Grading the Preseason: Titans

Two wins in a row? From the Browns? If only these games counted. On the bright side, the Browns did continue to show improvement and ... the Titans are definitely not the Lions.

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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Grading the Preseason: Packers

The Browns played pretty bad on Saturday night, there's no doubt about that. But hey, it's the preseason. The games don't count, right? Of course not. But that doesn't mean the team doesn't deserve to be graded by the fans.

Offense

Offensive Line - The O-line didn't play great, but they weren't horrible either. There were a few holes on pass protection, but for the most part the QBs were protected. Run-blocking, though, was a different story.

Grade: C-

Tight Ends - Aaron Walker led the team in receiving, with three catches for 48 yards. Decent numbers for a tight end, terrible numbers for a team's leading receiver.

Grade: C

Wide Receivers - Braylon had, let me see here ... oh yes, ZERO catches and one HUGE DROPPED PASS ... in the end zone. Way to bounce back from last season.

Grade: C

Running Backs - The Browns gained 59 whole yards on the ground, and 29 of those didn't even come from a running back. Nope, that 29 yards came from utility man Josh Cribbs on just one carry. Jamal Lewis had 17 yards on seven carries. Running game needs A LOT of improvement.

Grade: D

Quarterbacks - In the quarterback derby, Brady Quinn got the start and rotated series with Derek Anderson. Neither was outstanding, but the edge goes to Quinn as Anderson was pretty much a non-factor. Quinn was at least able to sustain two drives into the red zone, although both resulted in no points (thanks Braylon). He was 7-of-11, while Anderson was 0-2. Both QBs threw one INT each. Ratliff, who played the rest of the game in relief, went 7-of-13 for 84 yards and threw 2 INTs.

Grade: C-

Summary - Not a great showing, not great at all. I think they'll show improvement next week and, as soon as the starting QB is settled (ahem ... Quinn), they'll be able to adjust to his leadership and work together as a cohesive, dynamic unit (I can only hope).

Overall Grade: C-

Defense

Defensive Line - Showed decent penetration on the first handful of plays, but then it broke down. The Packers were able to rack up 230 yards of rushing. Lots of improvement is needed.

Grade: C-

Linebackers - D'Qwell Jackson led the team with seven tackles (sounds similar to last season) and Wimbley looked to be always chasing down runners who got through the Swiss cheese D-line. Overall though, this unit still needs to work harder.

Grade: C

Safeties & Corners - It could have been worse. Much worse, as we know from watching games last season. Donald Driver's 53-yard touchdown catch reminded Browns fans everywhere of some horrible secondary breakdowns from last season.

Grade: D

Summary - Hey, at least the defense didn't cause us to lose by blowing a big lead, as we'd seen them do repeatedly last year. Still, though, they need to figure out how to stop the run AND the deep ball. I'm not asking too much, am I?

Overall Grade: C-

Special Teams, Coaches and Intangibles

Special Teams - Dawson made his first field goal attempt, but missed the retry after a penalty negated it. Cribbs was a non-factor in returning, which can be accredited to the new wedge rules that Kosar and Donovan kept talking about.

Grade: C

Coaches - Hard to put a grade here just yet. No big communications breakdowns to speak of, and it being the first preseason game and all, it's simply too hard to evaluate Mangini and hist staff just yet.

Grade: Incomplete

Intangibles - The uniforms were horrible, putrid and inexcusable. There is no reason, whatsoever, why the Browns should ever wear those brown pants. Terrible

Grade: F

Yes, the Browns lost again, failed to score any points and at times looked about 10 steps behind the Packers. But, save for those retched pants, I didn't give out any Fs. After all, it's the first preseason game (I have to keep telling myself that, or I'll be a wreck by the time the season starts).

Go Browns!

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No Crying for Cribbs

Josh Cribbs did not show up to yesterday's voluntary minicamp in Berea — because he feels he deserves more money — Wahh!

I thought Cribbs was supposed to be a leader on this team. I thought Cribbs was supposed to be a team-player. I thought Cribbs was someone who was above all the pettiness and greed you see from many professional athletes.

I guess I was wrong.

Here's a little history: After his rookie season, Phil Savage offered Cribbs a six-year, $12 million contract with $2 million guaranteed. So elated was he to be making more money than he'd ever had in his life, Cribbs signed the deal and spoke in gushing terms about paying the Browns back for the loyalty they showed.

Now, three years later, he's gotten greedy. He saw fellow special teams star Devon Hester of the Bears ink a five-year $40 million contract with $15 million guaranteed and he became jealous.

According to Cribbs' agent, if the Browns don't show they're willing to tear up Cribbs' current contract, which runs through 2012, the Browns' special teams star might take the bold step of demanding to be traded.

Umm, excuse me, Josh Cribbs. Where do you get off?

The Browns were terrible last season. The Browns are projected to be terrible again this season (Peter King ranks them No. 32). With so many areas that need to be addressed on this team, why should the Browns give more money to a special teams player who is STILL UNDER CONTRACT?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not at all undervaluing the importance of special teams in the NFL.

In real life, you get paid to do a job, and you're expected to do it well. if you don't, you get fired. If you keep doing a good job, you may get a promotion.

Maybe if Cribbs could read defenses he could have stepped up to play wide receiver more often instead of just as a utility receiver, thus earning a chance to play a bigger role on the team and warrant more money — call it a promotion.

What I'm saying is, Cribbs played well last year and that's what he's paid to do. I'm willing to bet if Cribbs played horribly last season he wouldn't feel guilty about collecting his paycheck and offer to give some of it back.

You signed a contract. Now, get to the minicamp and be a team player. Be a leader. Practice with your team. Try thinking of your team instead of your wallet. Rise above the pettiness and greed and make an effort to help this team be better than No. 32.

No Law in Cleveland

For those fans who had been calling for the Browns to get some veteran help at corner by signing Ty Law, you can forget about it.

Yesterday, the Jets inked him to a one-year deal.

Yet again, the Browns let an available free agent slip away. I'm not saying Law would have fixed all our problems on defense, but he would have helped for sure.

Our secondary is young, inexperienced and have blown two big leads in a row. The need someone like Law to fire them up and show them how it's done.

Perhaps Savage has some corner at a D-III school he's scouting for the draft that's taken his time away from trying to fix the Browns right now.

Brady Succeeds, Browns Fail

Brady Quinn played as well as anyone could have expected in his first start last night. Unfortunately, the defense played as bad as anyone could have expected and the Browns blew another fourth quarter lead and lost to the Broncos, 34-30.

Now, I know there's some DA fans out there who are going to say that this is the same thing that happened on Sunday when DA shouldered much of the blame when the Browns blew a fourth quarter lead and lost to the Ravens.

WRONG! This is NOT the same situation. Defensively, it is — the Browns have serious problems on defense. Offensively, it is not the same at all. While DA and the offense collapsed along with the defense against the Ravens, Brady and the offense kept the Browns in this game until the end.

Bottom line is, when your offense scores 30 points, you should win the game (for the record, DA's offense did not score 27 points and lose, it scored 20 points and lost ... Cribbs' kick return accounted for the other 7 points).

Brady Quinn played well. He was efficient. He was commanding. He was decisive. He sustained drives. He made plays. The Browns lost despite his playing well. The Browns lost because a stupid penalty, a fumble and because their defense is terrible.

That's not to say DA didn't suffer from the same ineptitude from the rest of the team when he was the starter. Brady, however, was still able to lead the offense to a fourth quarter comeback drive to regain the lead. He just didn't get the help to do it twice.

The big difference between the two, though, is in the numbers:

DA vs. Ravens
17-of-33, 219 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
51.5 completion percentage
80.24 QB rating

Brady vs. Broncos
23-of-35, 239 yards, 2TDs, 0 INT
65.7 completion percentage
104.3 QB rating

Still, in the end the Browns lost. They lost at home, with a fourth quarter lead. I still believe — and last night it was reinforced — Brady Quinn gives the Browns the best chance to win games. Unfortunately, the defense gives them the best chance to lose.

Hits Keep Coming

Another week, another devastating injury for the Browns. This is becoming a trend I don't much care for.

The latest injury is safety Sean Jones, who will have arthroscopic knee surgery today that will keep him out of commission for the next few games.

With an already depleted and inexperience secondary, how will this latest blow affect the Browns?

It's Browns-Steelers Week, for crying out loud. How am I supposed to get excited for the game if the injuries for the Browns keep piling up like this? It's demoralizing, for sure, to fans who are already unhappy with the way the defense played against Dallas.

We can only hope Romeo's plan to mix up the pass rush works Sunday night. Roethlisberger cannot be allowed to have all the time in the world to throw the ball, such as Romo did last week.

Week 1 Grades

Obviously, the Browns didn't do very well yesterday. To say they were disappointing is a bit of an understatement. Browns fans everywhere were expecting more from them this season.

Now that I've had some time to really reflect on yesterday's disaster, I'm ready to get out the old grade book and put down just how I thought the Browns performed yesterday.

Here are my grades for Week 1:

Offense

• Offensive Line - Hard to believe this is the same line from last season. Just like the preseason, Anderson seemed to always have pressure coming at him. These guys had better improve in a hurry with the dominate Steelers defense coming town. Grade: C-
• Tight Ends - Winslow caught the lone Browns touchdown of the game, finishing with 47 yards on 4 receptions. Heiden also had one catch for 9 yards. Grade: B-
• Wide Receivers - With Stallworth, Jurevicius and Cribbs riding the injury bench, the door was wide open for Braylon to take control. Instead, he had two catches for 14 yards as well as some HUGE drops. Grade: D
• Running Backs - Jamal played decent, considering the line wasn't blocking very well and he was a game-time decision thanks to an injury suffered in preseason. If he can get 62 yards under those circumstances, I'm confident he'll only get better as the season goes on. Grade: B+
• Quarterbacks - It's no secret I'm a Brady Quinn fan. But, I root for the Browns first and was hoping D.A. would prove me wrong. He hasn't yet. He did suffer some from dropped passes that were right on the money, but he was also way off the mark on others. His numbers, 11-of-24 for 114 yards and a TD just doesn't cut the mustard. Grade: D
• Summary - They had one good, 16-play drive that resulted in a TD. Other than that, they did nothing. They looked nothing like the "high-powered" offense from last season; instead they looked a lot like the lackluster offense that finished the season last December. Overall Grade: C-

Defense

• Defensive Line - We paid some big money during the offseason to improve this area of the defense. Yesterday, it didn't show. I'm not ready to give up on them yet, but like the O-Line, they'd better improve in a hurry. Grade: D
• Linebackers - D'Qwell Jackson led the team with 11 tackles, and McGinest did have a big hit on Romo (too little, too late if you ask me), but overall the LBs just weren't the playmakers we need them to be. Grade: D+
• Safeties & Corners - With the exception of Eric Wright's interception in the end zone, I couldn't even tell if there were any safeties or corners playing yesterday. Romo had a field day, throwing for 320 yards. What do you think Roesthlisberger is going to do to them? Grade: D
• Summary - What can I say. When all positions are averaging a D, what other grade can you give the defense as a whole? They gave up 28 points, and they're lucky it wasn't more. Overall Grade: D

Special Teams and Coaches

• Special Teams - Phil Dawson made an easy-for-him field goal in the fourth quarter ... too bad he was booed by the touchdown-hungry fans for being out on the field. As for the kickoff returns, well Steptoe is no Josh Cribbs. Grade: C
• Coaches - Chud's play-calling was boring, Tucker's defense was like Swiss cheese and Romeo did nothing in terms of making adjustments. These three had better come together this week and decide on a different game plan for Pittsburgh, and the rest of the season. Grade: D

We can't linger on the loss for too long. I've said it before, tomorrow we need to start focusing on Pittsburgh.

What do you think? Am I being to hard on the Browns? After all, Dallas is a good team. Am I not being hard enough on the Browns? After all, this is our season, right?

Battle for Lake Erie

Now is the time when the preseason games are really heating up. The third meaningless game is the one in which the starters get the most playing time. Of course, for the Browns, many starters will be sitting out due to injuries sustained in the New York debacle.

This does, however, open the door for Brady Quinn to get his first start. Finally, he'll get to see some action with the first team offense. I've said it before, I'm not happy D.A. is hurt, but I am happy Brady is getting a shot with the first team — that's what the preseason is all about.

Yes, this game against the Lions should be a good one to watch.

Three things I'm looking forward to in tomorrow night's "game":

1. Brady Quinn — Of course. Those who know me expect me to say this, and those who don't know me probably expect me to say this just from reading other Blawg posts. I'm not trying to hide the fact that I'm a Brady Quinn fan.
2. The D-Line — Tomorrow night will be the first time the whole "new" defensive line will be playing all together. Plus, with Rogers visiting his former team, I hope it's extra incentive for the unit to play tough.
3. Bounce Back — How will the Browns respond after Monday's humiliating loss on national television? If they're going to be contenders this year, they've got to be able to shake off losses.

Three things I'm not looking forward to in tomorrow night's "game";

... um, OK, so there's nothing that I'm not looking forward to about tomorrow night's "game." It's football season. It's the Browns. What more could you ask for?

Giant Disappointment

Well, it's difficult to take away anything good from preseason game No. 2 against the Giants.

The Browns lost more than the game - they lost Anderson, Cribbs Pool, and Leon Williams to injury, and perhaps they also lost the respect of all the national prognosticators who've been picking Cleveland as the team to beat in the AFC North.

But maybe, just maybe, this is exactly the wake-up call the Browns needed. After all, these are the Browns we're talking about ... they're not exactly used to the national spotlight. Perhaps it was going to their heads and this humbling loss to the Super Bowl champs will help them refocus.

Three things I didn't like about the "game":

1. The Defense - It looked terrible. We couldn't stop the run. We couldn't stop the big play. Eli picked us apart and exposed some big holes.
2. The O-Line - Did they forget how to block? Anderson didn't have a whole lot of time in the pocket. His throws were way off and suffered a concussion from a big hit in the second quarter. Where's his protection from last year?
3. The Brown Pants - I know I've been harping on this a lot, but I really don't like the brown pants. Unnecessary ... there is absolutely no reason for the Browns to make ANY modifications to their uniforms. I HATE the brown pants, and I hope we never see them again.

Three things I liked about the "game":

1. Syndric Steptoe - He had three receptions for 80 yards and two TDs (one receiving, one running). He's making a case for a spot on this squad.
2. Jerome Harrison - His 23-yard run in the third quarter was the kind of explosive, hard running we need to back up Lewis.
3. Brady Quinn - Again, a solid performance from Brady with the second string. He threw some deeper passes than last week, and directed the Browns to an almost comeback.

According to Crennel, Anderson's condition, as well as Cribbs', will be updated today. If Anderson's concussion keeps him out Saturday against the Lions, it'll be interesting to see how Brady does with the first string.

Not Looking Good

The first quarter of the Browns-Giants preseason game is in the books, and the Browns aren't looking too good against the defending champs. And I'm not talking about the uniforms (although, they're pretty ugly too).

The Giants are exposing our defense as having the same problems as last season. We cannot stop the run or the deep pass. Sure, Eli Manning is the reigning Super Bowl MVP, but we're going to face a lot of smart quarterbacks just like him this season (including him again in Week 6).

Not only is it difficult to watch our defense struggle, but the bright spot of last year's team - the offense - looks pretty bad too. The line is getting beat, and Anderson's passes are just way, way off (and he doesn't have Braylon Edwards to make him look good with a spectacular grab this week).

And the penalties! My, oh my, the penalties! What is wrong with the Browns tonight? I am extremely dismayed from what I've seen so far - all on national television. The Browns certainly have some work to do this week, that's for sure.

You've got work to do too! Go to the Cleveland Browns Web site and tell them how horrible the brown pants look, and that you never want to see them again.

Taking on the Champs

Preseason game No. 2 is tonight, and I couldn't be more exited than I am right now. I know, it's just a meaningless preseason game, but it's still a game — a game against the defending Super Bowl champs!

That aside, there are other factors in play tonight. First, this is the second preseason game. This is the game where the first teams really get some good work. Also, we're on the road, in prime time and on ESPN. This is big-time atmosphere for a preseason game.

One of two things will happen tonight: 1) We'll get a good preview of Week 6 when the Giants come to Cleveland for a Monday Night game, or 2) We won't see much because neither team will want to show their hand. Regardless, and I can't say this enough, it's a Browns game! (Can you tell I'm excited for football season?)

Three things I'm looking forward to in tonight's "game":

1. The Defense - Yes, I know this was something I was eager to see against the Jets. Let's be honest, though, this was a big weakness last season and they've spent some money trying to improve it in the offseason. I can't get enough good looks at this unit.
2. The Starters - They should play more than a series this week (if not more than a quarter), and they're playing against the defending world champs. This is going to be a great preseason test for them.
3. Brady Quinn - Seeing as how Crennel is content to go with Anderson, this is my only real chance to see Brady get some action (for now). He looked good last week against the Jets and I expect him to continue to play well, even if it is with the second-teamers.

Three things I'm not looking forward to in tonight's "game":

1. National Attention - Don't get me wrong, I like that the Browns are starting to get national media attention. But, come on, this is a preseason game. Nationally televising it means they'll be talking less about football and more about random stuff.
2. Braylon Edwards - How can I not be looking forward to seeing Braylon, you might ask? Simple, he's not playing tonight. Or, probably, next week. At least Travis Wilson will get a chance to play with the first unit though.
3. Uniforms - Brown pants! The Browns are going to wear brown pants for the first time ever. Why?!?! Why change the best uniforms is sports? And, why do it on a nationally-televised preseason game where the national media will talking about that instead of the football game? Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Look for Big Improvement from D

I'm expecting big things from the defense this year. They looked sharp in the preseason opener against the Jets, and I think Wimbley is going to have a monster season. How could he not with the addition of Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams on the line?

Now, I must admit that I was a big fan of former defensive coordinator Todd Grantham. At first, I was sad to see him let go and wondered why they'd fire such an enthusiastic, rising star like him.

Sure, there are the rumors he started to undermine Romeo. But let's be honest, the numbers don't lie. The number of points allowed by the Browns defense increased in each of the past three years (301 in '05, 356 in '06 and 382 in '07).

You can't expect to make the playoffs that way. Enter Mel Tucker, who may have his work cut out for him this year at the helm of the defense.

Obviously, we have to be able to stop the run — especially in the AFC North. I don't care what people say, the AFC North is a tough, physical division and it all starts with running the football. Just as an offense cannot be successful without running the ball, the defense cannot be successful without stopping the run.

In the Jets game (and, yes, I know it was only a preseason game), our new defensive line looked pretty good. The Jets spent some money during the offseason to improve that line, which included stealing Alan Faneca away from Pittsburgh to make him the highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL.

It'll take time for the Jets new O-line to mesh, but they're still full of talent and our new D-line did a decent job. I can't wait to see how we size up against the reigning Super Bowl champs in our next meaningless game.