Written by Chris Hutchison

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So, do you believe?

Yeah, me neither.

I'm not going to bother pontificating on one of those game-winning-drive-turns-season/career-around takes; I don't buy it and I'm fresh out of sunshine enemas.

However, I also refuse to berate the Browns for not simply crushing the likes of Indy and Miami. You may want to fantasize that those 2 teams are "terrible", but that's just not reality. Just ask the Steelers as they too "got lucky to win" vs. the Colts.

2-1 and tied for the division lead is 2-1 and tied for the division lead. Whether they "deserved" to win or are 2-1 because they got a "lucky" schedule of "horrible" teams means nothing. The reliance of Browns Nation on self-pity has never been in a brighter spotlight than fans bitching about having a winning record through 3 games for the first time in 10 seasons. The last time Cleveland started 2-1, I still lived in California, had only 1 kid, and 0 marriages. Tim Couch was the QB. The first Spider Man movie came out, Layne Staley (Alice in Chains) died of an OD, and Saddam Hussein was still in power.

As bad as the Browns have been for as long as they've been, you'd think we'd just be simply pleased that they are somewhat - even accidentally - relevant.

This still isn't a good team. I understand that. The Dolphins outplayed Cleveland for 56 minutes and change. Miami was desperate for a win. They felt about the Browns the same way we felt about Miami - that Cleveland was a bad team that they should beat. Daniel Thomas is going to be a real solid RB for them. Brandon Marshall is a bag-'o-douche, but he's also pretty talented. Chad Henne is a joke, sure, but he also can be dangerous. Cameron Wake is a deadly pass rusher. Karlos Dansby is one of the top LB's in the league.

The Browns' Defense was decent but hardly overpowering. The Offense resembled a dead squirrel drenched in whale guts. The fact that Colt McCoy was able to rally himself and the team and pull out a victory doesn't change that. But let us not forget that it is possible that this team improves as the season goes on, especially Offensively.

Colt McCoy made his third ever start in the West Coast system. Paddy O'Shurmur coached his third ever game. Montario Hardesty made his first ever start in the NFL. Peyton Hillis sat at home with a sore throat. Tony Pashos was still participating in the Witness Protection program.

Maybe it's just remotely possible that this Offense could improve as the season progresses, no?

People have doubts about Colt. I get that. I have my own doubts. But he's the QB at least for this season, and since the Browns are already all but out of the Andrew Luck sweepstakes, we'd better pray that he's the answer. Perhaps we can give him more than 3 games in this system before we start shoveling dirt on his head.

People have doubts about Shurmur. I get that. I have my own doubts. But he's the Coach at least for this season and next, and since I will kill myself if the Browns go through yet another regime change in the next couple years, we'd better pray that he's the answer. Perhaps we can give him more than 3 games at his job before we start writing love letters to Bill Cowher.

Really, it comes down to if you believe this franchise is headed in the right direction or not.

I do. It's no where close to "arriving", but it's finally on a course that I think could lead there. 2-1 and tied for first is just gravy.

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Stats

Time of Possession: MIA – 37:51, CLE – 22:09

Total Yards: MIA - 369, CLE – 280

Yards Passing: MIA – 255, CLE - 210

Yards Rushing: MIA – 138, CLE - 70

First Downs: MIA - 22, CLE – 19

Turnovers Forced: CLE - 2, MIA – 1

Sacks: CLE – 5, MIA - 0

Final Score: Cleveland 17, Miami 16

Vomit. Really, it looks like Miami should've beaten the Browns senseless. I don't put it so much on the 'Fins offensive prowess as much as Cleveland's offensive futility. The stats scream "domination", but watching the game, you knew that certainly wasn't the case. The Browns D did it's job but was just on the field way too long. If Colt & Co. can get a few more first downs on some of those drives, those stats would even out pretty quick.

The key, obviously, would be What Teams Did With Scoring Opportunities. Miami - 6 opportunities, 1 TD, 3 FG, 1 missed FG, 1 fumble. Cleveland - 3 opportunities, 2 TD, 1 FG. You've got to score TD's to win in this league, and the Browns D has done a good job of preventing that all season.

Through 3 games, the Cleveland D is ranked #9: #13 scoring, #3 passing D, #3 in sacks. This from a Defense who most felt would be the Achilles heel of the team.

Guess it takes longer to implement a new Offensive scheme than Defensive.

By the way, what are the odds the Browns win another game this year with a 15 minute ToP disparity? 5%? If that?

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Game Balls

Jabaal Sheard – He was Bruce Banner on the right side, but his move back to his natural LDE spot has transformed him into The Hulk. Hulk smash QB. Stops for loss, constant pressure, almost had a Safety. The other guys that got sacks can give Jabaal a shout out.

Joe Haden – They put him one-on-one against Brandon Marshall almost all day, and Marshall was frustrated. Marshall caught 4 balls for 43 yards, but one of those was against a zone, and 3 of them came in the first 16 minutes.

Ahtyba Rubin – The guy just keeps turning in 5 star performances, this time with 9 tackles and 1.5 sacks. His quiet extension by Heckert was yet another great move.

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Honorable Mention

Montario Hardesty – 14 carries, 67 yards for a 4.79 yards/carry average. In the 2nd Half, it seemed like he was ripping off 10 yards per carry. I know you're trying to protect the guy, but he was the starting RB on that day, and you only gave his backup (Armond Smith) 2 carries. Should've had more touches.

Ben Watson – The only Receiving threat for big chunks of the game.

TJ Ward – Just doesn't miss tackles.

Chris Gocong – Very effective and disruptive on the blitz, especially at the end of the game (sack, tackle for loss, drew a Holding call). Good to see him make some plays.

Jayme Mitchell – Much of his success was due to Sheard running guys into him, but nice production nonetheless. 4 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and the forced fumble on Reggie Bush which saved at least 3 points.

Josh Cribbs – Nice freakin' catch for the first TD. Also would've had an 80 yard TD catch if Colt hadn't badly overthrown him. (That's why you take your shots deep, by the way.)

Colt McCoy – For that clutch 80 yard TD drive to win the game, highlighted by that perfect throw to Mo Mass in double coverage. What was the window on that pass? 6 inches lower or higher and that's incomplete - if we're lucky.

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Wall of Shame

Colt McCoy – For the rest of the game. Other than that last drive, he was awful. Worst game yet. Missed wide open Receivers on deep routes (yes, they were there to be hit), threw behind people, over people... looked like he smoked some of that Bradek Quinnderson crack right before kickoff. Hard to win a game when your QB plays that badly. 

 

Oniel Cousins and Artis Hicks – Please hurry back, Tony Pashos (never thought I'd be saying that).

Sheldon Brown – You were abused by Brian Hartline. Brian. F-ing. Hartline.

Don Criqui – I don't hate this guy like some do (his voice brings back fond memories of non-sucking yesteryear), but he really should be professional enough to know that Buster Skrine's name doesn't rhyme with "wine".

Group Celebration Penalty – Vital TD at end of game. Ben Watson runs over to congratulate Mo Mass. Mo starts to stand, then falls right as Watson is arriving to hug him. Understandably, Watson falls to the ground due to the change of Mo's position. Huge moment in the game, and the Refs throw an Unsportsmanlike - Group Celebration penalty there? In a situation where it looks completely accidental? I don't care what your little book says, show some discretion you flag-throwing mouth-breather.

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Regarding Tom Heckert

Listening to the local sports shows and reading the fan input on the internet, I was kind of surprised to see a lot of harsh criticism towards GM Tom Heckert. This after two obviously successful drafts and a 2-1 start.

The crux of the Heckert complaints? He didn't fix the Wide Receiver or Right Tackle positions.

9 of Cleveland's starters were draft picks from the last 2 years (McCoy, Pinkston, Lauvao, Ward, Haden, Sheard, Taylor, Marecic, and one could argue Little) and 7 were Heckert acquisitions (Watson, Sheldon Brown, Gocong, Fujita, Jayme Mitchell, Hillis, Pashos). The only starting holdovers are Joe Thomas, Rubin, Alex Mack, Mo Mass, D'Qwell, and Mike Adams (and one could argue Josh Cribbs). That's a huge turnover in 2 years, and I would say that it is very difficult to fix every problem in that time span.

But let's address those 2 particular issues. First, Right Tackle. Heckert brought Tony Pashos in to play that position. He was hurt and out virtually all of last year. Heckert assumed he would be healthy and functional this season. We know now that this hasn't been the case so far. How was Heckert supposed to know that Pashos would get an owie again?

I'm sure the thought was let Pashos hold down the fort for one more year, groom younger players (like Pinkston) to take over for him, address more pressing needs. Which, by the way, was how he handled several other positions - left it thin and hoped the starter would stay healthy. I could argue that Heckert probably felt that there weren't any RT's available that were significant upgrades to Pashos (teams don't just let good OL walk). Still, now that the Browns are in a position to be "competing" with the NFL big boys, it looks a little shortsighted to go young and thin at certain spots in the interest of developing the team for the future. Hindsight is 20-20.

Second, Wide Receiver. Name me a Free Agent Wide Receiver that's tearing it up. Go ahead. Name one. I can buy the RT complaint as being somewhat viable, but the WR complaint is annoying. "He should've fixed the WR, because they are the worst ever, boo hoo hoo." Like I said, what is it he should've done? Be specific. "Something" doesn't work.

By the way, I'm not even sure I buy how "bad" our WR are. On TV, you can't tell if Colt isn't throwing because the guys aren't open or if he's not seeing them, but, at the game on Sunday, there were several times that guys were open deep and Colt either didn't see them or missed them. If you put Peyton Manning (previous to this year, of course) or Tom Brady on this team, does this WR corps look like the "worst ever"? Doubt it. Could be that the QB is the problem.

Yes, they still lack a home-run hitter speed guy. I'm also not sure that guy was available in Free Agency.

In the end, I feel that Heckert has done WAY more positive than negative, and I'm going to assume that he can see the Browns issues just as easily as Joe Fan can and will address them in the upcoming draft.

If we go into next season with Pashos/Robiskie, THEN I'll bitch.

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Regarding Freudian Slips?

In his post-game press conference, Shurmur was asked about Halftime adjustments. He responded:

"When we came in at halftime, we felt like we were just a little bit off on some things and we felt if we went out there and executed (we would play better). You’ll notice we do a decent job of moving the football if we don’t hurt ourselves.  You get a positive run or a positive pass or when you run in twice, the second one cant be for a loss, those types of things. Keep it in manageable third down situations and then you’ve got a chance. Until we find a way to throw it all the time or do whatever we’ve got to do, I think that’s what we’ve got to do.”

The words that jumped out at me from that are: Until we find a way to throw it all the time.

Let's hope that wasn't meant the way it reads.

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Regarding No Monday Off

Something I found interesting from Peter King's MMQB:

There was something I liked about the Browns post-game Sunday, after escaping with a 17-16 win over the Dolphins. With the players screaming for a "Victory Monday,'' a day off that normally follows a win, which then is followed by the normal day off on Tuesday, coach Pat Shurmur told the players he'd get them in and out as quick as he could on Monday, but it wasn't going to be a full day off because next week is the bye, and a game with Tennessee awaited this week, and he wanted to do everything he could to make sure they prepared fully for this game against a non-division foe. And not a peep was heard from the players. "Multiple reasons why that's an important game,'' said receiver Muhammad Massaquoi. "You don't want to go into a bye with a loss, and you want to be sure you keep a good thing going. We still have work to do here.'' Of the three Rust Belters not accustomed to feeling so good on a Sunday, Shurmur's idea was not only the right one, but one his players embraced. And that's the kind of team that can grow into something.

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Regarding Accepting The Blame

Colt sucked on Sunday, we all know that. It's encouraging that he did too. Too many QB's just can't handle criticism - Colt seems like someone whose harshest critic really is himself. What he said after the game:

"We played like garbage for the most part of the day. We’ve got to figure out what the deal is. A win’s a win and we’re extremely thankful, we’ll never take that for granted. No Monday’s off for us, we’ve got to get back to work.”

 

"I missed Cribbs for a touchdown. I missed a couple of throws early. We just weren’t in sync."

 

"Like I said, I will go back and watch the tape tomorrow and there will be a lot of it that will be pretty depressing to watch. We missed some things -- I misfired a couple of times and we dropped some balls. Things that can make us a better football team, we’ve got to do."

 

"Trust me, I’ve got a long ways to go."

Colt's intangibles are what gives me some hope with him.

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Regarding Whatever

***The last 3 1/2 minutes of that game might've been the most enjoyable I've ever spent in Cleveland Browns Stadium.

***Colt needs to run more. I know, you want to protect your QB, but this team is a little short of overall weaponry, and it would probably help everyone if McCoy gave opposing Defenses something else to fear.

***No offense to Hillis in any way, but I get the feeling that Hardesty will end up being the overall better RB. He's faster, hits the hole hard, and is just more elusive in the open field.

***As I mentioned above, the Browns are the #3 overall Pass Defense. But they've faced Andy Dalton, Kerry Collins, and Chad Henne. I'm still afraid an elite QB will tear this D apart. I mean, just murderize 'em.

***I've seen many people wondering what Evan Moore did to see so little playing time. I second that query.

***God, I miss Reggie Hodges.

***Hey, Phil Taylor, next time you hit a QB on the ground, make sure to make it worth your penalty yardage. Go Kong Suh on 'em.

***There is no trio of people in the world that I wish would be swallowed by a black hole than Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston, and Angelina Jolie (well, maybe the Kardashians).

Pitt is a good actor, there's no doubt about that. But I would gladly go through life without ever seeing him in another movie if it would get his face off the freakin' tabloids.

Even with blinders on, you can't avoid their boring melodrama while standing in line to buy a bottle of vodka and a case of Red Bull.

***There's a new show on CBS called "Person of Interest", and I just heard a commercial stating the premise: Dude built some kind of machine that "watches and listens" and can identify people that are about to be involved in a violent crime. But the machine doesn't know if this person who is involved is the victim or the perp, so he and his partner must find out in order to prevent the crime.

This is the single dumbest concept I've ever heard of. Ever. Worse than Automan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lloeUkQ1m8

How high was that guy when he came up with that idea? When you're stoned out of your gourd, lots of stupid things sound brilliant.

***Like advertising concepts that have Joe Mauer mocking Troy Polamalu, only to have Polamalu materialize out of nowhere for no discernable reason. Love to interview the exec that gave that idea the green light.

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Next Up

Tennessee Titans (2-1).

This could be the first "good" team the Browns have faced, so this might be a good measuring stick. Right now, Tennessee is the #1 ranked Defense in the NFL, so that doesn't bode too well for the O getting healthy and finally clicking on all cylinders.

Matt Hasselbeck is solid (how the hell did Seattle let him go?), but he just lost easily his best WR for the season (Kenny Britt), so the Browns should be able to keep the Titans' passing game in check. The challenge will be Cleveland's 29th ranked Rush D against Chris Johnson. Johnson's done nothing so far this year, but that don't mean diddly-squat.

I picture this game looking a lot like the one we just watched, and the score stays low and close. But the Browns don't get enough breaks, and Tennessee comes out with an ugly win.

Titans 23, Browns 13.