Can't promise this live blogging will go all night, because come the second half I'll have to write for the paper. But we'll start.
First quarter: Browns take the first lead
Beautiful night for football here in downtown Cleveland. … Just beautiful. … How many people will show up on an arctic night on the lake to see a 1-11 team? … As the teams take the field, there are more Steelers fans waving Terrible Towels than there are Browns fans. … Evan Moore just made an amazing one-handed snag on a third-and-long. … Moore kind of looks like Tony Scheffler of Denver. … Hank Poteat sacks Ben Roethlisberger on a blitz, and Josh Cribbs brings a punt back to the seven. The Browns have started well as Phil Dawson makes a 29-yard field goal. The Browns have a lead. … Pittsburgh is forcing the issue with the pass. … Fourth-and-inches from the Steelers 33 and they go for it. … Lot of Terrible Towels being waved. They get it but punt, and Browns are three quarters from ending the streak. … Cleveland 3, Pittsburgh 0.
Second quarter: Browns score a rushing touchdown!
Pittsburgh to punt again after not converting on third down for the fifth time. … Third-down pass to Mohamed Massaquoi sets up another Phil Dawson field goal. … The Steelers forgot they are playing the Browns. They are playing like the Browns. Pittsburgh has one first down this quarter to this point and the Browns have sacked Roethlisberger five times. … A 37-yard run by Cribbs on third down moves the ball to the Pittsburgh 30. …Chris Jennings just scored a touchdown, the Browns first rushing touchdown since Nov. 17, 2008. … The Browns are carrying the play, playing like the Steelers. … The Steelers are playing like they're back in PA. … But they do put together a last-minute drive for a field goal. … Cleveland 13, Pittsburgh 3.
I'm taking time off to write for the paper during the second half.
Defense looks great!
Perhaps the only thing worse than seeing what Mangini has done to the Browns this year is having to listen to the "genius?" Matt Millen. To hear him the Browns have just brought in two Hall of Fame players in Moore and Roth. It was bad enough the way he screwed up the Detroit franchise, now we are subjected to having to listen to his pathetic analysis on the tv broadcasts.
By the way Pat thanks for your answer concerning Jamal Lewis.
Clarification, I'm not against Moore or Roth, just don't want Millen making them out to be more than they are.
The question remains which team will show up in the second half? The this team that has punched the Steelers in the mouth or the one that has been playing all season long.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
err..GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
You had better write for the paper because the Browns are close to getting a HUGE win.
BIG BEN DOWN FOR THE SIXTH TIME. I love it!
Why is Dabol calling a conservative 2nd half? We need more points !
mangini showed what a garbage coach he is when he accepted that penalty against pittsburgh late in the 3rd quarter. pittsburgh was going to go for it on 4th and 8. instead idiot mangini decides to give them a free down. lucky for doughboy mendenhall dropped that pass.
this team could have pro bowls at every position but eric mangini can't coach his way out of a wet sack.
nice win though. the defense looked really good. i'll credit rob ryan for that one.
F-U Steelers.
F-U.
that is all
My dear friend Pat
See Pat you don't have to worry about telling any fibs in Friday's paper. Thank you for the acknowledgement the other day , it was really what I was looking for. I really enjoy following your articles , ect.. Quinn was a little off tonight , missed some big plays. But he seemed to get the offense into proper plays with audibles. Did we see any dropped passes ? Daboll and Ryan did nice jobs on a short week. Moore was all so close to a big game , Jennings stepped up and scored , didn't here Roth's name till the 2nd half mmm does Williams play next to him ?
Browns 13 Steelers 6!
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!
I actually had a good feeling coming into this game, but didn't want to make any optimistic comments lest I jinx the Browns. I guess hell has frozen over.
Great game tonight! We played great on defense and the offense just did enough to win. Quinn had a rough night throwing, but the cold and wind I'm sure had something to do with it. Wow, 8 sacks. Close to 200 yards rushing. After watching this team the past 4 games or so and this game tonight, I don't see how anyone could honestly say they don't see improvement. I'm sure all of the excuses will come out on why we won – the weather, Pittsburgh played bad – we didn't play good, Hines Ward's hamstring, no Polumalo, etc… (of course same said fans will forget that half of our defensive starters are on IR), but we just played a tough, physical game against the defending Superbowl champs and beat them when they HAD to win this game. I kept thinking to myself after Pitts pulled to within 13-6 that "this Pitts team knows how to play when the pressure's on, and our young guys don't know how to win yet, how are we going to hold this lead?". We held it though. Hopefully, this game will give us some confidence heading into the last 3 games and we can get another win or 2.
Terje, like you, I was puzzled with Mangini's acceptance of the penalty when it would have been 4th and 8 and I didn't approve of the decision. The only thing I can think of is that the penalty took the Steelers out of FG range (would have been a tough 51 yarder with the conditions) and our defense was playing very well, so he had some confidence we could stop them back further. We got lucky when they dropped the 3rd and 18 pass, but I still think they would have had a 4th and 5 or so if the guy caught it, so it would have been the same situation.
Watching on TV, I was afraid of the conservative game calling as it went along (Quinn may have sucked anyway, but he didn't get into any kind of a throwing rhythm when I was afraid the Browns might have to pass at the end). Nice use of Cribbs, though! I thought the Millen commentary on Jennings ALWAYS bouncing it outside was one of those next-game-the-defense-will-be-sitting-out-there-for-him.
The defense has been terrible this year, but that there are more sacks is big — especially against Roethlisberger.
Just … Hurray!
Oh yeah, and Pat – you can have Dick Lebeau – I'll take Rob Ryan instead, at least for one night!
tim, on the mangini call: yeah, they probably would have only gained a couple more yards than the position before the penalty. it still wasn't smart to go for it. the guy thinks he's some wackier version of bill belichick. dumb, dumb, dumb.
although the steelers are embarrassing themselves in the last set of games it is really the first respectable game they've played all year. any game where you get to beat the crap out of the opposing qb and win is a good game.
and…..it was against pittsburgh. hahahahahahahaha deep down inside that always feels great.
Pat, just to clarify…it was not the Brown's first rushing TD since last year. It was the first rushing TD by a RB.
I'll forgive yoUr error since you were probably sufffering from either shock or brain FREEZE.
You know, it feels pretty good to wake up and still have that good feeling, doesn't it? We had all forgotten that feeling.