Written by Thomas Moore

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The Cleveland Browns come back home to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in a divisional “rivalry” game.

Dating back to 1994, the Browns are just 2-13 at home against the Steelers; will be facing Pittsburgh’s third-string quarterback, Charlie Batch; and will be handing out inflatable white flags to every fan in attendance, only the greatest game day promotion since the Cleveland Indians passed out deodorant for a Mother’s Day game in the 1960s.

What could possibly go wrong?

Update: Late Saturday afternoon Browns spokesman Neil Gulkis announced that the team would not be going through with the promotion. Gulkis said the giveaway was "intended to be fun for our fans and something that they could rally around, and we regret that some didn't perceive it that way. We want to thank all of our fans for their tremendous support."

The Opposition

Pittsburgh’s record: 6-4
Offensive rank: 17th overall/13th passing/17th rushing
Defensive rank: 1st overall/1st passing/5th rushing
All-time record: Steelers lead, 64-56
Last meeting: Pittsburgh won, 13-9, in Week 17 of last season
The line: Browns (+1)

What to Watch For

After scoring just one touchdown in their previous nine quarters of play, the Browns actually found the end zone twice last week against Dallas.

That task will be harder this week against the Steelers’ top-ranked defense.

“They’re a fast defense,” Browns coach Pat Shurmur said. “We’ve had a chance to play against multiple teams that run a three-four. The way they pressure is a little bit different. There’s times with the Steelers where you get them blocked and they’re still on your edges. That’s the challenge. We have plenty of film on them and they’ll be able to see it, how our plays fit against their scheme. The way they bring pressure, I think, is a challenge.”

One way to overcome that challenge might be for the Browns to actually run plays on offense that they practiced during the week – or, as most NFL teams call it, developing a game plan.

Depending on who you believe that hasn’t always been the case this year.

“There’s a couple of routes we ran (against Dallas) for the first time all week and that’s not fair to me, it’s not fair to the receivers, it’s not fair to any of us,” quarterback Brandon Weeden told The Plain Dealer.

When you have a first-year quarterback still working on learning the offense and developing chemistry with his wide receivers, it seems like it would be a good idea to really focus in during practice on what you want to do offensively during that week’s game.

Shurmur disagrees with Weeden’s take on the situation, saying the team’s preparation is just fine.

“I disagree with some of that because I do think that we make an effort of the ones we’re going to call we practice,” he said. “A lot of the plays that we practice (each week), we’ve been running all year and you run them in training camp (as well). It’s nearly impossible with the amount of time and then the length of the season to practice every single thing multiple times”

You’d think 10 games into the season the Browns would have this all worked out, but then it wouldn’t be Browns football, would it?

If the Browns can’t get anything going in the passing game, they will need running back Trent Richardson to try and crack the Steelers’ rush defense, which is giving up just 89.8 yards per game and 3.8 yards per rush.

“Watching film, they are the most put together defense I’ve ever seen in the league so far,” Richardson said. “Those guys there, they’re well disciplined and they love to stop the run. They’re going to put the big hit on you so for me I’ve got to do everything I can to get what they give me.”

If Richardson can have success running the ball it will break a nearly 10-year streak of ineptitude from Browns runners against the Steelers. William Green (in 2003) was the last Cleveland runner to break the 100-yard mark against Pittsburgh. In the 16 games since then, the Browns “leading rusher” in a game against the Steelers has been held to less than 50 yards 12 times.

And don’t think the Steelers aren’t aware of Richardson.

“He is their leading rusher and their leading receiver in terms of receptions, so that’s a lot,” Pittsburgh defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau said. “He’s not unlike Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens. He is carrying the weight on both sides. They have some nice young wide receivers that they are getting the ball to deep. They use Richardson a lot.”

On defense, it seems simple enough. Batch hasn’t played in a game since Dec. 24 and the Steelers have struggled to run the ball – they only have five rushing touchdowns on the season and are averaging just 3.9 yards per carry.

The return last week of defensive tackles Phil Taylor and Ahtyba Rubin helped the Browns hold the Cowboys to just 63 rushing yards while sacking quarterback Tony Romo seven times.

In their past three games, the Browns have actually been respectable against the run, holding the Cowboys to three yards per carry, Baltimore to 3.7 yards per carry and San Diego to 3.4 yards per carry.

The week would seem like a good time to load up against the run and make the 37-year-old Batch be the difference maker.

“Charlie Batch is an NFL quarterback that has had a lot of playing experience in this league,” Browns defensive coordinator Dick Jauron said. “He has won a lot of games. I have a lot of respect for Charlie, I always have. He’ll certainly be able to control the football game, understand their offense and everything they do. He won’t have the arm strength, clearly, that Ben (Roethlisberger) has. Again, there are very few that do anywhere. We’ll have our hands full with their speed and their skill, and just their overall ability on the offensive side.”

The Browns are catching a little bit of a break as Pittsburgh wide receiver Antonio Brown is questionable for Sunday’s game, but they still have to contend with Mike Wallace (46 receptions and six touchdowns on the year) and newly signed Plaxico Burress.

The return to health of cornerback Joe Haden will help, but we have to wonder how the rest of the secondary will respond after being penalized seven times against Dallas, including a dubious personal foul call against safety T.J. Ward.

“All we tell our entire defense is don’t ever intentionally hit another player in the head or the neck,” Jauron said. “Don’t hit the quarterback intentionally in the knees in the pocket. Other than that, you’ve just got to play, because there’s no way that you can make an adjustment in a split second where the offensive player ducks his head or dips his shoulder, or turns or twists or whatever they’re going to do. The quarterbacks throw them into tough spots. Maybe they should stop the quarterback from throwing the ball in those tough spots. Put some of the onus on the offense occasionally.”

Getting the secondary in order should help the front seven in the running game.

“It allows us to flirt around with the idea of putting pressure against the Steelers because we know we got guys on the back end that are going to hold up and compete their tails off,” middle linebacker D’Qwell Jackson told The Beacon Journal. “Just having Joe is going to be huge. It’s just a sense of confidence that you have when you look over and you see (him) over there.”

A Few Words on the White Flag Promotion

It’s anyone’s guess what the Browns’ public relations staff was thinking with the flag giveaway. We would really love to know the thought process behind making the flags white rather than orange or brown.

And from the sound of it, the team’s captains are wondering the same thing.

“I’m not a fan of the white flags,” Jackson said. “That’s the simplest way I can put it. I’m not a fan of it whatsoever knowing that we’re going to see the Terrible Towels flying. It’s just not a message that I like, and I’m sure a lot of other guys don’t approve.”

“I’m sorry,” kicker Phil Dawson said. “When your mom told you growing up if you don’t have anything good to say, it’s probably better not to say it, I think I’m going to follow those words.”

The Prediction

If there was ever a time when the Browns were going to beat the Steelers this weekend seems like it would be it.

Pittsburgh is injured and struggling on offense and, like 2009, could be in the midst of what, for them, is a down year. The Steelers have only beaten one team that currently has a winning record (the Giants) and their six wins have come against teams that are a combined 24-38.

It also helps that the Browns roster is filled with so many first- and second-year players who are not weighed down with the history of a team that has only won four of its past 30 meetings with the Steelers.

“The first thing I heard from fans when I got in town is, if you beat the Steelers you don’t buy a steak for a long time,” Weeden said. “I’m going to hold some of those people true to it (joking). Obviously, it’s not only a divisional game, but they’re close to Cleveland. It’s a rivalry game. I probably honestly won’t know until after the game what it’s really, really about. It’s probably the biggest game on our schedule. Everybody has it circled. We’ve grown up following these match ups and I’m looking forward to playing in it for the first time.”

But these are still the Browns who, more often than not, find a way to lose the game rather than win it. And the Steelers are still the Steelers, at least on defense.

We’ll take Pittsburgh and the points

Record picking the Browns this season: 3-6-1

(Photo by ClevelandBrowns.com)