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NewsScript.co.uk


11.18.08

After a late night of Monday Night Football, I must admit that it’s sad when the best player on the field is the kicker. Don’t get me wrong, I think Phil Dawson deserves all the credit in the world and am glad he was so successful at kicking the ball. Kickers are far too underappreciated and Dawson is one of those guys I don’t think gets enough credit as a football player on this team. He’s a classy guy that gave his team the edge it needed in a pressure situation. We’re talking about a 56 yard field goal. The percentage of kicking a field goal from that distance with success is not high. That is unless you are Phil Dawson. He’s done fairly well with kicks over 50 yards. In his career he is 10 out of 14 from for long range. Thank you Phil. It wasn’t pretty, but we’ll take the win.

Brady Quinn did not have a good game, but I still would rather have Brady on his worst day over Derek Anderson right now. So far Quinn has committed no turnovers. I think that is extremely important. If Quinn continues to take care of the ball, the Browns should continue to improve. His stats were terrible last night. I’m sure he knows that and will work on the problem and we should see a change next week in Texas. Remember, this is only his 2nd start and it was in very cold weather last night. I’m not making excuses for the guy, but I’m not discouraged by his performance last night. I expect to see a much improved Quinn on Sunday.

I think part of Quinn’s problems last night was the lack of run support. I don’t know why Jamal Lewis cannot get more than 3 yards per carry. I can’t understand how this team cannot run the ball more effectively. I think we need to see more Jerome Harrison. He’s a playmaker and changes the entire look of the run game. As I’ve said before, we need variety. If teams get used to stopping Lewis, we need to swap running backs. If they get used to Harrison, again a switch can be made. I think the Browns need to take a page from the New York Giants offensive playbook and keep defenses off balance with a variety of looks at the running back position.

One area this team needs to improve on is points off of turnovers. How in the world can a team have 3 interceptions in the first quarter and only get 6 points out of the deal? That is extremely frustrating. If the offense can learn how to move the ball, things will be that much easier when the end of the game comes. I don’t blame the offense for not getting those points. I blame the play calling. That has been an issue this entire season. As fans, we’ve been griping about the play calling all season. If a fan can understand that a change is needed, why don’t the coaches, who are paid millions of dollars, adjust and make better offensive play calls? This team continues to settle on running the ball on most 1st and 2nd down situations early. I think it is more important to come out firing. I think the run is important and can determine the outcome of a game, but this team needs to change up play calling.

I think most of us are to the point that we’re watching this season in anticipation for next season. We’re watching because Brady is on the field and not because we have high hopes for this season. We are now waiting to see who the next coach of this team will be, because we all know that Crenel will be canned after this season. We want to see changes and want those changes now. We won’t be satisfied until those changes are made.

That’s all I have for now. The Cavaliers will go for their 8th straight win tonight. We should all be encouraged by the production of the Cavs. They are beginning to turn up the heat and there is no telling what the future holds. This team is only going to get better as the season progresses. It’s the Cavs against the New Jersey Nets starting at 7 tonight. Don’t forget to tune into ESPN 970 WFUN for all your Cavalier coverage.


11.17.08

Welcome back to the work week everyone. Don’t worry though, it’s not all that bad because we have a special presentation of Monday Night Football. It’s the Browns and the Bills. A football game that could resemble what we saw just a little less than a year ago. It was a very cold Sunday afternoon with the wind blowing and the snow flying. With the white covered ground and the forecast for some snow, we may witness a very similar game.

With Brady Quinn at the quarterback, I expect more work on the ground. Jamal Lewis still has not eclipsed the century mark. The way this season is going, I’m beginning to wonder if that will happen at all this season. The Browns have had several opportunities to have huge games on the ground, but have settled for the pass. As much as I like Jamal Lewis, I do feel that this team needs an adjustment at the Running Back position. I still think Lewis should carry the bulk of the load, but I do think we need to have more work from Jerome Harrison, Jason Wright and Josh Cribbs. They all bring a different style of run to the field and the change could help throw off the defense. One team that is very effective on the ground and constantly changes their look at the running back position is the New York Giants, and right now they are one of the toughest teams in football and lead the NFC with a 9-1 record (and yes, that loss was to the Browns).

The Giants are very effective because they have a big runner in Brandon Jacobs and a speed guy in Derrick Ward and versatility with Ahmad Bradshaw. As a team they average nearly 173 yards rushing and proved their run game is effective even against the toughest of run defenses by racking up 207 yards against the Baltimore Ravens.

I think the Browns running backs have that type of potential, but the coaches don’t know how to execute. As we’ve seen all season long, the Browns are extremely predictable. As a default, they run on 1st and 2nd down and teams know this, so they stack the box and stuff the run. With more variety, this team has what it takes to be one of the top teams in the league. Coaching needs to change and hopefully we’ll see that soon.

Maybe we’ll see a change in the offense now that Brady Quinn is under center. As we saw against the Denver Broncos, Quinn is more mobile than Derek Anderson and can move around in the pocket. Quinn brings a different look to this team and I expect much of the same style of play this week against the Bills. Quinn should have his fair share of short efficient passes to his playmakers. Some may critique that he has no deep passes, but if we’re putting points on the board and constantly moving the chains, why does Quinn need to throw the deep pass? That quality will be important for the future, but in the mean time, stick with what works.

If the weather does become an issue, I think this might be the week we see Jamal Lewis surpass the 100 yard mark. In any case, the Bills have been struggling the past several weeks and are hungry for a win. I just hope the Browns are hungrier and walk away with the win.

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NewsScript.co.uk
Browns vs. Buffalo-7pm (ESPN 970/107.5-FM THE FOX)
Monday, November 17
Cavaliers vs. New Jersey-7pm (ESPN 970/Oldies 102.5-FM)
Tuesday, November 18
Cavaliers vs. Detroit-7pm (ESPN 970/Oldies 102.5-FM)
Wednesday, November 19
OSU Men's BB vs. Delaware St.-6pm (ESPN 970)
Thursday, November 20
Ohio State vs. Michigan-11am (ESPN 970/107.5-FM THE FOX)
Cavaliers vs. Atlanta-7pm (ESPN 970/Oldies 102.5-FM)
Saturday, November 22
Browns vs. Houston-11:30am (ESPN 970/107.5-FM THE FOX)
Sunday, November 23
OSU Men's BB vs. Bowling Green (ESPN 970)
Monday, November 24
Cavaliers vs. New York-7pm (ESPN 970/Oldies 102.5-FM)
Tuesday, November 25

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