No Surprise-Browns Lose to Bengals 16-7

The Browns couldn't get much of anything going considering they had a mistake free game. Was Cincinnati's defense dominating or a matter of no offense on the Browns part again, which? I would have to resevedly select both if it were multiple choice and add to it the Browns were just dominated, but then again, when it comes to the Brown's it doesn't take much to dominate, unless your Detroit. Cincinnati continued its control of the AFC North sweeping the divisional confrontations with this victory.


Brady Quinn could only manage 100 yards on 15 completions out of 34 attempts, which would calculate to an average yards per completion at 6.6. Quinn targeted 10 different receivers to no avail and caught a pass from Joshua Cribbs that netted 18 yards. He scored the lone touchdown. Quinn was sacked only once and hit 3 other times. So, what was the problem? Massaquoi, Quinn's favored receiver, caught only one pass out of 8 attempts. There is the sum of it and the pattern through the game, a failure to connect. Palmer didn't impress either with comparable statistics.

The running attack for Cincinnati is what got the job done. Larry Johnson, Cincinnati's newest aquisition, ran for 107 yards and Bernard Scott scampered for 87 yards. Cincinnati's running backs ran a total of 40 times. Ball control adds up to a lopsided time of possession, which favored the Bengals. Jamal Lewis only had 40 yards, but he ran with the ball half the amount of times Johnson carried the ball.

The Browns next two games will be at home with the Chargers and Steelers coming to town. The Chargers will be merciless and the Steelers will be desparate to get ahead of the Ravens in the standings after losing to them last night in a tear jerker. Steeler fans, get out your Terrible Towels and wipe your watering eyes. The meeting with the Steelers will be a Thursday night game. After those two games the only possible chance at one more victory will be against the Oakland Raiders and that will be a slim chance at best. Brown's fans, Super Bowl in 2020, if the world doesn't end before then.

Week 12 NFL Picks

Week 11 I was 11-5. Still looking to break the four or more loss syndrome. This may be the week, although anything can happen in the NFL with any given team. Detroit scored 38 points last Sunday. Not going to happen this week. Green Bay will dominate in all aspects of the contest in Detroit. It will not be a cake walk for Dallas against Oakland, this is the anything can happen example. The Giants at Denver will be a close one with the Giants edging out the Broncos. Carolina at the NY Jets will be an interesting one to watch. Carolina can surprise if the running game is on. Another interesting game will be Cleveland at Cincinnati. If the Browns offense can carry over the momentum from last Sunday it could be an upset. Defense will be the key for either team. Tennessee has been winning as of late and I am picking them to win at home against Arizona. Indianapolis, Minnesota and Miami are hot and will win. Pittsburgh at Baltimore will be a hard hitting contest, but Pittsburgh's offense should edge them out depending on what happens with Roethlisberger. The big game is Monday Night Football with the Patriots visiting the Saint's Superdome. It will be an explosive atmosphere and the Dome will be rocking. You can expect alot of scoring with a heavy blitzing attack from New England. It is going to be a fun week in the NFL.

THU, NOV 26 TIME (ET)

Green Bay 34 at Detroit 10 12:30 PM FOX Tickets W

Ford Field

Oakland 17 at Dallas 20 4:15 PM CBS Tickets W

Cowboys Stadium

NY Giants 28 at Denver 24 8:20 PM NFL Tickets L WOW!

Invesco Field at Mile High
SUN, NOV 29 TIME (ET)

Tampa Bay 15 at Atlanta 23 1:00 PM FOX Tickets W

Georgia Dome

Miami 24 at Buffalo 14 1:00 PM CBS Tickets L WOW!

Ralph Wilson Stadium

Cleveland 20 at Cincinnati 21 1:00 PM CBS Tickets W

Paul Brown Stadium

Seattle 27 at St. Louis 10 1:00 PM FOX Tickets W

Edward Jones Dome

Carolina 24 at NY Jets 21 1:00 PM FOX Tickets L

Giants Stadium

Washington 13 at Philadelphia 20 1:00 PM FOX Tickets W

Lincoln Financial Field

Indianapolis 34 at Houston 17 1:00 PM CBS Tickets W

Reliant Stadium

Kansas City 20 at San Diego 30 4:05 PM CBS Tickets W

Qualcomm Stadium

Jacksonville 23 at San Francisco 18 4:05 PM CBS Tickets L

Candlestick Park

Chicago 20 at Minnesota 30 4:15 PM FOX Tickets W

Metrodome

Arizona 20 at Tennessee 23 4:15 PM FOX Tickets W

LP Field

Pittsburgh 24 at Baltimore 21 8:20 PM NBC Tickets L

M&T Bank Stadium

MON, NOV 30 TIME (ET)

New England 30 at New Orleans 28 8:30 PM Tickets L OOPS!

Superdome

The Browns Have An Offense-Score 37 Points

Who would have thought. The Browns have an offense afterall. The Brown's offense scored a total of 37 points against the Detroit Lions. The problem, the Browns still lost and the way they lost is the story. Dubbed the team with no offense the week before, the Browns came to Detroit shooting. So what if it was just the Lions, they gave their fans something to cheer about. Too bad it wasn't before the home crowd. The question in this game, where was the defense this week?

Brady Quinn had 4 TD's on 304 yards and a rating of 133.1. Not a bad days work. Unfortunately, Stafford outgunned Quinn with 5 TD's on 422 yards with a rating of 112.7. The Browns running game was decent. Jamal Lewis ran for 75 yards. It looks as though Massaquoi is becoming Quinn's favorite target. Massaquoi had 5 receptions with 115 yards. Stuckey had 76 yards on 5 receptions. Joshua Cribbs had a reception TD and factored strongly in the offensive effort.

The Brown's defense could only manage one sack and one hit on the QB. The big mistake by the defense was when there was zero time left on the clock. You would think the game had ended, but the little yellow flag laying on the ground in the endzone denoted otherwise. In a last desparation throw by Stafford, Brown's safety, Hank Poteat, was called for interference. Talk about officials effecting the outcome of a game, that was a big call. Still, the Lions had to put it in and they did with Stafford's fifth passing touchdown.

The Browns play in Cincinnati next Sunday. Can the Browns put together the total package and get a legitimate win against a contender? A victory over the Bengals will go along way in boosting the spirits of their fans and rev up the Dawg Pound for the next home game. Finally, what happened to the Pittsburgh Steelers in their game with Kansas City? The "Terrible Towel" is becoming the "Tearible Towel".

Week 11 NFL Picks

Week 10 I was 10-5. The season is now beginning to heat up. The playoff picture as each week passes is developing and taking form. Indianapolis is in control of the AFC South and should defeat Baltimore. The Colts offense seems unstoppable and it always finds a way to come out on top in close games, sometimes with the help of the opposing teams head coach. New Orleans, another offensive powerhouse, is dominating the NFC South and faces Tampa Bay this week and should win. Dominance in the NFC East is hotly contested.  Dallas and the Giants should win, but it won't be easy victories for either team. New England let one slip by against Indianapolis and will be breathing fire this Sunday against the Jets. Cincinnati and Pittsburgh will add another victory to their win columns. Carolina and Jacksonville have been stepping up as of lately. Carolina will be facing a tough opponent, it will be close for the Panthers at home, but will come up short. Cleveland and Detroit have identical records and somebody will go away with a better record, unless they tie. If Cleveland's defense plays like they did against the Ravens, just maybe the Browns will win, but they will have to do the scoring. Monday Night football will cap off the week with Tennessee at Houston. The Titans have made some adjustments as of late and have been winning, but Houston at home will be tough. Are you ready for some football?

THU, NOV 19 TIME (ET)
Miami at Carolina 8:20 PM NFL Tickets W
Bank of America Stadium
SUN, NOV 22 TIME (ET)
Washington at Dallas 1:00 PM FOX Tickets W
Cowboys Stadium
Cleveland at Detroit 1:00 PM CBS Tickets L
Ford Field
San Francisco at Green Bay 1:00 PM FOX Tickets W
Lambeau Field
Pittsburgh at Kansas City 1:00 PM CBS Tickets L
Arrowhead Stadium
Atlanta at NY Giants 1:00 PM FOX Tickets W
Giants Stadium
New Orleans at Tampa Bay 1:00 PM FOX Tickets W
Raymond James Stadium
Buffalo at Jacksonville 1:00 PM CBS Tickets W
Jacksonville Stadium
Indianapolis at Baltimore 1:00 PM CBS Tickets W
M&T Bank Stadium
Seattle at Minnesota 1:00 PM FOX Tickets W
Metrodome
Arizona at St. Louis 4:05 PM FOX Tickets W
Edward Jones Dome
NY Jets at New England 4:15 PM CBS Tickets W
Gillette Stadium
Cincinnati at Oakland 4:15 PM CBS Tickets L
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
San Diego at Denver 4:15 PM CBS Tickets W
Invesco Field at Mile High
Philadelphia at Chicago 8:20 PM NBC Tickets L
Soldier Field
MON, NOV 23 TIME (ET)
Tennessee at Houston 8:30 PM Tickets L
Reliant Stadium

Cleveland Browns "Offensive" Showing on Monday Night Football

Three words for the Browns performance on Monday Night Football against the Baltimore Ravens, it was offensive. The flag was thrown all night on the Browns for "offensive ineptness". One announcer categorized it this way, "The worst offense in football." My brother-in-law, who was at the game in the Dawg Pound, texted me this breakdown, "It was awful". Brown's fans were hanging their heads low on the biggest stage of NFL Football and probably will never be seen on Monday Night Football again. Well, maybe that is an exaggeration, and only because forever is a long time.

It looked to me as if Brady Quinn was running scared from the first moment he touched the ball to the last, as if he was saying, "Here you take it I don't want it." He hurried his set up even when he didn't need to. Two of his last three passes didn't even stay on the playing field. It looked like he was throwing the ball away or could I be mistaken, was there a big gust of wind? Quinn was 13-31 on 99 yards and a rating of only 23.5. The Browns total "offensive" production was 160 yards and zero touchdowns. The Ravens offense was held to no points in the first half and then in the early moments of the second half, things fell apart for the Browns. The Ravens offense only managed 10 points.

The Browns fans can take some pride out of the game from the performance of the defense. The defense hung in there through the whole game. They kept the Ravens scoreless through the first half and their passing attack threw Flacco off balance most of the time. The Ravens only offensive touchdown came on a Rice scamper to the end zone.

The worst part of the whole game came on the last worthless attempt to score. Joshua Cribbs took a pass and in the process of trying to manufacture a senseless score took a hit while handing off the ball and was injured. It was sad to see the Browns best yardage producer carried off the field on a stretcher.

Some questions to ask. Why would you start throwing down field at the end of the game when the defense knows you are desparate for a score and is ready for it? Why not throw the long ball when it would be a surprise, like early in the game or when they least expect it? I understand you need pass protection and a good running attack to set it up, but at least try. Another question. Will the Browns score a touchdown before the season ends? Stay tuned next sunday when the Browns neet the Lions in Detroit.

The Bengals Defeat The Steelers 18-12

The verdict is in, the Bengals are sole owners of the top spot in the AFC North having defeated the Steelers before a home crowd. It seems the Cincinnati Bengals are for real. Their defense takes top honors in today's victory.

The defense of the Bengals had Ben Roethlisberger on his toes the whole game. Roethlisberger was sacked 4 times and hit 4 times and was 20-40 with a rating of only 51.4, including no scores. The only turn over was an interception by Rucker of the Bengals.

There isn't much to say about either offense. Chris Palmer only faired slightly better. Palmer was 18-30 with a rating of 76.8, including no scores. The running game for either team did not have much of an impact. Benson left the game with an injury, so that certainly had an impact on the Bengals running attack.

The only touchdown was scored on a 96 yard kick return by Bernard Scott. Scott's touchdown was the difference in the game with both teams scoring 4 field goals each. The kick return game accumilated the most yardage because of all the field goals in the game. The Bengals dominated this aspect of the game also. The Bengals punted 4 times and the Steelers punted 5 times.

The Bengals play the Raiders next week in Oakland and the Steelers play the Chiefs in Kansa city. The game to watch next is the Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns on Monday Night football. This is the opportunity for the Browns to give their fans something to cheer about, hopefully.

Week 10 NFL Picks

Week 9 I was 9-4. Still can't break free from the 4 losses. Maybe this will be the week. Some easy picks this week are New Orleans at St Louis, Tampa Bay at Miami, Detroit at Minnesota, and Baltimore at Cleveland. Although, surprises do happen. Take for example the Tampa Bay victory over Green Bay. Totally unexpected. Just can't take anything for granted in the NFL on any given Sunday or Monday.
Baltimore at Cleveland will be this weeks bolt from the blue, Cleveland winning before the home crowd and kicking off a better second half. Some good matchups are Atlanta at Carolina, Dallas at Green Bay, Philedelphia at San Diego, and the one to watch, New England at Indianapolis. This game could be a quarterback shootout making it very entertaining. I am giving the edge to Indianapolis. Carolina has been doing better and if the Panthers can avoid the costly mistakes, could be a winner. The rest will be what they will be. You thought I forgot about Cincinnati at Pittsburgh. No way. This is the game of the week and the battle for top place in the AFC North. If Cedric Benson has a good game, Carson Palmer will have his way with the passing game. Ben Roethlisberger will have a good night, but not good enough. Still, all in all this is a tough call. Sorry cousin Sandy.

THU, NOV 12 TIME (ET)

Chicago 20 at San Francisco 18 8:20 PM NFL Tickets L

Candlestick Park

SUN, NOV 15 TIME (ET)

New Orleans 35 at St. Louis 10 1:00 PM FOX Tickets W

Edward Jones Dome

Tampa Bay 17 at Miami 24 1:00 PM FOX Tickets W
Land Shark Stadium

Detroit 14 at Minnesota 30 1:00 PM FOX Tickets W

Metrodome

Jacksonville 20 at NY Jets 24 1:00 PM CBS Tickets L

Giants Stadium

Buffalo 24 at Tennessee 27 1:00 PM CBS Tickets W

LP Field

Cincinnati 28 at Pittsburgh 27 1:00 PM CBS Tickets W

Heinz Field

Denver 23 at Washington 15 1:00 PM CBS Tickets L

FedEx Field

Atlanta 20 at Carolina 23 1:00 PM FOX Tickets W

Bank of America Stadium

Kansas City 24 at Oakland 27 4:05 PM CBS Tickets L

Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

Seattle 20 at Arizona 30 4:15 PM FOX Tickets W

U of Phoenix Stadium

Dallas 21 at Green Bay 27 4:15 PM FOX Tickets W

Lambeau Field

Philadelphia 24 at San Diego 28 4:15 PM FOX Tickets W

Qualcomm Stadium

New England 24 at Indianapolis 30 8:20 PM NBC Tickets W

Lucas Oil Stadium

MON, NOV 16 TIME (ET)

Baltimore 23 at Cleveland 27 8:30 PM Tickets

Cleveland Browns Stadium

Cincinnati Bengals Top The Baltimore Ravens For Supremacy?

The Cincinnati Bengals look like they are the real thing defeating the Baltimore Ravens 17-7. The Bengals are for now on top of the AFC North with a record of 6-2. The Steelers are set to play the Broncos tomorrow on Monday Night Football with a record of 5-2 and a victory for them will make their standings even with the Bengals, but the Bengals have the better division record at 4-0. Steelers division record is 1-1.

In today's game neither offense dominated to any great extent. The quarterback's numbers for both teams were almost even. The big difference between Carson Palmer and Joe Flacco were Flacco's two interceptions. The running game went to the Bengals Cedric Benson with 117 yards and one touchdown. Baltimore's running game sputtered through the whole game, but when you put Ray Rices numbers together he had a total of 135 yards and one touchdown. If you compare Benson's carries at 34 to Rice's carries at 12 it sheds some light on the difference in running yardage, but that no doubt was affected by the fact Cincinnati went up 14-0 quickly. What made the difference? Baltimore's 3rd down efficiency never got off the bench at 1 for 10. Also, give credit to the Bengals offensive line only allowing only one sack.

The game went to Cincinnati's defense with two interceptions and two take aways on Ochocinco fumbles. The Bengals defense had 4 sacks and 8 hits on the quarterback. That's about all you can say about the dominence of the defense. All the other stats were even.

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh next Sunday will be a contentious and hard hitting contest for sure. It will determine who will take control of the AFC North. Will it be an offensive shoot out or will it be defensive dominance? Stay tuned, it will be the game of the week. I almost forgot, Baltimore will be in Cleveland next week for Monday Night Football. This will be Clevelands chance to turn around a bad season and make a mark. Two big games scheduled for the AFC North.

Week 9 NFL Picks

Week 8 I was 9-4. An improvement over the previous week. Still can't snap the four loss streaks. Four big games to follow in Week 9 are Baltimore at Cincinnati, Houston at Indianapolis, Miami at New England, and Pittsburgh at Denver. If the Raven's defense comes to play, Baltimore should win. If the Bengals's offense comes to play, Cincinnati should win. It will be a close game. Houston has been playing tough and Indianapolis needs to watch out, although the Colts at home will give them the edge. Miami is playing well, but New England at home is tough to beat. Monday Night Football will be hot with the Steelers playing the Broncos. I have to give this one to the Steelers. New Orleans and Carolina could be a surprise. I would be very surprised if the Panthers could out score the Saints. Is this reality football? Almost forgot Dallas and Philidelphia. The Eagles offense has been scoring and so has the Cowboys, but I am taking the Eagles at home. The rest are what they are and the games will go to the teams that score the most points. Go figure. The Browns are safe this week.

SUN, NOV 8 TIME (ET)
Washington 15 at Atlanta 24 1:00 PM FOX Tickets W
Georgia Dome
Arizona 20 at Chicago 23 1:00 PM FOX Tickets L
Soldier Field
Baltimore 24 at Cincinnati 21 1:00 PM CBS Tickets L
Paul Brown Stadium
Houston 18 at Indianapolis 37 1:00 PM CBS Tickets W
Lucas Oil Stadium
Miami 21 at New England 27 1:00 PM CBS Tickets W
Gillette Stadium
Green Bay 30 at Tampa Bay 17 1:00 PM FOX Tickets L
Raymond James Stadium
Kansas City 18 at Jacksonville 24 1:00 PM CBS Tickets W
Jacksonville Stadium
Carolina 14 at New Orleans 34 4:05 PM FOX Tickets W
Superdome
Detroit 10 at Seattle 27 4:05 PM FOX Tickets W
Qwest Field
Tennessee 20 at San Francisco 17 4:15 PM CBS Tickets W
Candlestick Park
San Diego 30 at NY Giants 24 4:15 PM CBS Tickets W
Giants Stadium
Dallas 23 at Philadelphia 32 8:20 PM NBC Tickets L
Lincoln Financial Field
MON, NOV 9 TIME (ET)
Pittsburgh 28 at Denver 21 8:30 PM Tickets W
Invesco Field at Mile High

No Surprise, Browns Lose To Bears, 30-6

I can guarantee the Browns will not lose this week. Its a bye for the Browns. Maybe after the bye they can begin a new season and go 8-0 to close out. Maybe Cleveland can host the Super Bowl in 2011. Not likely, but it is within the realm of possible. That is, going 8-0 to close out, if you are a an optimist.

These are the sad stats again. Derek Anderson was 6 for 17 totaling 76 yards with a rating of 10.5. He did score the Browns only points. Brady Quinn made an appearance briefly and was 1 for 3 with 9 yards. He did have a better rating than Anderson, a 42.4. The running game was slightly better than previous weeks with Lewis, Cribbs, Harrison, and Anderson combining for a total of 117 yards. Lewis getting the bulk of the yards with 69. The Browns did have a good day punting, averaging 45.3 yards on 6 punts. Something to celebrate.

Putting all that into perspective, again through 60 minutes of football, the Browns got close enough to the goal line to score only one touchdown and not one time close enough to kick a field goal. On top of it, the extra point was blocked. It makes sense since their total combined offensive yardage was 191 yards because they gave the ball back to the Bears five times on two interceptions and three fumbles. Those kinds of mistakes are drive killers.

Joshua Cribbs was their top performer again. Cribbs had 137 yards on 6 returns, 28 yards on 6 carries, and 23 yards on one reception. Mangini still needs to make Cribbs more of a factor in the offensive scheme. Enough said about that because it is something I have said week after week.

Mangini has the easiest position in football, standing on the sidelines every game doing nothing. Possibly, he is listening to other games on his headset for excitement. In the picture is he yawning or shouting, you decide? Well, this Sunday he can sit down and watch some good contests with Baltimore at Cincinnati on Sunday and Pittsburgh at Denver on Monday.