Brady Quinn: 0-4 vs. USC, 1-0 vs. Pittsburgh

Okay, so I'll be the first to admit. Brady Quinn did not have a good game statistically. Six of 19 for 90 yards is not good in any league by any standards. Certainly Quinn was off on a lot of throws all night.

To be honest, my biggest criticism of him was that he didn't dink and dunk enough. That may sound strange considering the biggest knock on him was that he dinked and and dunked too much and didn't go downfield enough.

On Thursday, he did try to go downfield more often and missed more than he hit. Given the situation, this was the game to be more conservative. Being that it was the coldest game in Browns-Steelers history and the winds were up to 35 MPH, the vertical passing game was not going to have a great night.

If you look at the other side, Ben Roethlisberger also had a hard time going downfield with the ball. Most of his completions came on short passes. Therefore, he was able to have a little more success throwing the ball than Quinn.

Having said that, everybody knew that this would be a typical AFC North type game. It was the biggest rival and it was cold and windy. That is what Browns-Steelers is all about in December. The term smashmouth football takes on a new meaning. This game did not disappoint in that regard.

Given the weather conditions, this game was going to be won with great defense and a strong running game. The quarterback's job in this one was to not kill the team with mistakes.

Sure, Quinn's stats were a bit of a let down considering how good they have been lately, but in this game he showed some things that are much more important than passing stats.

One knock on him was that he was unable to win in rivalry games. In spite playing well, he was 0-4 at Notre Dame against USC. Not being able to win a rivalry game was not just a perception, but a reality based on his experience. For him to be able to lead the Browns to victory over the Steelers in his first try really goes along way in changing that perception.

The other thing that stands out about this was that Quinn was able to manage the situation and do what the team needed him to do to win.

When the game started, it was clear that this one was going to be about defense. The Browns sacked Big Ben eight times. They also really did a great job of taking away the running game.

Therefore, it soon became more important for Quinn not to make a critical mistake that would result in great field position for the Steelers. This was the game where a punt wasn't bad but a turnover would have killed.

The running game was also working well with Joshua Cribbs out of the wildcat and with Chris Jennings out of the backfield. Jennings actually scored the first rushing touchdown by a running back all season.

With the the running game and defense really doing a good job, Quinn was able to just enough in the passing game highlighted by a 37-yard completion to Mohamed Massaquoi to build a 13-3 halftime lead.

Steve Mariucci said at halftime that those 10 points are huge in a game like this under these conditions.

Then when the second half started it was clear what the Browns plan was. They were not trying to score. They were going to run the ball as much as they could and kill the game clock.

As much criticism as Eric Mangini has been under this season, he has to be given credit here. That was the right way to play the second half. The defense was doing great and the running game was working. This was the best way to hold the lead.

Quinn threw very few passes in the second half. However, he still lead his team when they needed him to. He called a few run audibles and was still very much into the game even though he knew the plan was to run the ball.

Sure you would like to see your quarterback put up great stats, but being able to lead your team to victory against your biggest rival is slightly more important.

At the end of the day, the AFC North always has been and always will be about smashmouth defense and running the football. That is how you win games in this division and this game is a huge step for Quinn and the Browns.