If Cleveland wins Sunday at Cincinnati, it clinches a playoff berth for the first time since 2002. Here's what some of the Browns starters had to say this week.

QUARTERBACK DEREK ANDERSON

(on the weather) "Hopefully we'll have a little bit of a normal surface underneath us."

(another shootout?) "Who knows what will exactly happen. I think our defense is playing a little bit better than we were in that second week. And their defense has changed since the beginning of the season as well."

"We talked about trying to pretend like that didn't happen and we hadn't seen them before and go in like it was a team we hadn't played."

(have you progressed since first meeting) "It's been all right. I've had some ups and downs. But overall I'm happy with where we are right now. We're in a good position to finish the season strong."

(you more confident than in second game) "We've been through a lot more experiences. The more you're in there, the more confident you become. We've grown a lot since that first or second week."

(pro bowl selections) "I'm happy for the guys who are going. It's a good deal. It says a lot about what we've done as a whole."

(are the Bengals a dangerous spoiler) "We're going to prepare like it's every single week. Nobody's taking it any lighter. Every game is important right now and that's how we've been attacking for I don't know how many weeks."

(did your performance in week 2 settle you down) "No. Then you've got to keep repeating it and keep moving the ball and winning games. I've done that for the most part."

(how big was that first win) "It was huge. We knew what we could do. We went out there and were successful on offense and did some good things. Really picked up when we needed to and scored, kind of got guys' confidence in things we had been doing and got us rolling a little bit."

(will you buy gifts for your offensive linemen) "I have a few ideas."

(any you can share) "Nope. But I've decided."

RUNNING BACK JAMAL LEWIS¶

(disappointed not a Pro Bowl alternate) "It doesn't matter, really. It's individual efforts and I kinda knew I wasn't going to be in there, anyway. The guys who went earned it, they had the numbers to put up for it. Congratulations to them."

(what's at stake Sunday) "They're in our division and it's going to be a fight pretty much every time we play them. We have to control the things we can control and execute the plays we put in this week in practice and roll on. Every game is important and this is the next one and we want to come out with a win.

"It's just another team that we have to face that's on the road the way we're trying to go that's in our way. That's how we have to take this game, this team is in our way and we have to go out there and play one of our better games."

(are you still putting in plays now) "We still have things we adjust."

(can the Bengals make it hard for you to run) "This past week it was hard for us to pass and we still made the plays we needed to make. We put in plays if it's raining, if it's wet, we can throw the short passes. There are things you can do, eight- or nine-man fronts that we know we're going to have to face."

TIGHT END KELLEN WINSLOW

(on Bengals) "They have a potent offense, hopefully it's not a shootout and hopefully we
just come out with a win."

(nice to know one win and you're in) "We don't know about all that. All we know is we have to win out and we're in so we don't count on other people losing. We just take care of our business and we'll be in there."

Perhaps the most amazing part of Cleveland's 8-5 season is that the Browns have a legitimate shot at a wild-card playoff berth despite fielding the league's worst defense.

Coach Romeo Crennel didn't sugarcoat that fact when asked by an out-of-town media member last week what concerned him about the defense.

"The thing that concerns me is that we're not good," Crennel said. "We're not good enough. We're going to work and try to get better — to get guys to play technique longer and get them in position better, to fit better. If we can do some of those things, we'll be better."

Pressed on why the defense is not good, Crennel added, "All you have to do is look at the stats. When you look at the stats, we can't stop the run and we don't rush the passer efficiently enough. Those are some of the things."

He didn't seem to care how that message goes over in the locker room.

"I don't ask them. They know how I feel about them," he said. "They know we need to be more consistent. The stats are what they are. It doesn't do you any good to sugarcoat them. We need to be more consistent on defense. At times, our defense has played well and we've made some stops when we had to that helped the team win some games. But consistently, we haven't been able to do it enough.

"The kids on defense, they've worked very hard and are very conscientious. They want to be good. We just aren't consistent enough."

In a 24-18 victory over the New York Jets Sunday, Cleveland surrendered 387 yards, 175 in the fourth quarter. The Browns have allowed a 100-yard rusher in 10 of their 13 games, most recently the Jets' Thomas Jones, who totalled 106 yards on 24 carries. Crennel attributed some of those 175 yards to the Jets running against the sub defense.

But looking at the bigger picture, he can't pinpoint one problem.

"It’s always a number of things - injuries are one," Crennel said. "Sometimes it's gap control, sometimes it's run fits, sometimes it's pursuit angles, you just keep harping on those things. When you have different defenses, guys end up playing multiple positions. You now have a defensive back playing a linebacker position and he has to learn all the linebacker run fits. All of that goes together and it's some of the reason for the inconsistencies."

Whatever the reasons, Cleveland will certainly spend most of its time and money in free agency and the draft upgrading the defense, even if it fails to acquire the No. 1 pick it gave up for quarterback Brady Quinn.

Browns cornerback Brandon McDonald continued to shine Sunday as fellow rookie Eric Wright was sidelined for the third consecutive week with a sprained right knee. McDonald came up with his second interception in the past three games in a 24-18 victory over the New York Jets.

Cleveland led 17-6, but the Jets had driven to their own 48 and faced second down when McDonald nabbed quarterback Kellen Clemens' pass intended for receiver Wallace Wright. McDonald ran out of bounds at the Cleveland 31 with 10:07 to go.

"I was in man coverage against a pretty good receiver," McDonald said. I had pretty good leverage on the guy and I heard the ball call from a couple of my teammates on the sideline. I looked up and there it was."

McDonald finished with four tackles (three solos), two passes defensed and a special teams tackle.

Browns coach Romeo Crennel said even if Wright had returned this week, McDonald had earned playing time in nickel situations. That's good news for McDonald, a fifth-round pick from Memphis who played only on special teams until game 8 against Seattle.

"I'm always looking forward to getting better responsibilities," McDonald said. "If they call my name to do something, I'm going to try to do my best."

McDonald may have been the 140th man drafted, but his teammates are noticing his contributions.

"Brandon McDonald continued to make big plays," receiver Braylon Edwards said.

Browns coach Romeo Crennel never tries to downplay his responsibilities in how his team fares. But more than once after Sunday's 27-21 loss at Arizona, Crennel called himself out.

"We didn't play very well at all," he said. "We turned the ball over, we muffed punts, we had penalties. We did not do a good enough job coaching and we did not do a good enough job playing."

Cleveland lost four turnovers that Arizona turned into 21 points and was penalized 10 times for 77 yards. Cornerback Leigh Bodden was whistled for delay of game for kicking the ball after a third-down incompletion that kept Arizona's second touchdown drive alive. Defensive lineman Simon Fraser was cited for a head butt on Joshua Cribbs' kickoff return on Cleveland's final possession that left the Browns starting from their 18.

Asked if his team lost its composure, Crennel said, "We didn't do a good enough job coaching or playing and that's the only explanation I can give you."

Crennel may have another point to emphasize because penalties have been a relatively overlooked thorn in the Browns' side all season. They committed seven for 71 yards in the previous victory over Houston and 12 for 104 yards the week before at Baltimore. They've also had more than six against Oakland (9-64), New England (7-40), St. Louis (14-102) and Pittsburgh (7-40 on Nov. 11).

Cleveland ranked third in the league in penalties last week with 85, trailing only Arizona (97) and Green Bay (86).

"People try so hard to make the play, you want to play good ball. There's a fine line between a call and no call," Browns linebacker Chaun Thompson said.

"I didn't see all the penalties, so I'm not going to try to rate that guys lost their composure or whatever happened," Browns linebacker Willie McGinest said. "Any time you get penalties it's not good."

Leftovers from the Browns' 27-17 victory over Houston:

TE KELLEN WINSLOW

(on getting beat up) That's what you get paid to do, that's my job, to make plays when it comes my way.

(Browns defense) They played huge. They got pressure all game. McDonald stepped up big-time for Eric Wright. It was a total team effort. It feels good when it's a total team effort.

(on his physical condition) I do stuff I have to do before the games. I don't know about 100 percent. But once the off-season comes we'll talk about what I need to do to get as healthy as I can.

(on a 10-catch day) When the ball's in the air, you don't hear anything, all I see is the ball. I don't remember any of my catches, I remember my drops. That's the perfection side of it.

When the ball is in the air, it's my ball. I don't worry about getting hit, I don't worry about anything else except my ball.

(his and Braylon Edwards' chemistry with Derek Anderson) After practice we work with DA a lot, talking things out. We still have a long way to go. All of us are getting better. The line is doing a hellvua job, they're the MVPs of this team. If you give the quarterback time to throw, we can make plays.

LB KAMERION WIMBLEY

(on the defense) Last week Brodney Pool took one back, this week a new guy Brandon McDonald made a big play when it's needed. We're having confidence in each other and we're doing our responsibilities.

LB ANDRA DAVIS

At 7-4, I'm like a kid in a candy store. But we've still got a long ways to go.

(key plays when needed) We're having a lot of success because we make plays when we need them the most.

(This show the defense making strides) I think so. We know we've got a long ways to go.

COACH ROMEO CRENNEL

(On FB Lawrence Vickers) We needed for him to block well. If Jamal gets those kind of yards that says he's doing a pretty good job. It looks like he threw it in there pretty good. It looks like he was trying to be aggressive and go after them.

(Third down stops) They are all important. Defensively our third down percentage was pretty good today. That helps you win the game.

(does the team expect to win) I think every time you have some success your confidence level grows. When we were able to win some games at the beginning of the season, that helped the confidence grow. Right now they feel pretty decent about themselves and what they're able to do.

(running the ball) Running the ball takes its toll physically and mentally on a defense.

(Anderson) He played like our team played, got off to a slow start, then he turned it on and started making some plays. There were one or two throws I'm sure he'd like to have back, particularly that interception, he shouldn't have thrown that one. But he's still playing well enough for us to win.

(scratch your head on his interception) All players are going to have some plays they'd like to have back. The thing you want to know if he realized he shouldn't have made the throw. Right away he knew that was one he wanted back, so I think he learned from it.

QB DEREK ANDERSON

The defense played great today, held 'em to 10 pretty much until the end. They're improving every week and guys are understanding what they have to do.

(Winslow TD) Down in the red zone that was kind of a game plan, we knew the way Ryans got depth down there either him or Joe was going to be open. I threw it low and he made a good catch on it.

(interception) I had Braylon, didn't really step into it. I threw it all arm and it got caught up in the wind.

(running game) I had a good feeling coming into it. As physical as Jamal is at the end of the game, those guys don't want to tackle him. Jamal played his butt off today.

(relief to not win in final seconds) It was kinda nice. I still wish we would have converted a few more of those drives into touchdowns instead of field goals and we would have not had to worry about it a little sooner. It was good to get a win and a lot better than a one-point win.

(control playoff destiny) We're going to focus on one game at a time, the way we've been doing it. We can't really worry about what everybody else is doing. As long as we're taking care of business, everything else is going to be all right.

(Winslow) His agility, his speed, he knows how to use his body. You've got to put a 'backer in the game and try to stop the run or put a safety or a nickel on him, then we may run the ball. It gives different matchups for the defense.

He goes and gets it. He always tells me and I trust him. As long as it's one on one I'm going to give him a chance to make plays for us.

(home field advantage) I think just in general, guys are bonding, we pick up for each other. When the defense isn't playing good, we've got to go get something. When we're not moving it, the defense is getting stops. The special teams have been playing great for us all year.

(7-4 record) I wouldn't say it's completely surprised me. We didn't have a great preseason. But in practice through camp we were moving the ball, you kind of feel it out and see what are going to be our key components. You match it all together and get a nice little chemistry.

(team have a swagger) Not in a bad way. But in a good way. You've got to be confident in what you're doing. I try to bring that to our guys in the huddle. 'This is what we're doing and how we're going to do it.' As long as we stay believing in what we're doing, we're going to be fine.

WR JOE JUREVICIUS

There's no reason to talk about the playoffs where we still have five games to go and there's a lot of teams that are kind of bottled up right now.

LT JOE THOMAS

The defense played probably their best game of the year. Our offense started off slow, but toward the end we kind of put it together. I think we can be a pretty good team when we're both firing.

(matchup with Mario Williams) He's a great player and we played him tough all day.

Browns fans who were thrilled the team used the third overall pick on Wisconsin left tackle Joe Thomas should have a better idea of how the rookie is coming along after Sunday's home game against Houston. Thomas will line up against Mario Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2006 draft.

Browns coach Romeo Crennel seemed confident about how Thomas will fare.

"Joe has faced some pretty good guys already this year," Crennel said. "Because this is still his rookie year, every game is a test for him to see how he can hold up and how he can handle the situation. At this point we feel a little better about him being able to handle the situation than maybe at the first game of the year. We have confidence in what he can do and we think he will represent himself well."

Thomas loves going against the league's best, so facing Williams doesn't faze him. Williams comes in tied for the team lead with five sacks, along with 29 tackles, five quarterback pressures, a pass defensed, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

"Every week is a fun week, it's another great challenge," Thomas said. "Being the No. 1 pick from last year, there's a lot of things he does well. He's a big, strong, physical guy, good athlete. He moves around really well."

Thomas said Williams will be on his side for most of the game.

"It looks like on third and long they put him over the right tackle," Thomas said.

Browns right tackle Kevin Shaffer has been limited in practice with a knee injury. So when Williams moves, Cleveland could shift Thomas to the right side, as he's done already this season.

There is much talk surrounding Sunday's Browns-Texans game about the expansion teams' bid for the playoffs. Cleveland (6-4) has been to the post-season just once since the franchise returned in 1999, that after the 2002 season. Houston (5-5), now in its fifth season, has never finished better than 7-9.

But Browns tight end Kellen Winslow would have none of that storyline.

"Us an expansion team?" Winslow said on a conference call with Houston media. "No, we're not an expansion team. I mean, we're the Cleveland Browns. There’s history here.

"I would say the Houston Texans and the Jacksonville Jaguars, those are expansion teams. We go back way back in the day with the Cleveland Browns. So there's a lot of history in this city and people are glad the Browns are back."

Coach Romeo Crennel said the Browns won't shed that label until it achieves continuity. That certainly hasn't been the case in Cleveland, which has had three coaches in its nine years.

"What happens with an expansion franchise is because everybody wants to win right now, you get a program started, it doesn't happen right away, and then you change," Crennel said on a conference call. "You change the front office, or you change the coach, you change players. Now the little bit that you’ve gained in two years, even though it doesn't show up on the won/loss record, you lose all of that when you bring somebody else new in. You're always starting over.

"The case here, it was six years, but was still an expansion team after six years, whereas if some continuity had been maintained year one, two, three, four, and five, then the team could have been a different team."

Crennel said people underestimate how long it takes to establish an organization "because this is a microwave society we live in and everyone wants it done yesterday."

Patience must not be a virtue just of the coach, Crennel said. He needs that understanding from owner Randy Lerner. His late father, Al Lerner, was awarded the franchise on Sept. 8, 1998 for a then-NFL record $530 million.

"Sure, I knew how difficult it was going to be, but whether I had patience or not really didn't make a difference. If the guys that call the shots, Mr. Lerner, does he have the patience?

"I think he's shown that he understands that it takes some time to build and to build the right way. He wanted to build it the right way so we can be in place for a long time and be a good, solid team for a long time. No overnight wonders."

Having games come down to Phil Dawson kicks for three consecutive weeks is taking its toll on Cleveland quarterback Derek Anderson.

"I'm lost right now," Anderson said after the 33-30 overtime victory at Baltimore. "There's way too much to think about. I'm excited for everybody we won it."

But as for the stress involved, Anderson siad, "I wouldn't recommend it. I try to stay calm and know we're going to get a chance. I looked at the clock 28 seconds (in regulation), three timeouts. They're kicking it to Josh, you might get it on the 1-inch line."

Here are some other jumbled thoughts Anderson had afterward.

(immediate reaction) Little crazy, huh? I'm kind of in awe right now. I was talking to Kyle (Boller) and saying, 'That was not very good.'
It's not always going to be perfect. Kellen made a great play to seal it.¶
(the last 3 weeks) It's been a little crazy. From one inch away we miss it and that's two more losses. It seems like every game I've been in is like that. It's a good feeling.¶
(penalties) We've got to correct that. I don't know what Chud's goimg to call on second and 35. It's a loud atmosphere, we have to stay confident and be poised in there.
(Ravens defense) They're a top five defense and I thought they had a good plan trying to take away Kellen and braylon. it was frustrating at times, but we kept fighting.¶
(pass to Braylon in regulation) I had to give it a chance. We had three seconds left. If I take a sack, it's over. I knew the middle of the field was going to be open and we had three timeouts. I missed him the play before. We ran a pump and he was wide open running down the sideline.¶
(last kick evidence) I didn't think about it. I was standing in the huddle and Hank goes, 'How did they get the machine fixed?'

The Browns are still buzzing about Joshua Cribbs' kickoff returns of 100 and 90 yards at Pittsburgh, which led to 14 points in a 31-28 loss.¶

"I'm happy for him. He came a long ways," said Browns defensive back and special teamer Mike Adams. He was speaking more in reference to Cribbs being an undrafted free agent quarterback from Kent State than the distance Cribbs has covered on the field.¶

"Now he's turning into a potential Pro Bowl player," Adams said. "I tip my hat to him. Somebody gives him a crease, he's gone."¶

Cleveland hasn't had a Pro Bowl selection since linebacker Jamir Miller in 2002.¶

With his fourth career kickoff return for a score, Cribbs became Cleveland's all-time leader in that category. But surprisingly Cribbs' 100-yarder merely tied for the fourth-longest kickoff return in Browns' history. Above him are Carl Ward (104 vs. Washington, 1967), Leroy Bolden (102 vs. Chicago, 1958) and Eric Metcalf (101 at Houston, 1990). Cribbs tied Gerald "Ice Cube" McNeil (100 at Pittsburgh, 1986).¶

But Cribbs' 100-yarder may go down as the most unusual after he mufffed a squib kick. It rolled nearly to the goal line before he fielded it.¶

"It was on the inch line," Adams said. "It was one of those, 'Don't, don't, yes, good play."'
¶
Tight end Darnell Dinkins said, "Once I heard the crowd cheering, I thought he fumbled the ball. When I looked back he got past three guys, I had to side-step him. It was an amazing play."¶

Center Hank Fraley didn't mind seeing Cribbs' pluck it nearly off the line.¶

"Even if he does get stopped, most of the time it's still to the 20," Fraley said. "Rarely does he get stopped inside the 20. The 10 guys blocking in front of him do a great job. They've been all on the same page lately."¶

Cribbs said he didn't see daylight until linebacker Chaun Thompson took out kicker Jeff Reed around midfield.¶

"Before that I saw a lot of black jerseys running at me full speed," Cribbs said. "It felt like a
punt return, a lot of guys were on me real quick."¶

Quarterback Derek Anderson wasn't surprised that Cribbs scored his second TD of the season on a kickoff.¶

"When he grabbed it, those things happen sometimes, they get out of their lanes and guys start freelancing," Anderson said. "You see that happen more often than the guy getting stuck on the 1-yard line."¶

But Cribbs did not spike the ball after he scored, and it wasn't because he was too tired. The play survived a Pittsburgh challenge that looked to see if he stepped out of bounds. It gave Cleveland a 28-24 lead with 11:14 remaining.¶

"I didn't want to show too much celebration because of the point of the game," he said. "I didn't want to make it seem like giving me too much credit. I cut that celebration thing out."¶

Cribbs ranks second in the league in kickoffs with a 32.4 average, trailing the New York Jets' Leon Washington (33.5). Cribbs has also helped Cleveland achieve the best average drive start in the league following kickoffs at the 33.9 yard line.¶

"Our defense is excited on one hand, but upset because they've got to go right back out there," Fraley said. "We're pretty excited, we're just going to run down and kick (an extra point) and block for about a second or a second and a half. ¶

"We get real excited when Josh does that even if he doesn't return it (for a score). The field position he gives us, whenever you get the ball at the 50 you're more than likely going to score three or seven. When you're back up at the 20 or farther, the stats aren't there of scoring, most of the time you punt the ball. When you get it at the 50 your opportunity goes way up."¶

But Cribbs brings more than that, Anderson said.¶

"I think Josh brings energy to our offense," he said.¶

Cleveland has tangible reasons for its three-game winning streak and a 5-3 record going into Sunday's game at Pittsburgh. They include the outstanding play of quarterback Derek Anderson, the upgrade of the offensive line with Joe Thomas and Eric Steinbach, the maturity of receiver Braylon Edwards and tight end Kellen Winslow and the running threat Jamal Lewis provides.

But there also may be some intangibles at work.

Cleveland's team seems closer than at any time since it returned in 1999 and the improved chemistry comes up often during interviews. It seems a far cry from when tight end Darnell Sanders didn't even know defensive end Courtney Brown's name, pointing to the opposite side of the locker room and calling him "92."

Asked about the improved chemistry, Edwards said, "Guys are doing their part, playing their roles, getting better in what they do as opposed to worrying so much about what's going on with the back side, the left side, the interior, the backfield. Guys are worrying about themselves. As we're getting better individually, we're getting better collectively as well."

But the players also seem to care more about each other.

"I think guys are playing for each other, they're becoming closer and beginning to understand one another a lot more and they're beginning to disprove some of the things they may have thought about other people," Edwards said. "We're definitely playing for each other and it's showing."