Zero16Browns

The Browns finally ended their two-game losing streak by beating the Carolina Panthers 24 to 21. Peyton Hillis lead the way, running for three touchdowns and 131 yards rushing. He also contributed six receptions for 63 yards, accounting for a grand total of 194 yards from scrimmage. With 905 rushing yards, 11 rushing touchdowns, 46 receptions for 414 yards and two receiving touchdowns, Hillis is having a monster year good enough to be recognized at the All-Pro level. If he continues on his current pace, he will end this season with 1900 yards from scrimmage and 19 total touchdowns.

Although the starting quarterback has changed once again this season, Jake Delhomme showed his former team that he is still capable of winning games. Delhomme may have thrown two interceptions, but he made good throws when needed and led the Browns to victory. Brian Robiskie has even shown promise, hauling in seven receptions for 50 yards, a career high.

Joe Haden picked off his fourth pass of the season and was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month. With Eric Wright nursing a knee injury, Haden made only his second start of the season, but is showing why he was picked seventh overall in the draft. Rookie Safety TJ Ward is also making a statement for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year with a total of 87 tackles, nine passes defended, two interceptions, and one forced fumble.

The Browns have played exceptionally well this year, with a 4-7 record, they could end this season at a solid eight wins and eight losses. With only improvement to look to, the Browns are becoming one of the better teams in the NFL.

 

The Cleveland Browns have fallen in the last minutes of regulation for the second consecutive week. While driving down the field, Colt McCoy’s pass bounced off the hands of Ben Watson and into Jaguars safety Sean Considine arms sealing the win for Jacksonville. Oddly enough, the game was full of turnovers with David Garrard throwing three interceptions, Maurice Jones-Drew throwing another on a trick play, and two fumbles, each being committed by Garrard and Jones-Drew. However, the Browns failed to capitalize on these turnovers, scoring only 10 points.

The Browns defense played excellent for the majority of the game, with rookie safety TJ Ward recording his first two interceptions and safety Abram Elam also picking off a pass and forcing a fumble while recovering it for a touchdown. They only faltered in the last two minutes when they allowed Maurice Jones-Drew to take a short screen pass 75 yards downfield to the one-yard line. Jones-Drew scored two plays later to close the game out.

Colt McCoy did once again admirably well, completing the game with an 85.6 quarterback rating and still leads all rookie quarterbacks with an 85.3. On a negative note, McCoy did suffer a sprain left ankle and left the Browns locker room later that day with a walking boot. If McCoy cannot play this Sunday, Seneca Wallace would more than likely start considering how he has played in comparison to Jake Delhomme. The Browns have such a small chance of any hope in making the playoffs that they would have to win outright. A realistic record at the end of this season would be 7-9 with losses coming against the Steelers and Ravens.

 

 

The Cleveland Browns failed to pull off their third consecutive upset, in the last seconds of overtime Sunday, surrendering a touchdown pass from New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez to Santonio Holmes. Although the Browns played valiantly, the better team won. The Jets are arguably the best team in the NFL. With esteemed veterans such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Santonio Holmes, and Jason Taylor, the Browns managed better against the Jets than teams such as the New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings, and Denver Broncos. The Browns also faced a defense ranked 5^th overall in the league and 3^rd overall in points allowed. Also recall the Jets secondary has big names like Antonio Cromartie, Darrelle Revis, and first round pick Kyle Wilson.

Regarding past games and the outcome of those games, the Browns are far better off than anyone could have predicted. They have a 3-6 record and have a fairly easy schedule coming up compared to the first half of the season. They have been competitive in every game so far and have not been blown out. Colt McCoy, who was thought to have been a project quarterback, has shined in the absence of Seneca Wallace and Jake Delhomme. He has most certainly won the starting quarterback job, having taken the first team snaps for the past five weeks and still has the highest quarterback rating among all rookie quarterbacks. Although he has only thrown two touchdowns and Sam Bradford, the first overall pick in the 2010 draft, has thrown 12, McCoy is on his way to becoming one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL.

Peyton Hillis has also showed incredible talent, running over the Jets defense and many other well-respected defenses in the NFL, looking like he has been doing it for years. If the Browns continue to use their power running games, along with McCoy’s accuracy, they could win many more games this season. With half the teams the Browns play in the next seven weeks, the Browns could realistically win four or five more games. They in fact, are still in playoff contention. The Browns are the surprise team in the NFL, and at the end of this year they could be primed to upset many teams.

Since when are the Browns are in the making the NFL’s best teams look like some of the worst teams? Mike Holmgren and Eric Mangini have built this team to succeed.  Colt McCoy, as young as he is, has taken command of the Browns and has them prepped to become a winning team this season. With Peyton Hillis running the way he is, the Browns could finish out with a winning record or as a potential playoff team.

At the midway point of the season, the Browns record stands at three wins and five losses, good enough for third in the AFC North. With the next eight opponents having a combined record of 29 wins and 35 losses, a very favorable lineup. The only teams that would pose somewhat of a threat would be the Browns week 16 and 17 opponents: the Ravens and Steelers.

Regarding the New England Patriots, the Browns held them to only 14 points and considering the Pats rank first in the NFL in most points scored per game, that’s a feat that only the Jets have achieved. Ironically the Jets are the next team the Browns face and they are no pushovers. Their defense ranks 6^th overall in yards and 4^th overall in rushing yards. They Browns need to attack the secondary that is ranked 18^th overall however McCoy must be accurate as it contains names like Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie, and Kyle Wilson. 

 

 

Although the Browns were on a bye week, many things have happened during their time off concerning both the AFC North and roster changes. The Ravens were the only other members of the AFC North that had a bye week while the Bengals and Steelers did not. Both teams lost, putting the Browns into the possibility to finish higher in the division and exploit both team’s losses.

Rookie quarterback Colt McCoy is primed to start his third straight game against the New England Patriots this Sunday. The Patriots have the 28^th ranked defense so look for the Browns to pass more than usual with McCoy. The Browns should continue to deploy the same strategy of defense against the Patriots as they did against the Saints.

The Browns also signed for Ravens wide receiver Demetrius Williams and running back Thomas Clayton. They then waived running back James Davis and wide receiver Yamon Figurs.  Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace have yet to practice this week yet as well.

Seneca Wallace has been very vocal about the Browns picking a quarterback and sticking to him. The reason behind this may be that Wallace has long waited to be a starter in the NFL, having sat in a backup role for seven years of his NFL career. The thing is though, the more experience McCoy gets, the better he gets. Nowadays, rookies are drafted to start immediately. They are trained to be NFL ready by the end of their college careers. Take Matthew Stafford, Mark Sanchez, and Sam Bradford for instance. Stafford has done exceptionally well his first two seasons, while Sanchez has been astounding, leading the Jets to the AFC championship and one of the best records in NFL this season. Sam Bradford, arguably has been the most successful, currently projected to throw over 20 touchdown passes and lead the St. Louis Rams to an 8-8 record. Recent history has shown – go with your rookie quarterback.

Hopefully the Browns do the right thing and finish with a respectable record.