Week 5: Coach Says It Was Another Fluke

PUBLISHED OCTOBER 5, 2009
WEEK 5

CLEVELAND, O.H. - On Sunday afternoon in Cleveland Browns Stadium, the Browns beat the Broncos 31-27 for their third consecutive win of the season. Defense took a back seat as the two teams combined for almost 900 yards of total offense.

"Something finally clicked for us," said Braylon Edwards (WR). "We were moving the ball well, we had rhythm, we were unstoppable. We made the plays when we needed them."

Edwards modestly neglected to mention that the biggest play of the game was his own 52-yard catch for the go-ahead touchdown late in the 4th quarter. His average of 23.33 yards per reception set a new franchise single-game record.


Edwards' 52-yard go-ahead TD catch gave the Browns a 31-27 lead late in the 4th quarter

On the ground, Kenneth Darby (RB) and Wendell Mathis (RB) filled in admirably for the injured Devin Fox (RB), rushing for 159 yards and 2 touchdowns on 28 carries (5.68 ypc). After averaging 238 yards in the first three games, the Browns exploded in Week 5 with 410 yards of offense.

But as the fans and the players celebrated yet another last-minute, come-from-behind victory -- in their last game, the Browns beat the Jaguars 13-10 on a late 4th quarter touchdown -- one Brown was not happy at all.

"We won the last three games on big plays," said head coach Jesse McGrew. "That's not good. We can't count on those big plays being there to bail us out week after week. Until we establish some consistency on both sides of the ball, all our wins will be nothing but flukes. Minnesota was a fluke, Jacksonville was a fluke, and Denver was a fluke. Nobody flukes their way to the Super Bowl."

Coach, are you saying that's where this team is headed?

"No. Not this year, probably not next year, and if we keep playing like we did today, not ever."

Somebody needs to tell this guy that his team did win this week.


We have yet to see a smile crack this face.

In other news, the Browns waived 5th year veteran Brodney Pool (SS), who sustained a compound fracture to his leg last year. Is the writing on the wall for this promising young safety?

"It's very distressing to watch such talent go to waste," said director of player personnel Howie Craig. "Brodney worked hard to overcome that scary injury to his leg last year. Mentally, his game is still as sharp as ever, but his leg will never be the same. We had to move on as an organization, and we will do everything we can to ease the transition for Brodney."


Pool's career may very well be over.

Pool was not available for comment.

Next week, the Browns host the Raiders in Cleveland for a Sunday, 1 PM EST start. Cleveland is favored to win by 5.


Players of the Week

Braylon Edwards (WR) - 6 for 140 yds (23.33 ypc*, 1 TD)
Kenneth Darby (RB) - 18 for 97 yds (5.39 ypc, 2 TD)

* New franchise single-game record


The Good

1. Cleveland had a solid game on the ground this week. Through Week 5, the Browns have averaged 137 rushing yards, good for 6th in the league. We can't wait to see what happens when Fox comes back.
2. Edwards had his first 100 yard receiving game of the season, catching 6 for 140 yards and a touchdown. The question is, can he produce at this level consistently, or was Week 5 just a fluke? In the previous three games combined, he caught 6 for 86 yards.

The Bad

1. The so-called Dawg Pound was in the dog pound this week. Where was the pressure on the pocket? Donovan McNabb (QB) looked like he had all the time in the world. We didn't hear a single bark or howl from a linebacker corps that prides itself on getting to the quarterback.
2. The failure of the front seven to put pressure on McNabb was compounded by the failure of the sieve-like secondary to cover his receivers. Only a single pass was defensed the entire game.

The Ugly

1. Defense sucked all around, but where was the run defense? The Browns defense gave up 196 rushing yards on 40 carries (4.90 ypc). This has got be a sore point for McGrew, an old-school coach who eschews trick plays for the basics, blocking and tackling. No wonder he was such a sourpuss.

Injury Report

Aundrae Allison (WR) - Injured reserve (concussion)
Arnaz Battle (WR) - Questionable (pulled quadriceps muscle)
Devin Fox (RB) - Probable (hyperextended knee)
Eric Parker (WR) - Probable (strained elbow tendon)
Chaun Thompson (ILB) - Probable (broken hand)
Sean Jones (FS) - Probable (broken thumb)