WEEK 8
CLEVELAND, O.H. - On Saturday night, the Cleveland Browns completed their sweep of the AFC West with a 27-13 win over the Chiefs in Kansas City. This victory thrust the Browns into the national media spotlight and even prompted vNFL Headline News reporter Pat Kirwin to interview Browns President and CEO Dan Hong about the team's recent success (click here for complete interview).
The Browns were once the laughingstock of the national sports media, this paper included
So are the Browns for real, or will the limelight expose them as the same mediocre team of previous years, just luckier? Most fans are still on the fence, but the incredible six-win streak has at least piqued their interest. The Cleveland faithful turned out in droves on Saturday night, packing sports bars around the city to cheer their team.
This was a common sight around Cleveland as fans tuned into the Week 8 game against the Chiefs
In a telling sign of Cleveland's past, #9 Shane Lechler (P) jerseys outnumbered just about every other jersey that night. As one fan put it, "Back in those days, I think we saw more of the punter than anyone else on our team, so he ended up being the most popular player. He was certainly the most recognized."
The Browns are hoping to keep Lechler on the bench this season and so far have limited his appearances to 27 in 7 games.
On Monday Night Football, the Browns host the Ravens in the first of three division battles. With home field advantage, the Browns are favored by 3. It seems the league pundits at least believe that Cleveland's 6-1 record is more than just smoke and mirrors.
Players of the Week
Brady Quinn (QB) - 16 of 28 for 281 yds (10.04 ypa, 1 TD)
Devin Fox (RB) - 25 for 126 yds (5.04 ypc, 1 TD)
Braylon Edwards (WR) - 8 for 167 yds (20.88 ypc, 1 TD)
Chris Chester (G) - 5 KRB, 0 SkA
Chaun Thompson (ILB) - 8 Tck, 2 Ast, 1.0 Sck, 1 Defn
D'Qwell Jackson (ILB) - 2 Tck, 3 Ast, 1.0 Sck
The Good
A strong ground game helped the Browns control the clock and set up the pass
- Devin Fox (RB), whom Pat Kirwin compared to the legendary Jim Brown, had another solid game against one of the toughest rushing defenses in the league. In short yardage situations, Brandon Jacobs (RB), who was signed by Cleveland in Week 4, is becoming a reliable 3rd down back for the Browns, converting three critical 3rd downs in as many games and recording his first touchdown as a Brown in the 2nd quarter.
- Braylon Edwards (WR) simply can't be stopped. Even when the defense knows the ball is coming to him, he still makes plays. The scariest thing about him is that he looks even better when his team needs him the most. Against the Chiefs, he caught six of six and converted five 3rd down passes. And good luck if you give him an open field - almost a third of his receiving yards have come after the catch.
- In 7 games, Brady Quinn (QB) has already surpassed his career best for touchdown passes in a season. Debate all you want about whether he belongs among the elite. There is no question that he is having his best year ever.
The Bad
- There really wasn't a whole lot to pick on here, so we'll skip right to the ugly column.
The Ugly
- Are we the only ones concerned about all the attention the Browns have been getting lately? We liked the Browns better when they were underdogs, and head coach Jesse McGrew seems to agree. We asked him what he thought of the Pat Kirwin interview.
"Dan can talk to the press if he wants. What he does is his business. My job is to win games."
Aren't you worried about all this attention going to your heads?
"If my players have time to listen to this rubbish, then they're not practicing hard enough. In case you forgot, this is the vNFL, not Hollywood. Right now, all we care about is beating Baltimore and getting our first division win. Next week, we'll worry about Pittsburgh. The week after that, Cincinnati."
What would you have done if you had been interviewed?
"I would have kept my mouth shut."
But this is Pat Kirwin!
"Pat who? Look, I don't care who it is. I'm here to coach football, not talk about it."
It's good to know there's at least one person in the Browns organization who hasn't lost his head.
Injury Report
Daryl Nied (TE) - Probable (shoulder tendinitis)
Jeno James (G) - Out (separated shoulder)
Jumbo Dodrill (T) - Probable (bruised ribcage)
Chaun Thompson (ILB) - Probable (knee tendinitis)
