The Curious Case Of An Inept Cleveland Browns-Lose to Buffalo 13-6

The weather wasn't as bad as expected, but the Browns were worse. Still in the hunt for a playoff spot, although remote, Cleveland played their most disappointing game of the season. They were riddled with inept ball handling and presented a subpar second half offense. The game was never for the Browns out of reach of winning, but the goal line was out of reach, not even scoring one time. Late in the fourth quarter Mohamed Massaquoi was wide open going down the right side, but a break down in the protection of Delhomme caused his pass to fall short and it was intercepted, thus thwarting what could have tied the game. End of game, end of story.

Peyton Hillis figured to be dominant in this game. Hillis did have a hundred yard effort running for 108 yards. His efforts were overshadowed by three fumbles, one of which occurred at a key moment shortly after Buffalo turned over the ball with a mistake of their own on their end of the field in the first quarter. Jake Delhomme only had a total of 86 yards of passing and threw one interception with no touchdowns. Hillis seemed to be his primary target again and Watson only caught one pass through the whole game. Jake only averaged a little over 4 yards per completion and compiled only two first downs passing. That pretty much sums it up as to what went wrong, no offense. Defensively the Browns hung in there and provided a gift for the offense, a gift they squandered. The gift was a Fiztpatrick fumble caused by a Chris Gocong sack that put the ball on the 25 yard line of the Bills. Hillis returned the gift on the very next play. Thanks but no thanks.

The Bills offense could only muster up one touchdown, but that is all they needed. Fred jackson had a good day running with 112 yards. Ryan Fitzpatrick spread 142 yards between 7 receivers. David Nelson caught an 11 yarder for the only score for the Bills. Ryan Lindell kicked two field goals to account for the other 6 points. The Bills were happy to get this win when considering all the close games that haven't gone their way all season long.

Joshua Cribbs was again unexplainably missing from the offensive scheme, not even used to return kickoffs. He was thrown to only once and ran the ball once, which almost ended disastrously. The Browns have been sidelining a key element in Joshua Cribbs. The Browns are lacking the long ball threat where Cribbs could be used and have abandoned something that worked quite well last year, the wildcat offense. I am not saying Mangini should rely on the wildcat, but he should be incorporating it at key moments. I am not saying Mangini should be going long all the time, but at least do something the opponents aren't expecting because judging by past performances, they certainly don't expect the Browns to go vertical. Mangini needs to unleash the offense or maybe he lacks confidence in his own offenses capabilities. You have to do what you have to do to win, or has he given up on this season?

Miami Singing The Blues After Cleveland Browns Last Minute Takeaway 13-10

The Browns struggled their way to a victory in the closing minute of the game against mistake riddled Miami. All the mistakes for Miami came from Chad Henne throwing three interceptions. You would like to say it was great defense on the part of the Browns, but the truth of the matter was the Dolphins inept offense led by Henne. Still, the opportunities presented themselves and the Browns accepted the gifts courtesy Henne. The last one caught by Browns' Mike Adams led to Dawson's winning kick.

Peyton Hillis pounded out 57 yards on the ground and caught 7 passes for 22 yards, not his usual output. Jake Delhomme managed to avoid the usual mistake and threw for 217 yards and 1 touchdown. Ben Watson was the offensive standout with 10 receptions for 100 yards and the recipient of the Delhomme touchdown pass. Mohamed Massaquoi pulled in 4 passes for 81 yards, a decent showing. The offense got the job done even though their third down efficiency was terrible at 2-14.

The Browns' defense only had one sack through the whole game and 2 hits. Adams, Elam, and Haden each had a pick. Aside from that, there was alot of punting from both sides, which gives you the idea that offense was lacking, especially when it came to 3rd down conversions. Miami's only bright spot, if you want to call it that, was their running game, and that wasn't enough to eliminate the Miami fans disgust, which they vocalized frequently through the game.

The Browns have won two in a row and four of their last six games. They are now 5-7. They can realistically win their next two games, but the final two of the season will be against Baltimore and then Pittsburgh. Those games will be nasty to say the least. Baltimore and Pittsburgh both have punishing defenses. Will Jake be ready for that conflagration? He could be, with the help of Peyton Hillis and Ben Watson.

It may be time for Mangini to call out the wildcat offense or think about airing it out once in awhile, something that has been lacking in the offense. Also, Joshua Cribbs is still missing from the offensive scheme and that is somewhat perplexing. Is it because of his injury or is it because Mangini just isn't playing him? If Mangini wants to beat the Ravens and Steelers, Cribbs would be a key ingredient. Wouldn't that be something, to win their final four games and end with a record of 9-7? Enough to be in the playoffs in some divisions. Mangini, if you make that happen, that would be a Super Bowl season in my books.

Browns Narrowly Escape With A Win Over The Panthers 24-23

It was delightfully cruel to send former Panther quarterback Jake Delhomme out against his previous team. Although, the delightfully almost turned into frightfully when Jake blew a decent lead and nearly threw the game away with a costly pick that went all the way for a Panther score late in the third quarter and the lead. Jake tentively recovered in the fourth to beat his former team with the help of a Dawson field goal and a Kasay last ditch effort missed field goal.

The star of the game was not Delhomme, but Peyton Hillis. Hillis turned in another strong effort scoring all three touchdowns and grinding out 192 combined yards. He was the go to guy once again and remains the top target of Brown's quarterbacks. Delhomme spread the passes around to six different receivers and threw for 245 yards. It was good to see Robiskie and Massaquoi get an increase in production as they combined for 11 catches and 102 yards.The offense threw a few surprise plays into the mix, which was good to see. One was a Hillis pass attempt that fell short of its target in the end zone. If successful, it would have been the play of the game.

Carolina played a decent game. Jonathan Stewart put in a 98 yard game. Mike Goodson ran for 55 yards and racked up another 81 yards from catches. Goodson also scored the Panthers only offensive touchdown on a 26 yard run. Clausen got beat up by the Brown's defense and still managed to make a game of it. Their defense hung in tough and had two picks. One by Captain Munnerlyn for 37 yards and a score.

The Brown's are back on the winning track. Hillis continues to be the workhorse of the offense both in running and receptions. It was good to see Mangini using some imagination in the play calling. I saw a couple of plays that could have been big ground gainers if they were successfully executed. Mangini should continue to throw in the surprises. It was also good to see the wide receivers more involved. Still, the long ball is lacking and to be a legitimate offensive threat you must have in your possession the potential for quick strick capability. Joshua Cribbs was back retrieving kicks and punts, but was missing in the overall offensive scheme where he needs to be and possibly that potential quick strike. A team will not make it to the playoffs on running alone. Miami is next on the list.

Terrell Owens In A Brown's Uniform-You Have Entered The Twilight Zone

The Cleveland Browns have been disfunctional for too many years now since their remake. Last year they imploded with disfunctionality, but ended the season with a flicker of hope and a tiny strand of decency. Read an article recently where Joshua Cribbs talked about bringing Terrell Owens, the master of disfunction, to Cleveland.

Sure Owens has put up impressive numbers through his career and sure he may be a hall of fame candidate at some point, but he also has a reputation for causing disruption on an offense. Something the Browns do not need at this fragile time in their reconstruction, unless through some unexplainable transformation and rehabilitation over these past months, Owens has become a team player.

The Browns need team players on their roster, like the acquisition of Jake Delhomme. True, it was just an article and just something Cribbs randomly suggested, but when it comes to Cleveland anything that can happen will happen. I haven't seen anything further on the subject, so this may just end up to be idol chatter, like the possibility of an oil platform in the Gulf exploding and becoming one of the biggest environmental disaster in history.

Picture Jake Delhomme In A Brown's Uniform-Number 17

How many Brown's fans out there think the Jake Delhomme aquisition is a good one? I know there is probably some nays and some yays. One thing for sure, Jake Delhomme is a very likeable fellow on and off the field. He takes performing well seriously. You can discern it by his demeanor on the field of play during a game, whether it is the excecution of a great play or a mistake resulting in a setback.

Delhomme probably is his own biggest critic. He is honest and forthright about his own shortcomings and you can tell he wants to win for the team. He is the ultimate team player and not just out to glorify himself in order to get to the next level in his career. He has the game heart of a Brett Favre, meaning he loves the game, and the winning attitude of a John Elway, meaning he never gives up on the idea of a victory. Sorry Brown's fans, I have always admired John Elway's winning spirit regardless of his ability to administer the debackle of a Brown's championship season.

Whether Delhomme will raise the Brown's to the status of a playoff contender and winner remains to be seen. The Brown's definitely ended the previous season moving in the right direction. Mangini finally smartened up and used Joshua Cribbs versatility properly. Looking for good things out of Cribbs in the 2010 season. Hopefully the off season moves and changes will continue that winning momentum into the next. If Cleveland is to ever bring home a championship trophy, I believe it will be through the Cleveland Browns.

Final question to ponder. What would you think of Terrell Owens possibly wearing a Brown's uniform in 2010?