Written by Chris Hutchison

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"At least they won," my wife told me right after the game.

Well, yeah.  But that would mean a lot more if the Win mattered.

The goal of the Preseason isn't to Win, it's to Survive.  And with injuries to major contributors such as Mo Massaquoi, Jordan Cameron, Scott Paxson, and Dimitri Patterson to go along with the already sidelined Usama Young, Trent Richardson, Eddie Williams, D'Qwell Jackson, Marcus Bernard, Ahtyba Rubin, Ben Watson, Frostee Rucker, and Phil Taylor, they may be surviving but they've got the swine flu.

To review, that's 5 starters (including Gocong) that were missing from the starting Defense - 3 of the 4 starting Defensive Linemen - with 2 of the remaining starters being guys that will likely be suspended come Regular Season.  It's almost a certainty that the Browns will be entering Week 1 without at least 4 Defensive starters already.

So at least Defensively, you knew it wouldn't be pretty.  And it wasn't.  The Browns only allowed 17 points and employed that bend-but-don't-break style they used last season, but they gave up 198 (!) yards rushing.  And it wasn't just one unit - it was all units.  Depleted at DT and LB, the backups simply couldn't get it done against the run.

Offensively, the Browns looked decent at times.  Brandon Weeden was sharp on his first drive, hitting Travis Benjamin on a beautiful pass for 34 and getting the team as far as the DET 23, but it stalled there and ended with a forced fumble from behind by a guy that RT Mitchell Schwartz let through.

And while that turnover probably wasn't Weeden's fault, the interception he threw 2 drives later probably was.  That was following a string of passes that were slightly off the mark and one that also should've been picked.

The Weeden pick led to a short 25 yard TD drive by Detroit backup Shaun Hill.

Colt McCoy came in for the 2nd quarter and looked pretty good, showing off his mobility and hitting Jordan Cameron up the middle for 42 yards, the kind of pass he seemed unable/unwilling to make last year.  But his drives didn't amount to much either as they were marred by penalties, just a FG to show for his work.

An 80 yard drive by Hill and the Lions ended in a 4th down TD, and a 14-3 Halftime lead.

Seneca Wallace came in for the 3rd quarter and was fairly effective too, finally getting the Browns in the end zone on a nice improvised 12 yard pass to Brad Smelley on a drive that started in Detroit territory thanks to Jordan Norwood's 45 yard punt return.  Seneca's next drive also got into scoring range, but backup Kicker Jeff Wolfert missed the 46 yard attempt.

After the Lions tacked on a FG to start the 4th quarter for a 17-10 lead, Thaddeus Lewis came in and showed us what the coaching staff has been so high on, showing excellent pocket awareness and accuracy in leading the team right down the field on a 75 yard drive capped by a 3 yard Adonis Thomas TD run.  They went for 2, but that Thomas run was stuffed (like most Thomas runs), leaving the Browns down 17-16 with about 6 minutes left.

For a while, it looked like Kellen Moore and the Lions would be able to run out the rest of the clock, but the Browns D stiffened and Lewis got it back with about 2 minutes left.  A few quick passes moved them right down the field, and Wolfert came in and nailed a 45 yard FG to win the game, much to the amusement of pretty much everyone employed by the Cleveland Browns.

"At least they won."  Sure, why not.  In Cleveland, you take wins where you can get 'em.

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Stats

Time of Possession:  DET - 31:29, CLE - 28:31

Total Yards:  CLE - 429, DET - 368

Yards Passing:  CLE - 309, DET - 170

Yards Rushing:  DET - 198, CLE - 120

First Downs:  DET - 21, CLE - 20

Turnovers Forced:  CLE - 2, DET - 2

Sacks:  DET - 3, CLE - 1

Final Score:  Cleveland 19, Detroit 17

Really, not much of value can be gleaned from Fake Game stats.  It's nice to see that Cleveland got over 300 yards passing - it means all their QB's were getting some yards and I can't remember the last time the Browns eclipsed the 300 mark.  It's disheartening to see the high rushing total for Detroit, but I think all y'all better just get used to that.

It might be a while before those numbers start to come down.

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Game Balls

Thaddeus Lewis - Very impressive in the first extended action I remember seeing from him.  Threw a ball with nice velocity and accuracy, plenty mobile enough, good size... he's the reason that one of McCoy/Wallace will be gone by the start of Regular Season.  He's got more long term potential than either one of them.

Travis Benjamin - His speed was quite apparent, and the catch he made on the 34 yard pass from Weeden was impressive.  Might see a lot of time with the starters if Mo Mass' head issues persist and Josh Gordon develops slowly.

Joe Haden - Wasn't in there that long, but that pass defense of the Stafford pass on 3rd and 1 on the Lions' first drive was All Pro.

Chris Ogbannaya - Making the RB decision very difficult on the Browns, just hits the hole and gets positive yardage, the way a RB should.

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Honorable Mention

Montario Hardesty - Didn't have many opportunities, but it was still apparent that he hit holes with a speed and authority he lacked last year.

Jordan Cameron - Great catch on the floater by McCoy and it appears he'll be a big factor in the Browns Offense.

Colt McCoy & Seneca Wallace - Attention NFL!  If you're looking for an undersized but mobile backup QB, have I got the guy for you!  Both have plenty of career starts and have shown solid play so far this year!  But one must go!  Call 1-800-HECKERT for more details.  No reasonable offer will be refused!

Trevin Wade - Stood out during his time on the field, making solid tackles and providing solid pass coverage.

David Sims - That was a helluva one-handed INT, Mr. Sims.

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Hall of Shame

Defensive Injuries - I wonder if Michael Dean Perry and Hanford Dixon are available.

Mitchell Schwartz - His growing pains will hurt us all.

Emmanuel Stephens - If he's still starting when the games count, it will be a long long season.

Brandon Weeden - The good news:  All the previous Browns QB's that looked good in past Preseasons went on to suck in the Real Season, so maybe it's a good omen that Weeden was bad.  If you can call that a silver lining.

Josh Gordon - Seemed to run poor routes.  Appeared disinterested and lost, both on the field and off.  Displayed none of the speed seen in Training Camp.  A complete non-factor.

Ray Ventrone- Muffed (badly) a punt that easily should've been downed at the 1.

Mo Mass - Hard to give this to a guy just because he got yet another concussion, but "yet another" is the key to that.

Oneil Cousins - Man, he's just bad.

James Dockery - Every time you look up, he's gettin' beat.

Run Defense - This was predictable, but it still wasn't fun to see.  When your 2nd string is playing 1st string, then your 3rd string is playing 2nd, and your 4th is playing 3rd.  So no matter what Offensive unit you're facing, you're a string behind.

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Regarding the QB Crap

4th string QB Thaddeus Lewis clearly played the best of the QB's, followed by Colt McCoy and Seneca Wallace, who were both effective in spurts, with Brandon Weeden - who made the best pass of the night but also several poor ones - bringing up the rear.

So using the Law of Reactionary Fan Logic, Thad Lewis should be Cleveland's starter and Brandon Weeden should be off the team (maybe there's enough room for him on the Practice Squad).

Yep, there's no denying that Weeden struggled.  Of course, if we are to believe the QB apologists from last year, the only reason he was bad is because he has no WR's and the right side of the OL was a turnstile and there was no running game to speak of.  None of it was actually the QB's fault, right?

Very little of the QB data gleaned from the first Preseason game (emphasis on "first" and "Preseason") matters anyway.  We already know who the starting QB will be for the season, whether he looked mediocre or not.  There is no battle left to take sides on.  If you're not throwing your support behind your team's starting QB whomever it may be, then you're actively rooting for your team to fail.

Seems a little early in the season to start doing that.

'Course, I don't understand the rooting for one player over another thing, either.  It's not like these guys are your pals or your rivals.  And even if you are one of those... people... that invests personal rooting interest in individual players, you'll have to let me know what Weeden did to you to make you hope he flops.

And that's all the effort that topic deserves.

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Regarding Player Usage

I know that there is some tested and true formula to how much you use players - especially starters - in the Preseason, and most of it has to do with limiting the opportunities for your important players to get hurt.  I get that.

But I also feel that if you have rookies playing important starting roles - and the Browns certainly do - then you should suspend the normal rules as far as they pertain to those players.

Let's look at 3 starters (or potential starters):  Brandon Weeden, Josh Gordon, Mitchell Schwartz.

Weeden is your starting QB, the most important position on the field.  I understand you want to protect him and showcase your other guys for potential trades, but he needs as much experience as he can get and you only have him play 3 series, the last of which ended on a very low note.

Josh Gordon might need reps even more than Weeden, since he didn't have an offseason, not to mention a 2011 season.  He needs to at least catch one pass and make some moves and get hit and get involved.  But as soon as Weeden exited, so did Gordon for the most part.

In contrast, Schwartz played the entire 1st half, taking on multiple positions to try and enhance his value as a potential backup LT as well as starting RT.  Schwartz needs reps as badly as the other guys do, and he got 'em.  But why give him all those reps and not the other two?  It's not like starting RT isn't important (if last year taught us anything, that should be it).

It's just further evidence of the NFL coaching community's unwillingness to think outside of the box.

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Regarding Whatever

***At this injury rate, the Browns won't have to cut anyone come roster reduction time.

***The Offensive Line play, overall, was not encouraging.  The Preseason is not traditionally a time for fancy blitz packages, so the pass rush that the first 2 units endured was likely more from Detroit's D Line flat beating our O.

***In the mystical LB battle to make the roster and hopefully actually contribute something, I thought both Craig Robertson and LJ Fort made some decent plays and stood out a bit from their counterparts.  Maybe Robertson can even get his own number at some point (he shares 47 with Smelley).

***It cracked me up that Adonis Thomas was made Player of the Game by the Cleveland telecast crew, and they showed his stats:  6 rushes, 9 yards.  Thomas showed that he can be dangerous if used in a Darren Sproles-ish way, namely with screens and dumpoffs, but that he has very little to offer in a traditional RB sense.

***Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a Carlton Mitchell sighting!

***Love the title of this article on ClevelandBrowns.com - "Weeden makes NFL debut in win".  Man, that just cracks me up.  Dude that wrote that headline needs to get into politics.

***Nice moment in the Pat Shurmur post-game presser, Shumur on Weeden's interception:  "It was tight coverage.  The guy ended up being bracketed.  The ball was probably a touch low, but we gotta make those throws and catches in tight coverage, and I was pissed at both of them."  Smiles.  "Nah, I shouldn't, I can't, I shouldn't, I can't say that, right?  I'm sorry."

***I think that there's a lot of potential for Stafford and the Lions to take a step back this season.  Which sucks, since Stafford and Calvin Johnson are my fantasy keepers.

***I was hoping that Julio Jones would be average this year so I didn't have to hear "Sniff!  We should've taken Julio Jones!  Waaaaaaaah!" all season, but that looks to be a pipe dream.  There's no denying that the guy is damn good.

***The Arizona Cardinals have just a terrible QB situation brewing.  Kevin Kolb has been both injured and terrible already this year, and John Skelton is just good enough to make it a battle (without being good enough to win it).

***You might say the same thing about the Dolphins.

***If everyone is right about the Browns and they do indeed blow aardvarks (which seems more and more likely with each passing injury), they'll be joined by those Cardinals and Dolphins - along with the Jags, Colts, and Rams.  But those are easy.  Let's throw in a couple surprises here - Seahawks and Jets.  Both those teams have created just awful situations for themselves.  You think we have QB drama here?  Day-um.

***The Seahawks don't just have a semi three-way QB battle set up between Matt Flynn, Tarvaris Jackson, and Russell Wilson, they purposely brought in past-their-prime headaches Braylon Edwards and Terrell Owens.  On purpose.  But Pete Carroll is a huge tool, so it's not like he doesn't have it coming.

***You might say the same thing about Rex Ryan.

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Next Up

Green Bay Packers  (Fake 0-1). 

There's really no reason to look ahead to Preseason games, but it will give the Browns a chance to face one of the most prolific passing attacks in the league.  Since the Run D is by far their Defensive weakness, Cleveland might fare OK.  Green Bay's rushing attack is meh.

A lot of the key rookies should get more playing time, which will be important.  It's important to see Weeden, Schwartz, and Gordon improve.  It's important to see more of the running game.  It's important to get more pressure on the opposing QB.

Other than that, just emerge alive.

Packers 42, Browns 13.