense-- were the driving forces as the Browns slipped by the Tennessee Titans, 20-14 as they improved to 3-5 and snapped a three-game losing streak. Meanwhile, the Titans dropped to 2-7.
“I’m proud of our players for playing to the end,” Romeo Crennel said. “It came down to one play and we made the one play at the end that was enough to win.”
Rookie Brodney Pool intercepted Steve McNair as time expired near the end zone to preserve the Browns’ victory.
It looked as though the Browns had clinched the win with 1:44 to play as Andra Davis sacked Steve McNair at the Titans’ 18 on fourth-and-9.
However, Tennessee stopped the Browns and used their timeouts to force a field goal try by Phil Dawson. He hit the field goal from 29 yards to seemingly clinch the game at 23-14, but a holding penalty by Steve Heiden negated the score.
Backed up 10 yards, Dawson’s second attempt was wide and the Titans took over at the Browns’ 30 with just 39 seconds to play and no timeouts remaining. It was Dawson’s first miss of the season.
“We said if we got the ball to the 22 or 23 we had the opportunity for a field goal,” Crennel said. “We thought we would put it on Phil because he’s been consistent for us all year. The problem was we got the penalty and that hurt us.”
McNair moved the Titans quickly and the Titans found themselves at the Browns’ 27 with two seconds to play and having a chance to win the game. However, Pool intercepted the pass at the two-yard line as McNair was hit by Kenard Lang as he released the ball.
The Browns built a 20-7 lead largely on the legs of running back Reuben Droughns, who wanted to redeem himself for an embarrassing situation he put the Browns in this past week when he was charged with DUI.
He pleaded not guilty in court on Friday and will have a hearing in December. Droughns responded with 186 all-purpose yards. He rushed 20 times for 116 yards. He also caught four passes for 73 yards. Droughns was the only experienced back active for the game and had to leave several times late with cramping in his legs.
“It was good for the team to come out and get a win,” Droughns said. “We were rolling on all cylinders.”
“For me, I can’t worry about the off the field things,” he said. “For me, the field is like my cathedral and all I control is what I can do on the field.”
“Reuben had a little drama in his life early in the week with the support of his teammates he wanted to go out and prove he was the type of player we wanted him to be,” Crennel said. “His hard work paid off.
“Reuben wanted to have a good game, but he wants to have a good game every game.”
With Droughns needed a break due to the cramps, rookie Jason Wright was thrust into his first NFL game and responded with a six-yard touchdown run. He finished with eight rushes for 19 yards, including the touchdown.
“I was glad for us to get a rushing touchdown,” Droughns said. “He stepped up and I told him I was very excited for him. I told him to go out there and show case yourself.”
Wright was the only healthy non-fullback active behind Droughns as William Green and Lee Suggs were inactive with injuries.
Besides running the ball, Droughns had a career best 51-yard reception.
McNair was without wide receivers Drew Bennett and Tyrone Calico, who were both inactive and he threw to his tight ends all day. Erron Kinney had five catches for 74 yards and Bo Scaife caught five passes for 59 yards. McNair finished of- for yards.
Kris Brown cut the Browns lead to 20-14 with 7:13 to play on a 15-yard touchdown run after the Browns had extended their lead to 20-7 on a 19-yard field goal by Dawson.
The Browns opened the scoring when Dennis Northcutt caught a 58-yard touchdown pass from Trent Dilfer for a 7-0 lead. Northcutt got behind rookie cornerback Reynaldo Hill and the ball was under thrown, but Northcutt came back caught the ball and then was able to get out of the grasp of Hill. Northcutt tied a career-best with the 58-yarder. He finished with three receptions for 80 yards and a 31-yard run on a double reverse.
“Dennis Northcutt was able to come in and make some plays that will help his psyche because I know he was a little down,” Crennel said.
Northcutt had no receptions against the Texans last Sunday.
The Titans tied the game at 7-7 with 1:24 to play in the first half as McNair hit Erron Kinney for a 24-yard touchdown pass. After holding the Titans out of the end zone for most of the first half, the Titans marched down the field in three plays covering 54 yards in just 53 seconds. The drive was started by a punt return by Lamont Thompson that took the ball to the Titan’s 46.
The Browns took a 10-7 lead on their first possession of the third quarter as they went seven plays on 47 yards with a 37-yard field goal. The big play was a 49-yard reception by Antonio Bryant to take the ball inside the Titans’ 20.
Wright’s touchdown made it 17-7 and Dawson closed out their scoring with another field goal from 19 yards to make it 20-7.
Droughns was the work horse on the drive as he broke off a 17-yard and 31-yard runs on the drive. He took the ball inside the 10, but had to come out for a couple of plays due to cramping. Wright carried the ball twice to the two, but the Browns had to settle for a field goal.
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