Shot Down

I am convinced that the Browns lost the game and the Cowboys didn’t win it. If you just watched the game to watch the game, you will probably disagree. You’ll argue that the Browns had no pressure on Tony Romo, that they played prevent pass defense and that the Browns couldn’t move the ball offensively. But that wasn’t what I saw.

The defense wasn’t as bad as they looked. They looked awful but played average. They did a good job of stopping the run; in the first half. Even though they couldn’t get to Romo, they contained him; in the first half. And guess what? This is what the Browns defense is designed to do; contain. The problem was that they couldn’t keep containing throughout the game because of the offense.

DA looked a lot better than his stats. Besides Winslow, no one else could catch the ball. The Cowboys had 4 receivers with 3+ catches while the Browns only had one. Jamal Lewis was running the ball well until the Browns wide receivers decided to drop every pass. Edwards dropped 2 TD passes that would have changed the game. This is why the Browns were out of the game by the third quarter. Their offense screwed them on Sunday not their defense. I think this is something that every commentator missed.

Another thing that the commentators missed was that the Cowboys weren’t that impressive. Yes Romo had over 300 yards passing but he did throw a pick and only had one TD. Their defense was aided by the Browns’ wide receivers crapping all over themselves. And the Cowboys kept trying to let the Browns back in the game. They had 11 penalties for 82 yards.

But the real reason why the Browns lost was because of their coaches. They made no second half adjustments. It was like watching an episode of Big Brother. You just kept waiting for them to do something besides awkwardly looking at each other. They committed the first half to not being killed by the run. But they tried to do the same thing in the second half. They couldn’t get the linebackers involved so they just said “F it we’re done trying we might as well try to stop the run”. The problem was that you can’t keep playing the run when A) Romo is playing like Johnny Utah, B) When you’re down by 2 scores and C) When the offense keeps going three and out.

Offensively they kept trying to establish the run before establishing the pass. By the third quarter the Cowboys looked like they were playing Tecmo Bowl because of the Browns lack of creativity on offense. How many times did a first down run lead to a second and third down pass? About as many times as a first down pass led to a second down run followed by a third down pass. It was disgusting to watch the Cowboys pick every single play the Browns tried. But I’m done talking about this coat hanger abortion. It is over and done with. Now it is time to get ready for the Steelers. And to be honest, I think the Browns will beat the Steelers.

Last week the absence of Cribbs was noticeable. The Browns didn’t have the energy going into their offensive possessions like they do when Cribbs is returning. This was a huge factor and will be a huge factor against the Steelers. With Cribbs in the lineup the Browns go from average to good. Also I think we will see a better Browns offense than last week. The Steelers still play physical but lack the talent on defense like they once had. Winslow will have a bigger day if Braylon Edwards starts catching the passes he should. If Edwards decides to be a playmaker, this will force safety coverage, leaving Winslow to do what he does best; own the middle. Hopefully Stallworth will be in the lineup as well but it doesn’t look good. He is getting an MRI today for God knows what. If he isn’t in the lineup then expect Steptoe to be used in the slot. Who ever is in the slot will be open more this game because the Steelers don’t have the depth at cornerback like the Cowboys do. Getting Jamal Lewis going will be the biggest task. The Steelers no longer shut down the run but you still have to work for yards against them. If the Browns decide to keep going run first, run only and don’t make any adjustments; it will be another long day. But hopefully the Browns coaching staff learned that you have to change your game plan when it isn’t working.

Defensively, this is the match up the Browns have been waiting for; a power running team that isn’t designed to beat you deep and has an un-athletic quarterback. Big Ben is not Jesus Christ. He is probably the luckiest quarterback of all time. He got tossed on a team that could have won the Super Bowl with Charlie Batch. But as we saw last week, Big Ben doesn’t like to get hit. His offensive line isn’t the same and is not providing the same protection like they once did. I think this week the Browns will be blitzing. This will be the week that the additions of Rogers and Williams will be noticeable.

Call me crazy or call me a Browns fan but I think this week belongs to the Browns. Not only are they due but they’ve been waiting for this game. Dallas was a game. Pittsburg is the game.