The Browns showed a lot of good things Saturday night. And, some bad things. Time to pass out some grades.
Offense
Offensive Line - Looked good again, but run-blocking still needs to be better. Much, much better. Overall, though, I think they're improving.
Grade: B-
Tight Ends - Pretty much a non-factor Saturday night. If only the Browns had a stud, Pro-Bowl caliber tight end ... Oh, wait, they did.
Grade: C-
Wide Receivers - Braylon continued to rebound from last season and the Green Bay "game." He had three catches for 51 yards, including a TD catch from Brady Quinn, which he decided to hold on to this time.
Grade: B
Running Backs - Lewis gained 23 yards, just as he did last week against the Lions. This time, though, he did it in 10 carries instead of seven. James Davis (five carries, 28 yards) continues to make a case for himself as Lewis' backup.
Grade: C+
Quarterbacks - Both QBs looked "not bad." Quinn was 11-of-15 for 128 yards and a TD. Anderson was 7-of-11 for 77 yards. Could the QB Derby finally be over? Well, in some people's eyes, it is. But, the only person that matters is Mangini and he's not telling us anything.
Grade: B+
Summary - Any time you can get four scores out of your offense (three Dawson field goals and a Quinn to Edwards TD) is a decent outing. Ideally, those FGs should be TDs, but I'm not complaining.
Overall Grade: B
Defense
Defensive Line - Kerry Collins looked to be in mid-season form and the run defense still looked like Swiss cheese at times. But, the D-line does look better than it did just a few weeks ago.
Grade: B
Linebackers - As with the D-line, this unit showed signs of improvement too. Not a bad game at all.
Grade: B
Safeties & Corners - I sound like a broken record, but this unit continues to improve as well.
Grade: B
Summary - Solid overall defensive performance. Forced - and recovered - fumbles, goal line stands and an interception return for a TD makes for a good night on defense. Still, had this been a real game, I fear what Collins would have done to the defense.
Grade: B
Coaching\Special Teams
Special Teams - Outstanding performance from this unit. Dawson was Mr. Reliable on a windy night and the tackling on kickoffs was terrific.
Grade: A-
Coaching - Still too many penalties. Where was the Get Back Coach when Anderson was "tripping" the ref? Gonna be some running going on in practice this week.
Grade: B-
Intangibles - Is it just me, or does Kosar sound a lot more coherent than in past preseasons? He has actually provided valuable and interesting commentary for the entire game.
Grade: B
The Titans are definitely not the Lions. The Browns continue to get better each week. Braylon continues to hold on to the ball. Brady continues to play well when given an opportunity. Mangini continues to be tight-lipped about his plans.
The preseason is to be continued and concluded on Thursday night in Chicago. Until then, go Browns!
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