The Browns lost 10-6 to Indianapolis, making this a season when they have lost when they scored 27 and 30 points and lost when they scored six and six points.
The Browns held the Colts vaunted offense without an offensive touchdown for the first time in more than five years, and lost.
At times it was hard to believe. You'd look at the field and see Joseph Addai and Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne and Anthony Gonzalez and Dallas Clark and … who knows what the Colts and Peyton Manning were doing? The Browns defense played well enough to win, but the team played well enough to lose.
For those counting, that's now 135 minutes for the Browns without a touchdown. The last one was that long run by Jerome Harrison in Buffalo. The last touchdown drive took place early in the second quarter in Buffalo.
Switching quarterbacks sure made a difference, eh?
By the way … Kevin Shaffer … rough season. Very rough season.
Now the Browns head to Tennessee with Ken Dorsey under center. Does anyone think the Browns can compete to win in that game? An offense with its third quarterback coming off two six-point games in a row against perhaps the league's best defense? It's reminiscent of the days in 1999 and 2000 when the Browns could not field a legitimate team.
Me, I'd go back to the 2000 season when Dennis Northcutt was under center quite a bit and try Josh Cribbs at quarterback. He's played the position. He can run some different plays than he's been running. Really, all he's been doing is coming in the game, taking a snap and running. The guy can throw. I'd get Cribbs 25 plays (pass and run) and have him ready to play. Be creative. Think, as they say so annoyingly, outside the box. Why not? Really … why not?
I'm running out of things to say about the Browns, so I'm going to let the Browns speak.
Here are some quotes:
CB Brandon McDonald (who had a pretty good game): "I am just trying to do my job. I am not trying to do too much. I am just trying to be in the right spot to make the plays. If you just do that, the plays will come to you."
QB Derek Anderson: "A lot of the things we were able to do were underneath. I knew if I controlled the ball and got it to the backs we would have a chance to win the game. It was unfortunate for the fumble, because I thought I managed the game pretty well."
QB Ken Dorsey: "I want to play. I don't think there is one person in this locker room who wants to stand on the sideline."
KR Josh Cribbs on playing QB next week: "Dorsey will play and he will do well. If anything happens to him, I'll be ready. It will be an emergency only. I'm just a player, a blue-collar guy on the team. I'm going to do what they tell me to do and go hard at it."
Coach Romeo Crennel: "The team played their hearts out today."
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Me, I'd go back to the 2000 season when Dennis Northcutt was under center quite a bit.
Pat, I think it was WR Kevin Johnson as QB at times, not Northcutt?
"Switching quarterbacks sure made a difference, eh?"
never going to give up fighting for your man, are you?
there was one HUGE difference between the two quarterbacks. brady quinn brought a professional attitude to the huddle. not once did i see winslow and edwards bully quinn on the field. i didn't see any fullbacks pushing quinn after a timeout. anderson is a major reason for the unprofessional conduct on the browns. while anderson has never acted like a jackass in public he failed to assert himself as the leader on the field and let the braindead jokers run the show.
i was surprised to see chud call the dink and dunk offense for anderson. i thought that was quinn's forte. ok, i'm not surprised. chud needs to be shown the door also. he'll be a good coordinator someday. but not in cleveland.